The division was created in 1949 and is named after T. J. Ryan, Premier of Queensland from 1915 to 1919.
Johnson subsequently ran as an independent in the 2010 federal election but lost.
In the 2022 election, Greens candidate Elizabeth Watson-Brown won the seat from LNP member Julian Simmonds.
[4] Ryan is located in south east Queensland, and is generally based on the western suburbs of the City of Brisbane.
The Division of Ryan encompasses a number of whole and part suburbs and localities:[5][6]