Chinese Buyers Continue to Lead Australia’s Foreign Home Investment
Chinese buyers remain the leading foreign buyer group in Australia’s residential property market, even as overall foreign home investment cools.
According to Australian Treasury data highlighted in the Juwai IQI Insight, buyers from China purchased more Australian residential property than citizens of any other country. Juwai IQI Co-Founder and Group Managing Director Daniel Ho noted that China ranked first by both the number and value of approved investment in every quarter.
Other key buyer sources include Taiwan, Vietnam and Hong Kong, with demand mainly driven by migration, education and lifestyle.
Juwai IQI’s internal data also shows that Australia became the most popular global destination for Chinese buyers in Q1 2026, moving up from second place in 2025. The next most popular destinations were Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Malaysia.
Education and Migration Remain Core Demand Drivers
Education remains one of the strongest reasons behind Chinese buyer interest in Australia. More than 35,000 Chinese citizens moved to Australia in 2025, while around 730,000 Australian residents were born in China.
In the first quarter of FY2026, Chinese buyers accounted for 234 of 799 approved residential investments. The value of approved Chinese residential investment reached about $2.6 billion in FY2024, around $1.4 billion in FY2025, and roughly $0.8 billion across the first three quarters of FY2026.
This shows that while investment volumes have moderated, the underlying connection between China and Australia remains strong. Chinese companies are also the third-biggest source of approved foreign direct investment in Australia.
Outlook
Chinese demand for Australian property is likely to remain resilient, especially where it is linked to education, migration and long-term lifestyle planning.
For developers and agents, Australia’s appeal to Chinese buyers remains clear, but stronger targeting and trusted market positioning will be essential as foreign investment becomes more selective.
