Abstract

This dataset, a product of the Trade Team - Development Research Group, is part of a larger effort in the group to measure the extent of the brain drain as part of the International Migration and Development Program. It measures international skilled migration for the years 1975-2000.

The methodology is explained in: "Tendance de long terme des migrations internationals. Analyse à partir des 6 principaux pays recerveurs", Cécily Defoort.

This data set uses the same methodology as used in the Docquier-Marfouk data set on international migration by educational attainment. The authors use data from 6 key receiving countries in the OECD: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and the US.

It is estimated that the data represent approximately 77 percent of the world’s migrant population.

Bilateral brain drain rates are estimated based observations for every five years, during the period 1975-2000.

Geographic coverage

Australia, Canada, France, Germany, UK and US

Kind of data

Aggregate data [agg]

Mode of data collection

Other [oth]

In 2023, the number of international migrants to and from South Korea amounted to about 1.28 million people. This is an increase compared to the previous years caused by travel restrictions in response to COVID-19.

As of 2023, Australia's net overseas migration was 152.2 thousand people. In 2020 and 2021, net migration in Australia reduced drastically due to travel restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Net migration increased to over 400 thousand people once restrictions were eased in 2022.

Australia International Migrant Stock: Total data was reported at 6,763,663.000 Person in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 5,882,980.000 Person for 2010. Australia International Migrant Stock: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 3,549,346.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2015, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6,763,663.000 Person in 2015 and a record low of 1,698,085.000 Person in 1960. Australia International Migrant Stock: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. International migrant stock is the number of people born in a country other than that in which they live. It also includes refugees. The data used to estimate the international migrant stock at a particular time are obtained mainly from population censuses. The estimates are derived from the data on foreign-born population--people who have residence in one country but were born in another country. When data on the foreign-born population are not available, data on foreign population--that is, people who are citizens of a country other than the country in which they reside--are used as estimates. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 people living in one of the newly independent countries who were born in another were classified as international migrants. Estimates of migrant stock in the newly independent states from 1990 on are based on the 1989 census of the Soviet Union. For countries with information on the international migrant stock for at least two points in time, interpolation or extrapolation was used to estimate the international migrant stock on July 1 of the reference years. For countries with only one observation, estimates for the reference years were derived using rates of change in the migrant stock in the years preceding or following the single observation available. A model was used to estimate migrants for countries that had no data.;United Nations Population Division, Trends in Total Migrant Stock: 2012 Revision.;Sum;

While the European colonization and settlement of other world regions largely began in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was not until the 19th century when the largest waves of migration began to take place. In early years, migration rates were comparatively low; in all of the Americas, the slave population actually outnumbered that of Europeans for most of the given period. Then, with the development of steam ships, intercontinental travel became more affordable and accessible to the masses, and voluntary migration from Europe rose significantly. Additionally, larger numbers of Asian migrants, especially from India and China, migrated to Australia, the Caribbean, and U.S. from the mid-1800s; although the U.S. and Australia both introduced policies that limited or prevented Asian immigration throughout most of the early 1900s. International migration between 1913 and 1950 was also comparatively low due to the tumultuous nature of the period, which involved both World Wars and the Great Depression.

Australia Net Migration data was reported at 138,510.000 Person in 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 140,232.000 Person for 2023. Australia Net Migration data is updated yearly, averaging 108,852.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2024, with 65 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 275,773.000 Person in 2008 and a record low of 23,833.000 Person in 1993. Australia Net Migration data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Net migration is the net total of migrants during the period, that is, the number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants, including both citizens and noncitizens.;United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision.;Sum;

Migrants from the United Kingdom have long been Australia’s primary immigrant group and in 2023 there were roughly 960 thousand English-born people living in Australia. India and China held second and third place respectively with regard to Australia’s foreign-born population. The relative dominance of Asian countries in the list of top ten foreign-born residents of Australia represents a significant shift in Australia’s immigration patterns over the past few decades. Where European-born migrants had previously overshadowed other migrant groups, Australian migration figures are now showing greater migration numbers from neighboring countries in Asia and the Pacific. A history of migration Australia is often referred to as an ‘immigrant nation’, alongside the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. Before the Second World War, migrants to Australia were almost exclusively from the UK, however after 1945, Australia’s immigration policy was broadened to attract economic migrants and temporary skilled migrants. These policy changes saw and increase in immigrants particularly from Greece and Italy. Today, Australia maintains its status as an ‘’Immigrant nation’’, with almost 30 percent of the population born overseas and around 50 percent of the population having both that were born overseas. Australian visas The Australian immigration program has two main categories of visa, permanent and temporary. The permanent visa category offers three primary pathways: skilled, family and humanitarian. The skilled visa category is by far the most common, with more than a million permanent migrants living in Australia on this visa category at the last Australian census in 2021. Of the temporary visa categories, the higher education visa is the most popular, exceeding 180 thousand arrivals in 2023.

