Refugees by country of asylum, gaps filled in Australia
Australia: Refugees by country of asylum, gaps filled was 29,511 people in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Refugees by country of asylum, gaps filled in Australia, 1951–2024
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2024, refugees by country of asylum, gaps filled in Australia stood at 29,511 people.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.5% on the previous year and down 17.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees by country of asylum, gaps filled in Australia peaked at 317,000 people in 1981 and was at its lowest, 20,915 people, in 2008.
That places Australia 74th out of 183 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Refugees by country of asylum, gaps filled in Australia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 180,000 people | — |
| 1965 | 40,000 people | -77.8% |
| 1966 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 44,000 people | +10.0% |
| 1968 | 43,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1969 | 42,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1970 | 42,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 304,000 people | +623.8% |
| 1979 | 304,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 304,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 317,000 people | +4.3% |
| 1982 | 317,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 317,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 89,000 people | -71.9% |
| 1985 | 89,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 85,900 people | -3.5% |
| 1987 | 87,600 people | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 90,970 people | +3.8% |
| 1989 | 97,915 people | +7.6% |
| 1990 | 97,915 people | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 53,117 people | -45.8% |
| 1992 | 52,604 people | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 53,505 people | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 57,575 people | +7.6% |
| 1995 | 62,145 people | +7.9% |
| 1996 | 67,298 people | +8.3% |
| 1997 | 66,056 people | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 69,714 people | +5.5% |
| 1999 | 64,879 people | -6.9% |
| 2000 | 60,219 people | -7.2% |
| 2001 | 57,885 people | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 59,422 people | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 56,242 people | -5.4% |
| 2004 | 63,478 people | +12.9% |
| 2005 | 64,955 people | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 68,942 people | +6.1% |
| 2007 | 22,161 people | -67.9% |
| 2008 | 20,915 people | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 22,543 people | +7.8% |
| 2010 | 21,790 people | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 23,423 people | +7.5% |
| 2012 | 30,056 people | +28.3% |
| 2013 | 34,485 people | +14.7% |
| 2014 | 35,565 people | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 36,917 people | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 42,187 people | +14.3% |
| 2017 | 48,480 people | +14.9% |
| 2018 | 56,934 people | +17.4% |
| 2019 | 58,529 people | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 57,411 people | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 55,606 people | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 54,430 people | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 34,502 people | -36.6% |
| 2024 | 29,511 people | -14.5% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 29,511 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 10,077 people, 2.9× the median. (67 countries reporting)
- Australia's 29,511 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 51.5 people, 573.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugees by country of asylum, gaps filled in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | +623.8% | 42,000 people | 304,000 people |
| 1965 | -77.8% | 180,000 people | 40,000 people |
| 1984 | -71.9% | 317,000 people | 89,000 people |
| 2007 | -67.9% | 68,942 people | 22,161 people |
| 1991 | -45.8% | 97,915 people | 53,117 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 180,000 people | 180,000 people | 180,000 people | 1 |
| 1960s | 41,800 people | 40,000 people | 44,000 people | 5 |
| 1970s | 216,667 people | 42,000 people | 304,000 people | 3 |
| 1980s | 179,538 people | 85,900 people | 317,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 64,481 people | 52,604 people | 97,915 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 49,676 people | 20,915 people | 68,942 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 38,837 people | 21,790 people | 58,529 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 46,292 people | 29,511 people | 57,411 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is refugees by country of asylum, gaps filled in Australia?
- Refugees by country of asylum, gaps filled in Australia was 29,511 people in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest refugees by country of asylum, gaps filled recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 317,000 people in 1981.
- What is the lowest refugees by country of asylum, gaps filled recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 20,915 people in 2008.
- How does Australia rank for refugees by country of asylum, gaps filled?
- Australia ranks 74th out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
- Is refugees by country of asylum, gaps filled rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Refugees by country of asylum, gaps filled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Refugees by country of asylum with 169 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.
Computed from
- Refugees by country of asylum UNHCR (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Refugees by country of asylum with 169 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.