Overseas migration added 306,000 people to Australia's population in the 2024-25 financial year, according to data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Jenny Dobak, ABS head of migration statistics, said: 'Net overseas migration dropped by 124,000 people in 2024-25, falling for the second year in a row since the financial year high of 538,000 people in 2022-23.
'The change in net overseas migration was driven by both a 14 per cent decrease in migrant arrivals, particularly temporary visa holders, and a 13 per cent increase in migrant departures.
'While net overseas migration is not currently at the level seen prior to the pandemic, this year's overseas migration figures are the closest to pre-COVID-19 figures since annual net overseas migration peaked in September quarter 2023.
'Migrant arrivals in 2024-25 were only 3 per cent higher than in 2018-19, but migrant departures remained 15 per cent lower than they were in 2018-19.'
| Migrant arrivals ('000) | Migrant departures ('000) | Net overseas migration(b) ('000) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun-15 | 465.25 | 281.22 | 184.03 |
| Sep-15 | 469.39 | 285.16 | 184.23 |
| Dec-15 | 473.25 | 286.52 | 186.73 |
| Mar-16 | 481.33 | 285.35 | 195.98 |
| Jun-16 | 489.28 | 283.04 | 206.23 |
| Sep-16 | 507.11 | 277.60 | 229.51 |
| Dec-16 | 519.65 | 275.82 | 243.83 |
| Mar-17 | 536.66 | 277.08 | 259.59 |
| Jun-17 | 540.15 | 276.80 | 263.35 |
| Sep-17 | 540.06 | 280.64 | 259.43 |
| Dec-17 | 531.37 | 289.71 | 241.66 |
| Mar-18 | 527.23 | 289.23 | 238.00 |
| Jun-18 | 527.52 | 289.30 | 238.22 |
| Sep-18 | 530.94 | 288.62 | 242.32 |
| Dec-18 | 534.40 | 282.18 | 252.22 |
| Mar-19 | 536.60 | 285.93 | 250.67 |
| Jun-19 | 550.40 | 309.06 | 241.34 |
| Sep-19 | 566.35 | 324.32 | 242.04 |
| Dec-19 | 607.87 | 360.25 | 247.62 |
| Mar-20 | 618.36 | 379.11 | 239.25 |
| Jun-20 | 506.85 | 314.16 | 192.70 |
| Sep-20 | 361.95 | 286.34 | 75.61 |
| Dec-20 | 235.35 | 240.32 | -4.97 |
| Mar-21 | 113.00 | 207.34 | -94.34 |
| Jun-21 | 146.00 | 230.93 | -84.94 |
| Sep-21 | 161.23 | 216.61 | -55.38 |
| Dec-21 | 214.41 | 205.10 | 9.30 |
| Mar-22 | 334.05 | 203.03 | 131.02 |
| Jun-22 | 423.91 | 216.00 | 207.91 |
| Sep-22 | 569.28 | 220.65 | 348.63 |
| Dec-22 | 651.35 | 213.50 | 437.86 |
| Mar-23 | 704.98 | 209.15 | 495.83 |
| Jun-23 | 738.41 | 200.07 | 538.34 |
| Sep-23 | 755.44 | 199.64 | 555.80 |
| Dec-23 | 739.03 | 208.41 | 530.62 |
| Mar-24 | 709.80 | 215.98 | 493.82 |
| Jun-24 | 661.36 | 232.20 | 429.16 |
| Sep-24 | 615.33 | 250.51 | 364.82 |
| Dec-24 | 593.54 | 263.61 | 329.94 |
| Mar-25 | 578.71 | 267.44 | 311.27 |
| Jun-25 | 568.37 | 262.80 | 305.57 |
- Estimates from September quarter 2024 onwards are preliminary. See revision status on the methodology page.
- Net overseas migration is calculated by the number of migrant arrivals minus the number of migrant departures.
There were 568,000 migrant arrivals to Australia in 2024-25. Almost two in three arrivals were on temporary visas (363,000), and nearly half of these temporary visa holder arrivals were international students (157,000).
