Use the tabs below to switch between international, Australian, key and historical statistics.
How many refugees are there in the world?
At the end of 2017, the number of people forcibly displaced reached a high of 68.5 million people. This included 25.4 million refugees under both UNHCR’s mandate and UNRWA (which looks after Palestinian refugees). The top countries from which people leave are Syria, Afghanistan and countries in Africa. Most go to neighbouring countries, such as Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon and Iran.
Read ‘Global refugee numbers’ to answer these questions:
- How many people are forcibly displaced?
- How many are refugees, internally displaced, and seeking asylum?
- Where do they come from?
- Where do they flee to?
How many refugees need to be resettled?
According to UNHCR, 1,428,011 refugees will need resettlement in 2019. Overwhelmingly, those who need resettlement come from Africa (664,037 people, 46.5%) and the Middle East and North Africa (648,850 people, 45.4%)
The proportion of people living in Africa who need resettlement is increasing, with 629,744 people needing resettlement. The numbers in both the Middle East and Europe have grown significantly in the past four years.
Read ‘Global resettlement needs’ to answer these questions:
- How many refugees need to be resettled?
- Where do they come from?
- Where are they living now?
What decisions are being made on the review of fast-track decisions?
How many people have we sent to Nauru and PNG?
3,127 people have been sent to Nauru or PNG as part of offshore processing arrangements since 19 July 2013. As of 21 October 2018: 1,278 people (including 52 children) are still on Nauru or PNG (note: this number is constantly changing with transfers, with the latest estimate by refugee groups being 27 children as of 5 November 2018). 415 people have been resettled in the US, and 188 people have been rejected for US resettlement as of the same date. By far the largest number of those refused are from Iran (91), although 16 Iranians have been accepted. There are 495 recognised refugees left in PNG, and 541 recognised refugees on Nauru. There are 107 families on Nauru, including 52 families with minors.
Do you have these questions?
- How many people have we sent to Nauru and PNG?
- How many are still there?
- How many children, women and families are there?
- How many of them have been recognised as refugees?
- How many of them have left, to the US, Australia, Cambodia or their country of origin?
How many people are in detention in Australia?
As of 31 August 2018, there were 1,303 people in held detention, with key sites being Villawood (485) and Yongah Hill (306). On average they had been there 468 days, with 273 people having spent more than 730 days in detention. 231 people were held in detention because they came seeking asylum by boat. The main nationalities of people in detention were New Zealand (180), Iran (106), Vietnam (102), and Sri Lanka (81).
Do you have these questions?
- How many people are being held in immigration detention in Australia?
- Where are they being held?
- Why are they being held?
- How long are they being held?
- Who are they – what countries do they come from, what gender are they, how old are they?
- How many children are in detention?
- How many people are in community detention, and where are they?
How many people are seeking asylum in the community?
The numbers of people applying for asylum who come by plane is increasing, with 18,290 applications in 2016-2017. On 31 March 2018, there were 18,325 people seeking asylum by boat who were on a Bridging Visa E in the community. More than 80% of them live in NSW or Victoria, they are mostly young, with more men than women.
Do you have these questions?
- How many people seeking asylum live in our community?
- How many of them came by plane? How many of them came by boat?
- Where do they live (by postcode)?
- How old are they?
- What is their gender?
How many people are there waiting for their claims to be ‘fast tracked’?
There are still 11,513 people waiting for a decision under the 'fast track' process by the Department of Home Affairs. Most are still being granted protection, with 71% of people in the Legacy Caseload being granted protection, with a higher rate of 74% for Safe Haven Enterprise Visas. Most of them are waiting in Victoria (5,622) and NSW (4,465) with significant numbers also in South Australia (614) and Queensland (491). Most of those still waiting are from Iran (36%), Sri Lanka (16%), stateless (13%), Afghanistan (10%). Almost all of them (11,398) are living in the community on a Bridging Visa E, but there are still 100 of them in held detention.
Do you have these questions?
- How many people are still waiting for their claims to be decided under ‘fast tracking’?
- Where do they live (by State?)
- Where do they come from?
- What kinds of visas did they apply for?
- Where are they – in held detention, in community detention, or living in the community?
What are the review decisions for claims being ‘fast tracked’?
As of the end of September 2018, there were 738 >active cases before the Immigration Assessment Authority. Since July 2016, it has made 4,789 decisions. It is taking a median 130 days for it to make its decisions, and is remitting only 12% of decision back to the Department.
Do you have these questions?
- How many review decisions have been made?
- How long are review decisions taking?
- What are the outcomes by country of origin?
Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Program visa grants by stream, 1977-78 to 2011-12
This table sets out the different types of refugee and humanitarian visas granted by the Australian Government by year.
Australian immigration intake and humanitarian intake, 1948 to 1977
This table sets out the respective immigration and humanitarian intake for the years 1948-1977.
Australian immigration intake and humanitarian intake, since 1977
This table sets out the immigration intake and the humanitarian intake for the respective years.
Australian refugee resettlement per capita, selected years since 1948-49*
This table sets out selected years of Australian refugee resettlement per capita.
Final grant rate (boat arrivals), 2008-09 to 2012-13
This table provides the grant and refusal rates of people seeking asylum by boat between 2008-2009 to 2012-2013.
Final grant rate (plane arrivals), 2006-07 to 2012-13
This table sets out the number of people coming by plane who were granted a protection visa (including at merits review).
Historical statistics on Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Program
This lists some key resources for historical statistics on Australia's refugee and humanitarian program.
People seeking asylum by boat, by calendar year, 1 January 1976 to 31 December 2014
This table lists the number of people coming by boat to claim Asylum in Australia by year.
People seeking asylum by boat, by financial year, 1 July 1975 to 30 June 2013
This table sets out the number of people who have claimed asylum in Australia by boat.
Primary grant rate (boat arrivals), 2008-09 to 2012-13
This table sets out the number of grants of visas for boat arrivals.