New Zealand Net Migration: Citizenship: Australia data was reported at 157.000 Person in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 226.000 Person for Jan 2025. New Zealand Net Migration: Citizenship: Australia data is updated monthly, averaging 122.000 Person from Jan 2001 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 290 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,013.000 Person in Jan 2023 and a record low of -433.000 Person in Dec 2021. New Zealand Net Migration: Citizenship: Australia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Stats NZ. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.G009: International Migration: Net Migration: by Citizenship.

The United Nations Department of Social affairs and Economic data website contains annual data on the flows of international immigrants as recorded by the countries of destination. The data presents both inflows and outflows according to the place of birth, citizenship or place of previous / next residence both for foreigners and nationals. The current version presents data pertaining to 45 countries. This dataset focus on the Australian immigration data and is a part of International migration flows to and from selected countries - The 2015 revision.

New Zealand Migrant Arrival: Citizenship: Australia data was reported at 408.000 Person in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 556.000 Person for Jan 2025. New Zealand Migrant Arrival: Citizenship: Australia data is updated monthly, averaging 459.000 Person from Jan 2001 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 290 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,389.000 Person in Jan 2023 and a record low of 23.000 Person in Apr 2020. New Zealand Migrant Arrival: Citizenship: Australia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Stats NZ. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.G010: International Migration: Arrival: by Citizenship.

Please Note: As announced by the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection on 25 June 2017, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) retired the paper-based Outgoing Passenger Cards (OPC) from 1 July 2017. The information previously gathered via paper-based outgoing passenger cards is now be collated from existing government data and will continue to be provided to users. Further information can be accessed here: http://www.minister.border.gov.au/peterdutton/Pages/removal-of-the-outgoing-passenger-card-jun17.aspx.

Due to the retirement of the OPC, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) undertook a review of the OAD data based on a new methodology. Further information on this revised methodology is available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/3401.0Appendix2Jul%202017?opendocument&tabname=Notes&prodno=3401.0&issue=Jul%202017&num=&view=

A sampling methodology has been applied to this dataset. This method means that data will not replicate, exactly, data released by the ABS, but the differences should be negligible.

Due to ‘Return to Source’ limitations, data supplied to ABS from non-DIPB sources are also excluded.

Overseas Arrivals and Departures (OAD) data refers to the arrival and departure of Australian residents or overseas visitors, through Australian airports and sea ports, which have been recorded on incoming or outgoing passenger cards. OAD data describes the number of movements of travellers rather than the number of travellers. That is, multiple movements of individual persons during a given reference period are all counted. OAD data will differ from data derived from other sources, such as Migration Program Outcomes, Settlement Database or Visa Grant information. Travellers granted a visa in one year may not arrive until the following year, or may not travel to Australia at all. Some visas permit multiple entries to Australia, so travellers may enter Australia more than once on a visa. Settler Arrivals includes New Zealand citizens and other non-program settlers not included on the Settlement Database. The Settlement Database includes onshore processed grants not included in Settler Arrivals.

These de-identified statistics are periodically checked for privacy and other compliance requirements. The statistics were temporarily removed in March 2024 in response to a question about privacy within the emerging technological environment. Following a thorough review and risk assessment, the Department of Home Affairs has republished the dataset.

In June 2021, a total of 3,610 people entered Australia on a permanent skilled visa. From February 2020 the number of international arrivals in Australia plummeted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared with the month of October in the previous year, which totaled nearly 800,000 visa entries, a total of just over 10,000 visa entries occurred in October 2020.

Australian visa types

The Australian immigration program manages a range of both permanent and temporary visa applications. The most common single visa type is the higher education sector visa, used by international students to study at Australian universities, this is followed by the two most common tourist visa types, visitor and working holiday visas. Of the permanent visa types, the skilled visa category is by far the most popular, with more and a million permanent migrants living in Australia on this visa category at the last Australian census in 2016.

The impact of Coronavirus on travel

With the rate of infection in China climbing steadily in early February 2020, the Australian government began to implement travel restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus. These measures began with the closing of borders to foreign nationals arriving from China and by April 2020 these restrictions had been extended to all foreign international travelers. Domestic travel also saw a drastic fall in traffic, even before the Australian states and territories began restricting interstate travel. The number of domestic travelers in April 2020 had dropped to just a fraction compared to the previous year.

In financial year 2023, it was estimated that 64.32 thousand more Chinese migrated to Australia than emigrated. This marked a significant increase in Chinese net migration compared to 14.72 thousand people in the previous financial year.

The Chinese community in Australia

Chinese migration to Australia dates back to the Australian gold rush of the 1850s and 60s, however, exclusionary migration policies up until the 1970’s restricted migration from China for some time. Since then, immigration from China has increased steadily and Chinese migrants now represent Australia’s third largest migrant group after the UK and India. The 2016 Australian census showed that Mandarin was the second most common language spoken at home in Australia, and Cantonese came in fourth. The Australian Chinese community also includes a significant proportion of the international students from China choosing to study in Australia.