| Temporary visas - Student ('000) | Temporary visas - Other(c) ('000) | Permanent visas ('000) | NZ citizens ('000) | Australian citizens ('000) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun-15 | 122.10 | 140.80 | 91.50 | 31.80 | 71.70 |
| Sep-15 | 125.00 | 142.30 | 90.70 | 31.30 | 72.00 |
| Dec-15 | 126.00 | 144.70 | 89.80 | 31.50 | 73.10 |
| Mar-16 | 129.80 | 147.70 | 89.00 | 32.30 | 74.20 |
| Jun-16 | 132.10 | 149.60 | 90.60 | 33.70 | 75.80 |
| Sep-16 | 136.60 | 153.60 | 97.20 | 34.90 | 77.90 |
| Dec-16 | 137.90 | 157.90 | 103.70 | 34.90 | 78.70 |
| Mar-17 | 146.80 | 162.00 | 107.40 | 33.80 | 79.60 |
| Jun-17 | 149.40 | 165.40 | 106.20 | 32.30 | 79.30 |
| Sep-17 | 152.60 | 168.60 | 100.80 | 31.20 | 79.20 |
| Dec-17 | 151.90 | 169.20 | 94.50 | 30.40 | 78.80 |
| Mar-18 | 153.80 | 169.20 | 90.10 | 30.40 | 78.00 |
| Jun-18 | 157.60 | 169.70 | 87.90 | 30.40 | 77.20 |
| Sep-18 | 163.20 | 169.50 | 87.10 | 30.60 | 76.50 |
| Dec-18 | 166.60 | 171.30 | 85.10 | 30.80 | 76.00 |
| Mar-19 | 167.60 | 174.00 | 83.90 | 30.60 | 76.00 |
| Jun-19 | 164.30 | 186.30 | 85.40 | 30.50 | 78.90 |
| Sep-19 | 155.50 | 205.00 | 87.00 | 30.40 | 82.80 |
| Dec-19 | 150.60 | 235.20 | 91.20 | 30.40 | 95.00 |
| Mar-20 | 134.50 | 253.10 | 90.80 | 28.70 | 106.00 |
| Jun-20 | 110.40 | 203.20 | 70.90 | 22.20 | 96.40 |
| Sep-20 | 64.90 | 144.50 | 51.40 | 15.90 | 83.40 |
| Dec-20 | 42.60 | 75.70 | 37.30 | 12.00 | 66.70 |
| Mar-21 | 0.80 | 19.00 | 27.30 | 11.10 | 54.10 |
| Jun-21 | 1.50 | 28.10 | 37.00 | 17.00 | 61.40 |
| Sep-21 | 2.10 | 34.90 | 43.20 | 19.00 | 61.10 |
| Dec-21 | 29.20 | 48.10 | 55.50 | 19.20 | 61.60 |
| Mar-22 | 102.70 | 79.70 | 66.00 | 22.00 | 63.00 |
| Jun-22 | 141.40 | 124.80 | 71.10 | 24.10 | 62.50 |
| Sep-22 | 215.00 | 178.80 | 78.60 | 30.00 | 66.80 |
| Dec-22 | 237.70 | 234.70 | 77.00 | 35.90 | 66.10 |
| Mar-23 | 259.90 | 266.50 | 76.50 | 40.20 | 61.80 |
| Jun-23 | 277.80 | 278.90 | 80.40 | 42.70 | 58.80 |
| Sep-23 | 284.90 | 283.60 | 83.80 | 45.00 | 58.10 |
| Dec-23 | 267.10 | 277.20 | 87.20 | 48.00 | 59.50 |
| Mar-24 | 238.20 | 269.80 | 90.80 | 50.50 | 60.50 |
| Jun-24 | 204.10 | 253.80 | 90.90 | 51.70 | 60.80 |
| Sep-24 | 173.10 | 236.00 | 91.40 | 52.40 | 62.40 |
| Dec-24 | 163.30 | 221.50 | 93.50 | 52.60 | 62.80 |
| Mar-25 | 158.50 | 212.20 | 91.50 | 53.20 | 63.40 |
| Jun-25 | 156.70 | 206.40 | 88.20 | 53.00 | 64.10 |
- Estimates from September quarter 2024 onwards are preliminary. See revision status on the methodology page.
- Excludes arrivals with visa not available/not applicable.
- Includes temporary skilled, working holiday maker, visitor and bridging visas.
The number of migrant departures rose to 263,000 people in 2024-25, up from 232,000 people the year before.
