Fact Sheet 2 – Key Facts In Immigration
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This is a brief summary of key immigration and migrant settlement statistics. More detail is available in other fact sheets.
Commonly used terms in this document include:
Migration program—the number of visas for permanent residence (excludes New Zealand citizens and visas issued under the Humanitarian Program).
Settler arrivals—people entitled to permanent residence actually arriving (includes New Zealanders intending to stay permanently and settler arrivals under the Humanitarian Program).
Net permanent migration—the number of people permanently arriving in Australia minus those permanently departing.
Post-war migration
Since early 1945, 7 million people have come to Australia as new settlers. They have had a marked influence on all aspects of our society. In the 64 years of planned post-war migration, Australia has seen:
- nearly 6.8 million migrants arrive comprising about 3.49 million males and 3.29 million females
- more than 700 000 people arrive under humanitarian programs, initially as displaced persons and more recently as refugees
- a population rise from around 7 million to over 21.5 million.
The trigger for a large-scale migration program was the end of World War II. Agreements were reached with Britain, some European countries and with the International Refugee Organization to encourage migration, including displaced people from war-torn Europe.
About one million migrants arrived in each of the six decades following 1950:
- 1.6 million between October 1945 and 30 June 1960
- about 1.3 million in the 1960s
- about 960 000 in the 1970s
- about 1.1 million in the 1980s
- over 900 000 in the 1990s
- over 900 000 since the year 2000.
The highest number of settlers to arrive in any one year since World War II was 185 099 in 1969–70. The lowest number in any one year was 52 752 in 1975–76.
Today, nearly one in four of Australia's 21 million people were born overseas. For the past three financial years, New Zealand has been the major source country for settlers.
The number of settlers arriving in Australia between July 2008 and June 2009 totalled 158 021. They came from more than 200 countries. Most were born in New Zealand (16.2 per cent), the United Kingdom (13.6 per cent), India (10.9 per cent), China (10.0 per cent) and South Africa (4.6 per cent).
Today's migration program recognises that business globalisation has resulted in a major flow of people who often do not intend to stay in Australia permanently.
Settler arrival figures
| Year | Settler arrival numbers | Net permanent migration |
|---|---|---|
| 1998–1999 | 84 100 | 49 000 |
| 1999–2000 | 92 300 | 51 200 |
| 2000–2001 | 107 400 | 60 800 |
| 2001–2002 | 88 900 | 40 700 |
| 2002–2003 | 93 900 | 43 500 |
| 2003–2004 | 111 600 | 52 500 |
| 2004–2005 | 123 400 | 60 800 |
| 2005–2006 | 131 600 | 63 700 |
| 2006–2007 | 140 100 | 68 000 |
| 2007–2008 | 149 400 | 72 400 |
| 2008–2009 | 158 021 | 77 000 |
Source: overseas arrivals and departures
Settler arrivals by region of birth between July 2008 and June 2009
| Region of birth | Arrivals | % Variation |
|---|---|---|
| Oceania and Antarctica | 30 010 | -5.3 |
| Europe | 29 294 | -4.6 |
| North Africa and the Middle East | 11 143 | 34.3 |
| South East Asia | 21 008 | -0.9 |
| North East Asia | 20 977 | 16.5 |
| Southern Asia | 25 900 | 17.2 |
| Central Asia | 1731 | -3.8 |
| Northern America | 2254 | 2.5 |
| South and Central America and the Caribbean | 1979 | -5.8 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 13 025 | 22.9 |
| Supplementary country codes | 671 | 11.8 |
| Not stated/not elsewhere included | 29 | -71.0 |
| Grand total | 158 021 | 5.8 |
Major source countries
July 2008 to June 2009 settler arrivals, by country of birth
| Country of birth | Arrivals | % Variation |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 33 034 | 19.7 |
| United Kingdom | 21 567 | -7.0 |
| India | 16 909 | 10.3 |
| China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) | 14 935 | 14.9 |
| Philippines | 5619 | 2.9 |
| Iraq | 4008 | 79.9 |
| Sri Lanka | 3918 | 11.3 |
| Malaysia | 3261 | 11.9 |
| Burma (Myanmar) | 2931 | 17.1 |
By way of comparison: settler arrivals by region of birth for 1998–99
| Region of birth | Arrivals | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Oceania | 22 501 | 26.74 |
| Europe | 18 710 | 22.24 |
| The Former USSR and the Baltic States | 898 | 1.07 |
| The Middle East and North Africa | 5195 | 6.17 |
| South East Asia | 10 934 | 12.99 |
| North East Asia | 10 869 | 12.92 |
| Southern Asia | 5316 | 6.32 |
| Northern America | 1624 | 1.93 |
| South America, Central America and the Carribean | 773 | 0.92 |
| Africa (excluding North Africa) | 7246 | 8.61 |
| Supplementary – country codes | 77 | 0.09 |
| Grand total | 84 143 |
Population
At December 2008, the estimated population for Australia was 21.64 million—this represented an annual increase of 406 100 people and a population growth rate of 1.91 per cent. This population growth rate was the highest since 1988.
Population growth has two components: natural increase (the excess of births over deaths) and net overseas migration (net permanent and long-term overseas migration plus adjustments for changes in traveller duration intention).
The graph below shows the contributions of natural growth and net overseas migration to Australia's population growth between 2004 and 2008.
Source: Australian Demographic Statistics, Dec 2008 (ABS Cat 3101.0)
At 30 June 2006, 24.6 per cent of the estimated resident population of Australia were born overseas. Of those born overseas, 29.7 per cent were born in North-West Europe, 16.7 per cent in Southern and Eastern Europe and 12.6 per cent in South-East Asia. The top five countries of birth made up 44.7 per cent of the overseas-born population.
Net overseas migration, top five countries of birth 2007–08
| Country of birth | Estimated number | % of overseas-born |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1 140 263 | 15.3 |
| New Zealand | 443 606 | 14.8 |
| China (excluding SARS and Taiwan ) | 259 095 | 7.5 |
| United States of America | 443 401 | 5.3 |
| Japan | 434 078 | 5.2 |
| Other | 4 373 579 | 51.8 |
| Total overseas-born | 8 414 281 |
Source: Migration Australia (ABS Cat 3412.0)
2010–11 migration program
The planning level under the migration program for 2010–11 is 168 700. This represents no change on the planning levels for 2009–10. This compares with past program outcomes of:
- 67 100 in 1997–98
- 67 900 in 1998–99
- 70 200 in 1999–00
- 80 610 in 2000–01
- 93 080 in 2001–02
- 108 070 in 2002–03
- 114 360 in 2003–04
- 120 060 in 2004–05
- 142 933 in 2005–06
- 148 200 in 2006–07
- 158 630 in 2007–08
- 171 318 in 2008–09
- 168 623 in 2009–10
The program planning level set by the government for 2010–11 represents an increase of 5 750 places in the skill stream (to comprise 67.5 per cent of the total program) and a decrease of 5 750 places in the family stream. The rebalancing of the migration program reflects the government's focus on enabling our migration programs to meet growing demands for skilled labour in areas of critical need as our economy continues down the path of economic recovery.
See: Fact Sheet 20 – Migration Program planning levels