Forcibly displaced people in Australia
Australia: Forcibly displaced people was 116,340 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Forcibly displaced people in Australia, 2010–2025
Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Analysis
In 2025, forcibly displaced people in Australia stood at 116,340.
That represents a change of down 3.7% on the previous year and up 101.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forcibly displaced people in Australia peaked at 144,979 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 25,504, in 2010.
That places Australia 76th out of 180 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Forcibly displaced people in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 25,504 | — |
| 2011 | 28,633 | +12.3% |
| 2012 | 41,052 | +43.4% |
| 2013 | 47,994 | +16.9% |
| 2014 | 57,027 | +18.8% |
| 2015 | 57,669 | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 71,820 | +24.5% |
| 2017 | 96,509 | +34.4% |
| 2018 | 117,579 | +21.8% |
| 2019 | 135,891 | +15.6% |
| 2020 | 138,212 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 138,416 | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 144,979 | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 117,127 | -19.2% |
| 2024 | 120,789 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | 116,340 | -3.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 116,340 is above the median for high income countries, which is 51,316, 2.3× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Australia's 116,340 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6,732, 17.3× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 67,968 | 25,504 | 135,891 | 10 |
| 2020s | 129,310 | 116,340 | 144,979 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More social development data for Australia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 33,415 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0012 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forcibly displaced people in Australia?
- Forcibly displaced people in Australia was 116,340 in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- What is the highest forcibly displaced people recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 144,979 in 2022.
- What is the lowest forcibly displaced people recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 25,504 in 2010.
- How does Australia rank for forcibly displaced people?
- Australia ranks 76th out of 180 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forcibly displaced people rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 101.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published as part of Forcibly displaced people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Forcibly displaced people are represented by the sum of (1) refugees (and people in a refugee-like situation) under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), (2) refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), (3) asylum-seekers, (4) other people in need of international protection, and (5) internally displaced people (IDPs). Situations in which people are reported in more than one of these categories are accounted for, to the extent possible.