Australia is home to the largest population of Bhutanese people living outside Bhutan. What began as a small flow of students and officials in the 1960s has grown into a significant and fast-growing diaspora community of over 20,000 people (per community estimates as of 2025) — concentrated in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, with a growing presence in every state and territory.

This guide covers where Bhutanese Australians live, how the community has grown, what organisations support it, and how to stay financially connected with family back home.

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How the Bhutanese community in Australia grew

Bhutanese migration to Australia has happened in two distinct waves.

The early years (1960s–2000s): The first Bhutanese arrivals came to Australia under the Colombo Plan — a cooperative arrangement through which Bhutanese government officials came to Australia for education and training. This created a small but established Bhutanese presence in Australian cities from the 1960s onwards.

The humanitarian resettlement wave (2008–present): Australia’s involvement in the Bhutanese refugee resettlement program began in 2008, when the Australian Government allocated places in its annual Humanitarian Program for Bhutanese refugees who had been living in camps in Nepal. The US had offered to resettle up to 60,000 Bhutanese refugees in 2006, prompting other Western nations — including Australia — to make their own commitments. This wave brought a significant new wave of Bhutanese Australians, many of Nepali-speaking background, and established major community concentrations in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.

The student and skilled worker wave (2020s–present): Since the reopening of Australian borders after the COVID-19 pandemic, the pace of Bhutanese migration has accelerated sharply. Young Bhutanese professionals and students have arrived in growing numbers, drawn by Australia’s education system, employment opportunities and established community. Many have enrolled in hospitality, childcare, aged care and healthcare fields.

The 2021 Australian Census counted 12,002 Bhutanese-born residents. By 2025, community estimates suggest the total Bhutanese population in Australia — including Australian-born children and those with mixed heritage — is significantly higher, with Perth alone estimated to have over 20,000 Bhutanese residents (per community estimates as of 2025).

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Where Bhutanese Australians live

Perth, Western Australia — the heart of the community

Perth is home to the largest concentration of Bhutanese Australians in the country. The 2021 Census recorded 4,372 Bhutanese-born residents in Western Australia, but community estimates as of 2025 put the Perth Bhutanese population at over 20,000.

The concentration is particularly dense in the northern suburbs of Perth. As of 2022, Bhutan was the most common non-Australian country of birth for residents in the Perth suburbs of Osborne Park, Glendalough and Wembley — with approximately 21% of Glendalough residents born in Bhutan.

The Association of Bhutanese in Perth Inc. (ABPI) was founded in 2014 and is one of the most active Bhutanese community organisations in Australia, organising events, assisting newly arrived Bhutanese to settle in Western Australia, and representing the community in multicultural forums. The organisation has over 2,100 paid members and serves thousands more in the broader Perth community.

Why Perth? Perth’s strong economy, affordable housing (relative to Sydney and Melbourne), a warm climate reminiscent of Bhutan’s lowland regions, and an established community network have made it the preferred destination for Bhutanese arrivals.

Adelaide, South Australia

Adelaide is the second largest Bhutanese community in Australia. The 2021 Census recorded 1,793 Bhutanese-born residents in South Australia, concentrated in the northern and western suburbs of Adelaide.

The South Australian government actively encouraged refugee settlement as part of its population growth strategy, and lower housing costs relative to Sydney and Melbourne made Adelaide an attractive and accessible destination. The Association of Bhutanese in Adelaide Inc. (ABAI) was founded in 2022 to support the community.

Brisbane, Queensland

Queensland is home to the third largest Bhutanese population, with 1,444 Bhutanese-born residents recorded in the 2021 Census. Brisbane has seen growing Bhutanese arrivals in recent years, drawn by employment opportunities in hospitality, construction and healthcare.

Sydney, New South Wales

Sydney hosts a substantial Bhutanese population, with significant concentrations in Western Sydney — particularly in the local government areas of Blacktown, Liverpool and Parramatta. The Bhutanese Students’ Association (BSA) in Armidale, NSW, was one of the earliest Bhutanese community organisations in Australia, established in 2011.

