RESEARCH PAPER SERIES, 2016–17              Updated 18 January 2017

Migration to Australia: a quick guide to the statistics

Janet Phillips, Social Policy Section

Joanne Simon-Davies, Statistics and Mapping Section

Overview

Australia is considered to be one of the world’s major ‘immigration nations‘(together with New Zealand, Canada and the USA). Since 1945, when the first federal immigration portfolio was created, over 7.5 million people have settled here and Australia’s overseas-born resident population—estimated to be 28.2 per cent of the population in June 2015—is considered high compared to most other OECD countries.

Permanent migrants enter Australia via one of two distinct programs—the Migration Program for skilled and family migrants or the Humanitarian Program for refugees and those in refugee-like situations. Each year, the Australian Government allocates places, or quotas, for people wanting to migrate permanently to Australia under these two programs.

Until recently, the United Kingdom (UK) had always been the primary source country for permanent migration to Australia. However, for the first time in the history of Australia, China surpassed the UK as Australia’s primary source of permanent migrants in 2010–11. Since then, China and India have continued to provide the highest number of permanent migrants. New Zealand (NZ) citizens also feature highly in the number of settler arrivals, but they are not counted under Australia’s Migration Program unless they apply for (and are granted) a permanent visa.

Over the decades, migration program planning numbers have fluctuated according to the priorities and economic and political considerations of the government of the day. However, it is important to note that the Australian Government’s immigration policy focus has changed markedly since 1945, when attracting general migrants (primarily from the UK) was the priority, to focussing on attracting economic migrants and temporary (predominantly skilled) migrants. Currently the planning figure for the Migration Program is 190,000 places (it has remained at this record high level since 2012–13), with skilled migrants comprising the majority.

One of the most significant developments in the dynamics of migration to Australia since the late 1990s has been the growth in temporary migration. The net migration gain from long-term temporary movement exceeded that from permanent movement in 1999–00 and there were record numbers of temporary entrants in 2000–01. Many of these entrants arrived on either student or Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457) visas. Unlike the permanent Migration Program, the level of temporary migration to Australia is not determined or subject to quotas or caps by Government, but is demand driven.

The 457 visa also provides a pathway for skilled workers and their dependants to apply for permanent residence and many students are also eligible to apply for permanent visas under the Migration Program at the completion of their courses. The largest contribution to net overseas migration (NOM) in recent years has been from people on temporary visas—mostly comprised of overseas students and temporary skilled migrants and the rate of Australia’s population growth has increased significantly over the few years largely driven by an increase in NOM.

Migration statistics

Annual statistics on Migration and Humanitarian Program ‘outcomes’ (visa grants) provided by the Immigration Department since the 1980s provide accurate data on the number of people who are planning to migrate to Australia. However, other immigration-related data collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is also used to measure migration flows or settler arrivals. These statistics are often used interchangeably and/or incorrectly with the result that data used in the public debate to describe migration flows can often be inaccurate or misleading. Changes in government policy and data collection methodology by government agencies have also added to the complexity in interpreting this data, and make it difficult to compare migration-related statistics over time. Some of the more commonly used data sets (and their limitations) include:

•        Net overseas migration (NOM) data, compiled since 1925 by the ABS, is often used to describe and measure population growth. However, NOM is not a measure of the number of permanent migrants arriving in any given year as it measures departures and arrivals of both permanent and (long-term) temporary entrants and the resulting increase or decrease in the population overall. In addition, the methodology for the calculation of NOM has changed significantly over the years and should be used with caution.

•        Settler arrival statistics, also compiled by the ABS, are a better indication of permanent migration flows than NOM, but include NZ citizens and some other temporary migrants who have indicated an intention to settle longer term. Other ABS data on overseas arrivals and departures may also include multiple arrivals and departures of individuals and not the total number of individuals.

•        Migration Program visa grant outcomes recorded by the Immigration Department, provide the most accurate statistics on the number of permanent migrants intending to settle in Australia, however not all migrants granted visas take them up, and accurate data is only available back to the 1980s. Prior to that, it is necessary to resort to settler arrival statistics.

This quick guide provides a summary of some of the key statistics on permanent and temporary migration to Australia. It updates some of the data in the statistical appendix of a more detailed Parliamentary Library paper on migration trends since 1901—Migration to Australia since federation: a guide to the statistics (2010).