'Similar to last financial year, we are seeing temporary visa holders continuing to leave the country after having arrived during the period of high migration once borders reopened in early 2022. For example, migrant departures on working holiday visas have more than doubled for two consecutive financial years and contributed the largest increase to departures in 2024-25,' Ms Dobak said.
| Temporary visas - Student ('000) | Temporary visas - Other(c) ('000) | Permanent visas ('000) | NZ citizens ('000) | Australian citizens ('000) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun-15 | 45.00 | 83.00 | 21.30 | 27.10 | 97.60 |
| Sep-15 | 44.60 | 83.60 | 21.50 | 27.60 | 99.30 |
| Dec-15 | 43.70 | 85.20 | 21.50 | 27.70 | 99.50 |
| Mar-16 | 43.70 | 85.70 | 21.20 | 28.10 | 98.10 |
| Jun-16 | 44.10 | 85.20 | 21.00 | 27.60 | 97.30 |
| Sep-16 | 44.00 | 84.00 | 20.70 | 26.90 | 95.80 |
| Dec-16 | 45.40 | 82.10 | 20.40 | 26.70 | 95.00 |
| Mar-17 | 45.50 | 85.00 | 20.30 | 26.00 | 93.90 |
| Jun-17 | 46.80 | 84.40 | 20.50 | 25.60 | 92.60 |
| Sep-17 | 49.20 | 83.40 | 20.60 | 24.80 | 91.10 |
| Dec-17 | 51.70 | 88.30 | 20.60 | 24.10 | 92.50 |
| Mar-18 | 53.60 | 87.80 | 20.70 | 23.70 | 90.90 |
| Jun-18 | 55.40 | 88.10 | 20.60 | 22.90 | 89.80 |
| Sep-18 | 57.30 | 89.30 | 20.40 | 22.70 | 89.30 |
| Dec-18 | 59.90 | 84.80 | 20.40 | 21.40 | 85.50 |
| Mar-19 | 60.30 | 86.00 | 20.90 | 21.10 | 87.30 |
| Jun-19 | 67.40 | 101.10 | 21.50 | 22.40 | 85.90 |
| Sep-19 | 75.00 | 106.00 | 23.80 | 22.70 | 83.70 |
| Dec-19 | 98.80 | 113.30 | 27.00 | 24.10 | 83.60 |
| Mar-20 | 112.10 | 120.80 | 29.30 | 24.90 | 78.50 |
| Jun-20 | 100.90 | 95.90 | 24.40 | 20.80 | 60.40 |
| Sep-20 | 97.20 | 90.80 | 21.10 | 20.40 | 50.30 |
| Dec-20 | 75.10 | 83.50 | 17.90 | 17.40 | 42.50 |
| Mar-21 | 62.90 | 76.40 | 14.60 | 15.40 | 35.00 |
| Jun-21 | 62.20 | 84.30 | 17.90 | 19.00 | 44.00 |
| Sep-21 | 50.70 | 81.10 | 18.60 | 16.00 | 47.50 |
| Dec-21 | 37.40 | 78.90 | 20.20 | 14.20 | 53.30 |
| Mar-22 | 29.80 | 72.70 | 21.80 | 15.10 | 62.90 |
| Jun-22 | 26.90 | 72.60 | 23.70 | 15.20 | 77.70 |
| Sep-22 | 21.00 | 71.40 | 23.90 | 17.40 | 87.00 |
| Dec-22 | 16.00 | 65.90 | 21.70 | 19.80 | 90.10 |
| Mar-23 | 14.20 | 62.80 | 21.10 | 18.70 | 92.20 |
| Jun-23 | 15.50 | 58.80 | 20.10 | 16.40 | 89.20 |
| Sep-23 | 19.00 | 57.30 | 19.90 | 15.50 | 87.90 |
| Dec-23 | 25.40 | 61.50 | 20.00 | 14.40 | 87.10 |
| Mar-24 | 28.40 | 68.60 | 19.10 | 14.20 | 85.70 |
| Jun-24 | 32.80 | 80.70 | 18.50 | 14.30 | 85.80 |
| Sep-24 | 38.30 | 94.10 | 18.60 | 14.40 | 85.10 |
| Dec-24 | 44.40 | 101.00 | 18.80 | 14.60 | 84.80 |
| Mar-25 | 46.90 | 102.90 | 18.80 | 14.70 | 84.10 |
| Jun-25 | 48.60 | 99.30 | 18.60 | 14.70 | 81.50 |
- Estimates from September quarter 2024 onwards are preliminary. See revision status on the methodology page.
- Excludes departures with visa not available / not applicable.
- Includes temporary skilled, working holiday maker, visitor and bridging visas.
The top five countries of birth contributing to overseas migration in 2024-25 were China, Australia, India, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Net overseas migration from India and China was lower than in 2023-24, but overseas migration from the United Kingdom and New Zealand was higher.
