Defence & Security
With more and more young Nepalis seeking better opportunities in Australia, the Nepal-born community continues to grow in the largest Oceanian nation.
In the past decade, Australia was among the most-favoured destinations for Nepali students seeking overseas education and employment.
In June 2021, the population of Nepal-born people in Australia stood at 131,830 - almost five times the number (27,200) recorded ten years ago, on June 30, 2010, according to Australia’s Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Ministry says the Nepal-born community is “the eleventh largest migrant community in Australia, equivalent to 1.7 per cent of Australia's overseas-born population and 0.5 per cent of Australia's total population”.
A year later, the number is believed to have grown further, with more and more Nepalis seeking a better life in cities around Australia.
'Canberra becoming little Kathmandu'
Take the capital city, Canberra, for instance. There, the Nepal-born community grew 80-fold over a decade, from just 70 in 2011 to about 5,700 last year, according to a news report published on abc.net.au
It says: “More Nepalese now live in the ACT [Australian Capital Territory] than New Zealanders, and Nepali is the third-most-spoken language at home after English and Mandarin.
The ABC News journalist has also interviewed a Canberra real estate agent, Dikshant Dhungel. He went to Australia 15 years ago, when his diplomat father was posted there.
“He and his parents liked Canberra so much that they stayed,” the report adds.
According to the report, “those who are part of the Himalayan exodus are mostly young, middle-class emigrants – particularly students”.
“Nepali workers are strongly represented in Canberra's child and aged-care sectors, restaurants and hospitality venues, and supermarkets.”
The news article mentions the recent Australia tour of Nepali rock band 1974 AD, interviews several Nepal-born people in the capital and describes how “Canberra is becoming little Kathmandu”.
Canberra is not alone. Seeking better educational and professional opportunities, thousands of Nepali students have moved to other Australian cities too, including Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Tasmania.
They include several neighbours, friends and even relatives of this NepalMinute correspondent.