Statistics include:

Table 1: Permanent migrants—migration and humanitarian program visa grants since 1985

Table 2: Temporary migrants— overseas student and business long stay (subclass 457) visa grants since 1996

Table 3: Net Overseas Migration (NOM) since 1901

Table 4: Components of population growth: 1980–2015

Table 1: Permanent migrants: migration and humanitarian program visa grants since 1984–85

Year

Migration Program

Humanitarian Program

Family

Child

Skill

Special Eligibility

Total

1984–85

44 200

10 100

200

54 500

14 207

1985–86

63 400

16 200

400

80 000

11 700

1986–87

72 600

28 500

600

101 700

11 291

1987–88

79 500

42 000

600

122 100

11 392

1988–89

72 700

51 200

800

124 700

11 309

1989–90

66 600

52 700

900

120 200

12 415

1990–91

61 300

49 800

1 200

112 200

11 284

1991–92

55 900

41 400

1 700

98 900

12 009

1992–93

43 500

21 300

1 400

67 900

11 845

1993–94

43 200

18 300

1 300

62 800

14 070

1994–95

44 500

30 400

1 600

76 500

14 858

1995–96

56 700

24 100

1 700

82 500

16 252

1996–97

44 580

27 550

1 730

73 900

11 902

1997–98

31 310

34 670

1 110

67 100

12 055

1998–99

32 040

35 000

890

67 900

11 356

1999–00

32 000

35 330

2 850

70 200

15 860

2000–01

33 470

44 730

2 420

80 610

13 733

2001–02

38 090

53 520

1 480

93 080

12 349

2002–03

40 790

66 050

1 230

108 070

12 525

2003–04

42 230

71 240

890

114 360

13 823

2004–05

41 740

77 880

450

120 060

13 178

2005–06

45 290

97 340

310

142 930

14 144

2006–07

50 080

97 920

200

148 200

13 017

2007–08

49 870

108 540

220

158 630

13 014

2008–09

56 366

114 777

175

171 318

13 507

2009–10

60 254

107 868

501

168 623

13 770

2010–11

54 543

113 725

417

168 685

13 778

2011–12

58 604

125 755

639

184 998

13 745

2012–13

60 185

128 973

842

190 000

19 998

2013–14

61 112

128 550

338

190 000

13 759

2014–15

61 085

127 774

238

189 097

13 756

2015–16

57 400

3512*

128 550

308

189 770

17 555

Sources: J Phillips, M Klapdor and J Simon-Davies, Migration to Australia since Federation: a guide to the statistics, Background note, Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 27 August 2010; Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP), Report on Migration Program reports, 2009–10 to 2014–15; Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), Annual Report 2011–12, p. 117; DIBP, Australia’s refugee and humanitarian program, fact sheet 60 (which regularly revises and updates the figures and may differ from previously published figures); and departmental annual reports and ministerial press releases (various years).

Notes: *Child places are now identified separately from the Family stream in response to recent reforms to the inter-country adoption processes. See DIBP, Annual report 2015–16, p. 61.

Table 2: Temporary migrants: overseas student and business long stay (subclass 457) visa grants since 1996–97

Year

Overseas students

Temporary business (long stay) 457 visas

1996–97

113 000

25 786

1997–98

108 827

30 880

1998–99

110 894

29 320

1999–00

119 806

31 070

2000–01

146 577

36 900

2001–02

151 894

33 510

2002–03

162 575

36 800

2003–04

171 616

39 500

2004–05

174 786

48 590

2005–06

190 674

71 149

2006–07

230 807

87 313

2007–08

278 715

110 567

2008–09

319 632

101 284

2009–10

270 499

67 979

2010–11

250 438

90 119

2011–12

253 046

125 070

2012–13

259 278

126 348

2013–14

292 060

98 571

2014–15

299 540

96 084

2015–16

310 845

85 611

Sources:  J Phillips, M Klapdor and J Simon-Davies, Migration to Australia since Federation: a guide to the statistics, op. cit.; DIAC, Australia’s migration trends 2011–12, 2013; DIBP, Student and Subclass 457 visa statistics web pages; and departmental annual reports (various years).

Table 3: Net overseas migration (NOM) since 1901 (calendar year)

Year

NOM (a) (b)

Year

NOM (a) (b)

Year

NOM (a) (b)

Series Break Information

1901

2 959

1940

10 676

1979

68 611

Prior to July 1922 crew members were included

Prior to July 1925 figures are total overseas arrivals and departures from Australia

1902

-4 293

1941

5 136

1980

100 940

1903

-9 876

1942

8 536

1981

123 066

1904

-2 983

1943

1 587

1982

102 709

1905

-2 600

1944

-1 761

1983

54 995

1906

-5 049

1945

-3 273

1984

59 823

1907

5 195

1946

-11 589

1985

89 319

1908

5 437

1947

12 186

1986

110 661

From July 1925 figures are Net Permanent and Long Term migration

1909

21 783

1948

48 468

1987

136 093

1910

29 912

1949

149 270

1988

172 794

1911

74 379

1950

153 685

1989

129 478

Break in series from September quarter 1971 to June quarter 2006 inclusive, Net Overseas Migration (NOM) was the difference between permanent and long-term arrivals and permanent and long-term departures.

