Australia's contribution to global refugee resettlement is significant when compared to the small number of nations involved in formal resettlement programs, ranking second globally on a per capita basis in 2023. However, the overwhelming majority of the world's refugees are hosted by low- and middle-income countries, where Australia's overall ranking is much lower.
Refugees - major hosting countries worldwide as of 2024
As of the end of 2024, Iran was the largest refugee-hosting country in the world. According to data available by the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, there were nearly 3.5 million refugees in Iran. Turkey was second with more than 2.9 million.
More than 85% of applications are refused, as they don't meet the visa requirements. Applications from some nationalities have refusal rates close to 100%. Protection visas are for asylum seekers – people who face a real risk of significant harm or persecution if they return home.
Australia is ranked in the top four countries to be an immigrant, according to a new global study. The nation polled highly in measures such as economic stability, income equality and job markets, which were used to create the list complied by ranking company US News and World Report.
Over the 10 years to December 2022, Australia recognised or resettled 180,073 refugees, 0.75% of the global total of 23.99 million refugees recognised or resettled in that period. On this measure, Australia was ranked 30th overall, 41st on a per capita basis and 77th relative to national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Does Australia have more refugees than other countries? No. In 2023, most refugees and people seeking asylum (69%) resided in their neighbouring countries if it was safe for them to do so. Most of these were developing countries, with 75% of refugees overall being hosted by low to middle income countries.
No, Australia is not 90% white; while a large majority identify with European ancestry (around 76-80% in recent years), a significant and growing portion identifies as Asian, African, Middle Eastern, or Indigenous, making it a highly multicultural nation with diverse ethnic backgrounds, not overwhelmingly white. Recent census data shows European ancestry (English, Irish, etc.) makes up a large chunk, but Asian ancestries are also substantial, with over 17% Asian population and around 3.8% identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, per the 2021 census data from Wikipedia.
According to the United Nations, in 2024 the United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, France and the United Kingdom had the largest numbers of immigrants of any country, while Tuvalu, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and Tokelau had the lowest.
While England historically provided the largest immigrant group, India is now the top country of birth for recent migrants and is rapidly becoming the largest single overseas-born group in Australia, followed by China, New Zealand, and the Philippines, reflecting a significant shift in migration origins toward Asia and recent booms in migration numbers overall.
The Home Affairs Minister sets the number of people that Australia will take and determines the priorities for deciding who will be accepted. In 2025, Australia's Refugee and Humanitarian Program remains at 20,000 places.
Our isolation means that it is much easier to control who comes into our country. This makes it much harder for refugees to seek asylum in Australia, but also means that refugees coming by boat can be seen as a threat by ordinary Australians. This sense of threat and fear has been stoked by politicians on both sides.
Germany, the UK, Sweden, Italy and France attract the majority of people seeking asylum for the first time. In the UK, the number of asylum seekers has increased from 42,000 in 2019 to 75,000 in 2023.
Arab countries refuse to accept refugees
Similarly, Turkey and Qatar, both state sponsors of Hamas, are refusing to take refugees even as both countries express support for the Palestinians. Algeria, Kuwait, and Malaysia are openly siding with Hamas but have not said they would admit refugees.
A single person with no dependent children who is eligible for the Jobseeker Payment (whether or not he or she is a refugee) will receive up to $781.10 per fortnight, whereas a single person on an Age Pension payment will receive a fortnightly payment of up to $1,051.30.
Nationality of asylum seekers and refugees
In the year to September 2025, the most common nationalities of people claiming asylum were Pakistani (11%), Eritrean (8%), Iranian (7%), Afghan (7%), and Bangladeshi (6%).
The Institute of Public Affairs chief economist Adam Creighton used the monthly arrivals data to forecast that net migration would reach 550,000 in 2025. If you divide that by 365, you get the 1500 migrants per day figure cited by Fordham and Advance Australia.
Based on population totals. Canada does have a larger population but not by too much as Canada has 37 mil vs 28 mil in Australia, and it's even closer if we look at their total foreign-born population as Canada has around 8.5 mil immigrants vs 7.6 mil immigrants in Australia, since we are speaking of diasporas here.
In the 2017–18 period, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney LGAs recorded the highest net overseas migration figures, highlighting these cities as key hubs for new arrivals.
By December 2025, the Trump administration claimed that 2.5 million illegal immigrants had left the country through a combination of over 622,000 deportations and an estimated 1,900,000 self-deportations. Individuals or immigrants residing in the U.S. 38 confirmed: 30 in ICE detention centers.
In other cases, immigration policies may limit the number of people who can migrate to a country. Cuba has the lowest level of foreign-born people in its population. The Caribbean nation makes it very difficult for foreign nationals obtain permanent residency. China comes in second last.
The proportion of Australia's population born outside Australia was 31.5%. England, India, China and New Zealand were the countries of birth with the largest populations. Those born in India recorded the largest increase since 2014.
Ladies in Black is a 2018 Australian comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford.
At the 2021 census, 1,390,637 Australian residents identified themselves as having Chinese ancestry, accounting for 5.5% of the total population.