Chinese investment in Australia

Although foreign investment in Australia still comes primarily from its traditional trade partners, the United States and the United Kingdom, Chinese investment has been increasing in recent years. The bulk of Chinese investment in Australia goes toward commercial real estate and agribusiness. In New South Wales alone, real estate investment from China totaled almost 1.25 billion Australian dollars, which accounted for around a half of all Chinese real estate investment in the country. By comparison, in 2019 the import value of Australian food products to China displayed yet another year on year increase, totaling more than two billion U.S. dollars.

This dataset provides values for INTERNATIONAL MIGRANT STOCK PERCENT OF POPULATION WB DATA.HTMLES reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

New Zealand Migrant Departure: Citizenship: Australia data was reported at 251.000 Person in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 331.000 Person for Jan 2025. New Zealand Migrant Departure: Citizenship: Australia data is updated monthly, averaging 336.000 Person from Jan 2001 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 290 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 684.000 Person in Dec 2006 and a record low of 20.000 Person in Apr 2020. New Zealand Migrant Departure: Citizenship: Australia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Stats NZ. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.G011: International Migration: Departure: by Citizenship.

Historical dataset showing Australia net migration by year from 1960 to 2024.

From 1870 until 1930, relatively low numbers of migrants relocated from Oceania to the United States. The vast majority of these migrants originally came from Australia and New Zealand, although there were some years in the 1880s where migration from the Pacific Islands exceeded these levels (the United States also colonized many islands in the Pacific during this time, and still has some territories in the region). The highest levels of migration from Australia and New Zealand came directly after the Second World War, when more than 6,000 people migrated to the US in 1946 alone.

About The Nauru Files contain the largest set of documents published from inside Australia's immigration detention system. Leaked to The Guardian in 2016, they include nearly 2,000 incident reports from the Nauru detention centre, which were written by guards, caseworkers and teachers on the remote Pacific island. Summary Examples of events include assaults, injuries, abuse and other forms of violence reported at the detention centre between 2013 and 2015. As noted by The Guardian, as well as academic research, Australia has privatised its immigration detention centres and exported detention of asylum seekers offshore to places such as Nauru and Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. This strategy is part of a wider "Pacific Solution" implemented by the Government of Australia since the early 2000s as a hardline deterrent to "stop the boats." Effectively, asylum seekers intercepted and detained on Nauru are removed from access to Australia's asylum system. Data Structure These data are composed of incident reports. An incident report is a short summary of an event in the Nauru detention centre written by staff there. Some of the details found in the files may be triggering; we therefore advise caution with reading and analysing these data. According to The Guardian, these reports form part of the Government of Australia's requirements to document what is happening within its detention system. Each report holds detailed information of the incident at the detention centre along with a "summary log". Working with The Guardian, we have organised these data into two forms: a PDF of each incident report, sorted by name at the time of leak, and a CSV/JSON of all incident reports (see "nauru_files.csv/json"), which structures key details into variables within its columns. Examples of variables include time, incident type, severity and description. Combined, these form a structured database linking each incident report to these variables. Data Source The Guardian has modified the original, leaked data to remove any personally-identifying information within them. To achieve this, a stringent approach of redaction has been implemented to remove names of asylum seekers and staff, personal identification numbers of asylum seekers, signatures of detention staff, nationalities within small population groups and residential tent numbers, among other things. There are also a large number of acronyms used in these data. For your convenience, we have provided an RTF document with a listing of these acronyms and their meanings. If you use these data, please cite the original source at The Guardian: The Guardian. (10 August 2016). The Nauru Files: The lives of asylum seekers in detention detailed in a unique database. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/ng-interactive/2016/aug/10/the-nauru-files-the-lives-of-asylum-seekers-in-detention-detailed-in-a-unique-database-interactive. Should you have any comments, questions or requested edits or extensions to the Nauru files, please contact Haven at kira.williams@utoronto.ca. For more articles from The Guardian on these data, see: The Nauru files: cache of 2,000 leaked reports reveal scale of abuse of children in Australian offshore detention. A short history of Nauru, Australia’s dumping ground for refugees. ‘I want death’: Nauru files chronicle despair of asylum seeker children.

The Migration Collection consists of over 5,500 items which provide an overview of the many and diverse people who have migrated to Victoria since the 1830s, their motivations for coming, the material they brought with them, items accumulated on the journey, and the objects they made and acquired after settling here. The Numismatics, Transport and Cultural Diversity collections also contain objects which have direct relevance to the Migration Collection.

Population Change: Net Interstate Migration: Western Australia data was reported at 1,469.000 Person in Sep 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2,411.000 Person for Jun 2024. Population Change: Net Interstate Migration: Western Australia data is updated quarterly, averaging 580.000 Person from Jun 1981 (Median) to Sep 2024, with 174 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,181.000 Person in Dec 2021 and a record low of -3,669.000 Person in Dec 2016. Population Change: Net Interstate Migration: Western Australia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.G003: Population Change.