1912

91 892

1951

110 362

1990

97 131

1913

63 227

1952

97 454

1991

81 669

1914

-8 226

1953

42 883

1992

51 358

1915

-84 410

1954

68 565

1993

34 822

1916

-128 737

1955

95 317

1994

55 506

1917

-17 822

1956

102 105

1995

106 864

1918

23 359

1957

77 622

1996

97 444

1919

166 303

1958

64 879

1997

72 402

1920

27 606

1959

83 578

1998

88 781

1921

17 525

1960

92 776

1999

104 210

1922

40 157

1961

65 439

2000

111 441

For September quarter 2006 onwards estimates for NOM are the difference between the number of incoming travellers who stay in Australia for 12 months or more and are added to the population (NOM arrivals) and the number of outgoing travellers who leave Australia for 12 months or more and are subtracted from the population (NOM departures)

1923

39 714

1962

64 638

2001

136 076

1924

46 069

1963

76 844

2002

110 475

1925

39 762

1964

103 999

2003

110 104

1926

42 282

1965

111 609

2004

106 425

1927

49 401

1966

95 931

2005

137 000

1928

28 864

1967

96 558

2006

182 100

1929

10 087

1968

123 452

2007

244 000

1930

-9 833

1969

140 331

2008

315 700

1931

-12 117

1970

138 382

2009

246 900

1932

-4 608

1971

103 553

2010

172 000

1933

-1 364

1972

56 320

2011

205 700

1934

- 388

1973

67 494

2012

237 400

1935

1 251

1974

87 248

2013p

206 200

1936

1 283

1975

13 515

2014p

178 000

1937

5 075

1976

33 997

2015p

177 100

1938

8 145

1977

68 030

1939

12 527

1978

47 394

P = preliminary estimates

(a)  Estimates for September quarter 2006 onwards use an improved methodology and are not comparable with NOM estimates prior to this.
(b)  An adjustment for category jumping (later referred to as migration adjustments) was included for estimates for September quarter 1976 to June quarter 2006, except for September quarter 1997 to June quarter 2001 when it was set to zero.
Sources:  Data for 1901–1924: DIAC, Immigration: federation to century’s end, DIAC, Canberra, 2001.
Data for 1925–2005: ABS, Australian Historical Population Statistics, cat. no. 3105.0.65.001, 2008.
Data for 2006 onwards: ABS, Australian Demographic Statistics, cat. no. 3101.0.

Table 4: Components of population growth: 1980–2015

As at June

Natural Increase

Net overseas migration

Number

% of total growth

Number

% of total growth

1980

117 000

60.7

75 900

39.3

1981

121 500

50.5

119 200

49.5

1982

126 100

49.6

128 100

50.4

1983

128 900

63.7

73 300

36.3

1984

129 600

72.5

49 100

27.5

1985

127 600

63.4

73 800

36.6

1986

123 000

55.0

100 500

45.0

1987

126 600

50.2

125 800

49.8

1988

125 800

45.7

149 400

54.3

1989

131 300

45.5

157 500

54.5

1990

132 400

51.5

124 700

48.5

1991

141 600

62.1

86 500

37.9

1992

138 700

66.9

68 600

33.1

1993

139 200

82.2

30 100

17.8

1994

135 300

74.4

46 600

25.6

1995

132 400

62.3

80 200

37.7

1996

124 400

54.5

104 000

45.5

1997

126 900

59.3

87 200

40.7

1998

120 500

60.4

79 100

39.6

1999

122 400

55.9

96 500

44.1

2000

122 100

53.2

107 200

46.8

2001

120 400

47.0

135 700

53.0

2002

119 200

51.9

110 600

48.1

2003

116 900

50.1

116 500

49.9

2004

118 800

54.3

100 000

45.7

2005

126 900

50.6

123 800

49.4

2006

132 000

47.4

146 700

52.6

2007

151 300

39.4

232 700

60.6

2008

154 400

35.8

277 400

64.2

2009

156 400

34.3

299 900

65.7

2010

162 500

45.3

196 100

54.7

2011

155 700

46.3

180 400

53.7

2012

158 900

40.9

229 400

59.1

2013p

162 600

41.7

227 100

58.3

2014p

157 000

45.7

186 400

54.3

2015p

148 900

45.7

176 500

54.3

Source: ABS, Australian Demographic Statistics, cat. no. 3101.0.

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