In 2024-25, there was a net loss of 17,000 Australian-born people though migration. This is in line with the average yearly net loss for the five years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| China(c) ('000) | Australia ('000) | India ('000) | UK ('000) | NZ ('000) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun-15 | 39.07 | -23.00 | 38.40 | 9.40 | 0.93 |
| Sep-15 | 41.97 | -24.53 | 38.46 | 8.83 | 0.11 |
| Dec-15 | 42.76 | -24.07 | 38.52 | 8.74 | -0.01 |
| Mar-16 | 45.05 | -22.43 | 39.99 | 8.97 | 0.31 |
| Jun-16 | 45.48 | -21.37 | 40.86 | 9.14 | 1.48 |
| Sep-16 | 47.12 | -18.88 | 43.06 | 9.68 | 2.90 |
| Dec-16 | 46.72 | -17.83 | 44.86 | 10.28 | 2.90 |
| Mar-17 | 49.20 | -16.67 | 48.30 | 10.18 | 2.53 |
| Jun-17 | 50.02 | -15.80 | 49.73 | 10.46 | 1.85 |
| Sep-17 | 52.12 | -14.60 | 50.02 | 10.04 | 1.59 |
| Dec-17 | 49.28 | -16.11 | 49.54 | 8.64 | 1.89 |
| Mar-18 | 46.70 | -15.46 | 52.93 | 7.86 | 2.39 |
| Jun-18 | 44.61 | -15.49 | 55.86 | 7.83 | 3.01 |
| Sep-18 | 38.87 | -16.30 | 61.61 | 8.24 | 3.43 |
| Dec-18 | 34.61 | -13.95 | 65.88 | 8.73 | 4.43 |
| Mar-19 | 28.74 | -15.64 | 70.12 | 9.00 | 4.33 |
| Jun-19 | 20.17 | -12.36 | 73.19 | 7.44 | 3.33 |
| Sep-19 | 10.26 | -8.01 | 78.56 | 7.12 | 3.04 |
| Dec-19 | -5.02 | 0.04 | 81.27 | 8.71 | 2.35 |
| Mar-20 | -19.37 | 11.67 | 76.50 | 10.32 | 0.97 |
| Jun-20 | -18.59 | 18.06 | 59.81 | 10.67 | -0.36 |
| Sep-20 | -36.36 | 17.55 | 32.02 | 6.31 | -4.20 |
| Dec-20 | -38.70 | 12.42 | 12.63 | 1.99 | -4.44 |
| Mar-21 | -45.67 | 9.57 | -10.85 | -1.28 | -3.57 |
| Jun-21 | -50.27 | 7.47 | -10.65 | -0.96 | -2.15 |
| Sep-21 | -44.96 | 5.20 | -8.51 | -0.12 | 1.59 |
| Dec-21 | -29.80 | 2.17 | 6.24 | -0.29 | 2.86 |
| Mar-22 | -1.48 | -3.80 | 27.61 | 1.39 | 4.02 |
| Jun-22 | 15.10 | -13.44 | 43.57 | 2.76 | 5.37 |
| Sep-22 | 46.03 | -17.65 | 66.59 | 8.50 | 7.40 |
| Dec-22 | 56.45 | -21.86 | 73.80 | 15.27 | 9.54 |
| Mar-23 | 61.80 | -26.05 | 88.17 | 17.71 | 13.03 |
| Jun-23 | 59.57 | -26.16 | 95.03 | 19.55 | 15.95 |
| Sep-23 | 56.29 | -25.71 | 98.67 | 20.77 | 17.85 |
| Dec-23 | 52.05 | -23.37 | 91.40 | 21.92 | 20.22 |
| Mar-24 | 49.36 | -21.54 | 80.65 | 23.96 | 22.21 |
| Jun-24 | 46.58 | -21.15 | 70.13 | 23.55 | 22.91 |
| Sep-24 | 40.68 | -19.64 | 59.12 | 24.53 | 23.40 |
| Dec-24 | 37.35 | -19.22 | 58.71 | 24.89 | 23.55 |
| Mar-25 | 37.45 | -18.92 | 58.77 | 25.39 | 23.93 |
| Jun-25 | 35.16 | -17.06 | 57.41 | 25.62 | 24.32 |
- Estimates from September quarter 2024 onwards are preliminary. See revision status on the methodology page.
- Top 5 countries of birth by the sum of migrant arrivals and migrant departures in year ending June 2025.
- Excludes SARs and Taiwan.
The median age of migrant arrivals was 26 years and for migrant departures it was 30 years.
There were 4,840 more female than male migrant arrivals in 2024-25, with a sex ratio of 98, and 2,560 more male than female migrant departures, with a sex ratio of 102.
