Australia’s net migration drops by 16% to 4.46 lakh; arrivals decline by 10% to 6.67 lakh

Representative AI image (Credit: Lexica)

Indians led the pack with 87,000 arrivals into the country during FY 2023-24
The number of people migrating to Australia fell for the first time since the country lifted its Covid-era border restrictions in early 2022. This fall was led by a drop in international student arrivals, according to data recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Net overseas migration fell to 4.46 lakh during the year ended June 30, 2024 – a drop of nearly 17% from the previous year’s figure of 5.36 lakh. The data set explains that net overseas migration is the net gain or loss of population through international migration to and from Australia.
Historically, each year more people migrate to Australia than migrate away from the country. This trend temporarily reversed in 2020 and 2021 owing to pandemic related border closures. Fiscal year (FY) 2023-24 represents the first annual decrease in net overseas migration since the border restrictions were lifted. This lower level was led by a decrease in migrant arrivals, largely temporary visa holders, while departures increased during the same period.
In terms of migrant arrivals, Indians continued to lead, but in declining numbers. During the year ended June 30, 2024, 87,600 Indians arrived in Australia, a drop of nearly 19% from the previous year’s arrival figure of 1.08 lakh. The net migration statistic for India (arrivals minus departure) for FY 2023-24 was 72,360, as compared to 94,840 in the previous year.
China was the second largest source country. FY 2023-24 saw 75,830 Chinese enter Australia, a decline of nearly 8% from the previous year’s figure. The net migration statistic stood at 49,720 for fiscal 2023-24, as compared to 59,530 in the previous year.
Cutting across all countries, the migrant arrivals to Australia decreased by nearly 10% to 6.67 lakh, down from 7.39 lakh in FY 2022-23. During the year ended June 30, 2024, the migrant departures increased by 8% to 2.21 lakh, as compared to 2.04 lakh in the previous year.
The data set shows that the largest group of migrant arrivals during FY 2023-24 were the 2.07 lakh international students. However, this was a significant drop of nearly 26% as compared to the previous year’s inflow of 2.78 lakh international students. According to immigration experts, higher visa fees, a higher cost of living and the proposed cap on student inflow of 2.7 lakh are believed to have led to this decline.
The data set released by ABS does not provide country-wise data of inflow of international students. However, another data set released by Australia’s Department of Education states that the total number of international students during the Jan-Aug 2024 period stood at 8.03 lakh. Of which 1.33 lakh were from India – a growth of 12%. As against this, there were 1.74 lakh Chinese students, showing a growth of 13%.
While the controversial bill seeking to cap the number of new international student enrolments to 2.7 lakh for 2025 has been blocked in the Parliament, it has dented Australia’s image as a coveted destination for international students.
New arrivals during past two years