AN increasing number of Wyndham residents were born in India, new census data shows.
The 2011 census results reveal 8056 residents were born in India, while 10,107 had parents born in India.
In 2006, 1565 people said they were born in India and 2519 residents said their parents were Indian.
The United Kingdom is traditionally the most common birthplace of Wyndham residents born outside Australia, with 5131 people listing the UK as their place of birth in the 2006 census.
In 2011, this figure increased to 6306.
The city is also home to an increasing number of people born in China.
In the 2011 census, 2497 people said they were born in China, up from 525 in 2006.
New Zealand (4995 people) and the Philippines (3908) rounded out the top five countries of birth.
Truganina resident Intaj Khan moved to Wyndham with his young family in 2008.
Mr Khan, who is the vice-president of the Australia India Business Council, said he chose to raise his family in Truganina because house prices were more reasonable than in the eastern suburbs. The character of Wyndham also appealed to him.
“In general, Wyndham has educated, double-income, middle-class families set up with the core vale of providing their children the best,” Mr Khan said.
“Therefore there will be adequate demand for good education and infrastructure leading to a sound future.”
Mr Khan said he had noticed more Indian families calling Wyndham home since 2008, believing most families were attracted to the city for the same reasons he was.
Wyndham was not the only area to record an increase in Indian-born residents, with Victoria recording a 2.1per cent increase.
The census also showed the majority of Wyndham residents who listed a faith were Catholic (30.6per cent).
Five per cent of the population said they were Muslim and 19per cent (30,944 people) said they had no religion.
Across the state, 26.7per cent of the population identified as Catholic, while 24per cent listed no religion.
Wyndham residents also speak a mix of languages, with Italian, Mandarin, Arabic and Punjabi common in the city’s homes.