Melbourne, Victoria

Melbourne’s southeastern and western suburbs — including areas around Dandenong, Werribee and Sunshine — have established Bhutanese communities. Melbourne’s multicultural environment and strong South Asian community networks make it a natural home for Bhutanese arrivals.

Other states and territories

Bhutanese communities exist across all Australian states and territories:

• Canberra (ACT): A growing Bhutanese community, partly driven by government and professional sector employment
• Northern Territory: The Bhutanese Association in Northern Territory (BANTI) was formally established in February 2026, serving approximately 142 Bhutanese residents

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Community organisations

The Bhutanese community in Australia is well organised, with associations in every state. The Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Canberra serves as the official liaison between these organisations and the Bhutanese government.

National:

• Association of Bhutanese in Australia (ABA) — the peak national body representing Bhutanese community interests across Australia

By state:

• Association of Bhutanese in Perth Inc. (ABPI) — WA, founded 2014
• Association of Bhutanese in Adelaide Inc. (ABAI) — SA, founded 2022
• Druk Melbourne Association Inc. (DMA) — Victoria, established 2017, incorporated 2019. Formed by Bhutanese international students and permanent residents in Victoria
• Bhutanese Association in Northern Territory (BANTI) — NT, established February 2026
• Bhutanese Students’ Association (BSA), Armidale — NSW, established 2011

The Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Canberra maintains a directory of all state associations and encourages Bhutanese Australians to connect with their local group.

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Cultural and religious life

Religion: The Bhutanese community in Australia is predominantly Buddhist and Hindu. Buddhist temples and Hindu temples operate in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne, providing spaces for religious practice and community gathering.

Language: Dzongkha is Bhutan’s national language. Many Bhutanese Australians from the refugee resettlement wave also speak Nepali, reflecting the ethnic Nepali (Lhotshampa) background of many in that cohort. English is widely spoken across the community.

Festivals: Major Bhutanese celebrations including Losar (Bhutanese New Year), Tshechu festivals, and Zhabdrung Kuchoe are observed by community groups across Australia. These occasions are important moments for community gathering and for staying connected to Bhutanese identity and culture.

Food: Bhutanese cuisine — featuring red rice, ema datshi (chilli and cheese), phaksha paa and ara — is increasingly represented in Australian cities with large Bhutanese populations, through community events, restaurants and cultural festivals.

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A challenge for Bhutan

Australia’s appeal to Bhutanese migrants comes against a backdrop of concern in Bhutan itself. An estimated 66,000 Bhutanese — approximately 9% of Bhutan’s total population — now live abroad, with a significant majority in Australia. For a small Himalayan country of approximately 800,000 people, this represents a significant loss of young, working-age talent.

Bhutan has raised concern at the highest government levels about the pace of outmigration, particularly among young professionals and graduates. The phenomenon has been described as a brain drain affecting Bhutan’s development capacity.

For Bhutanese Australians, the connection to home remains strong. Regular remittances, community events, and digital communication keep the community connected to family and culture in Bhutan — even as many plan to settle permanently in Australia.

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Staying financially connected: sending money home to Bhutan

For Bhutanese Australians sending money to family back home, OrbitRemit supports direct AUD to BTN transfers to all major Bhutanese banks — including Bank of Bhutan (BoB), Bhutan National Bank (BNB), T Bank and Druk PNB Bank.

• Fee: AUD 2.49 flat per transfer (fee-free above AUD 10,000)
• Speed: Over 85% of transfers arrive within 2 hours
• Limit: Up to BTN 800,000 per transaction
• Payment methods: Bank transfer, debit card, PayID, Apple Pay, Google Pay
• First transfer: Free with promotional exchange rate (new customers; applies to first AUD 500; terms apply)

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FAQ’s (Frequently asked questions)

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This guide draws on 2021 Australian Census data, community organisation sources, and publicly available reporting on the Bhutanese community in Australia. Population estimates for years after 2021 are drawn from community sources and media reporting, not official census data. Last updated June 2026.

Sources: Wikipedia — Bhutanese Australians | Royal Bhutanese Embassy Canberra — mfa.gov.bt/rbecanberra | Newsreel Asia — Bhutan’s Australian Dream (June 2025) | BhutanWiki — Bhutanese Australians | ABS 2021 Census