Length of detention
Contents
The graphs on this page show how long people are spending in detention in Australia.
The first graph shows the number of people who have been detained for different periods of time. This is based on the monthly statistics published by the Department of Home Affairs.
Since August 2020, the Department has provided further breakdown for people who have spent more than 2 years in detention. The next graph shows that breakdown.
The average number of days people spend in detention (441Â days) is a significant drop from the average of 719 days prior to the High Court decision in NZYQ.
However, this average understates the time spent in detention by refugees or people on humanitarian visas (as it includes people detained for other reasons). As at 31 December 2023, the average period of detention for people who came on humanitarian visas or refugees was 2.9 years (1,057 days).
This next graph shows the extreme length of time some people have been held in detention, by detention facility. It shows that nearly 120 people have been in detention for four years or more, with several having spent more than ten years in detention.
This next graph shows the longest cumulative time spent in each detention centre.
Stateless people in detention
This graph shows the length of detention for people who are stateless. As they are stateless, they cannot readily be returned to their country of origin. The average cumulative time in detention, as at 31 March 2026, was 340 days.
