Population & Demographics•Series ID: 9.AUS.Q•1981–2026
Net Overseas Migration (NOM) - Historical Data
Net Overseas Migration (NOM) is the difference between incoming long-term overseas arrivals and outgoing long-term departures.
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Current Statistics & Historical Records
Latest Reading (2026 Q1)
101.0k
Prev (2025 Q4): 56.1k+44.9
Highest Recorded (2023 Q1)
165.5k
Recorded in 2023 Q1
Lowest Recorded (2020 Q3)
-42.6k
COVID-19 pandemic shock & 0.10% cash rate floor
Long-Run Mean (1981–2026)
159.3k
46 annual observations · Quarterly
Net Overseas Migration (NOM) - Historical Series (1981–2026)
'000 persons / qtrDrag to pan, scroll to zoom, or toggle between full annual history (1981–2026) and recent quarterly releases.
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Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (9.AUS.Q) Latest: 101 '000 persons / qtr (2026 Q1)
Net Overseas Migration (NOM) by Decade (1981–2026)
Decade averages, peaks, and troughs across Australian economic cycles
1980s1981–1989
105.6k
High (1988):172.9
Low (1983):55.0
1990s1990–1999
79.0k
High (1995):106.8
Low (1993):34.9
2000s2000–2009
170.0k
High (2008):315.7
Low (2004):106.5
2010s2010–2019
218.1k
High (2018):252.2
Low (2010):172.1
2020s2020–2026
243.3k
High (2023):530.7
Low (2020):-5.0
Net Overseas Migration (NOM) - Historical Table (1981–2026)
Unit: '000 persons / qtr · Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (9.AUS.Q)
| Year | Net Overseas Migration ('000 persons / qtr) | Year Range (Low – High) | Historical Context / Year Snapshot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 101.0 | 101.0 | The Australian Economy in 2026 → |
| 2025 | 298.8 | 47.9 – 107.7 | Disinflation & monetary policy recalibration |
| 2024 | 330.4 | 55.8 – 128.7 | The Australian Economy in 2024 → |
| 2023 | 530.7 | 99.5 – 165.5 | The Australian Economy in 2023 → |
| 2022 | 437.8 | 78.0 – 127.7 | Post-pandemic inflation surge & rapid RBA tightening cycle |
| 2021 | 9.3 | -14.2 – 35.4 | The Australian Economy in 2021 → |
| 2020 | -5.0 | -42.6 – 75.2 | COVID-19 pandemic shock & 0.10% cash rate floor |
| 2019 | 247.6 | 38.2 – 83.6 | The Australian Economy in 2019 → |
| 2018 | 252.2 | 45.7 – 85.1 | The Australian Economy in 2018 → |
| 2017 | 241.6 | 35.8 – 88.8 | The Australian Economy in 2017 → |
| 2016 | 243.9 | 43.6 – 73.7 | The Australian Economy in 2016 → |
| 2015 | 186.8 | 33.3 – 63.8 | The Australian Economy in 2015 → |
| 2014 | 182.4 | 30.4 – 65.0 | The Australian Economy in 2014 → |
| 2013 | 208.4 | 38.2 – 71.2 | The Australian Economy in 2013 → |
| 2012 | 240.2 | 51.0 – 74.0 | The Australian Economy in 2012 → |
| 2011 | 206.2 | 39.2 – 61.0 | China mining investment & Terms of Trade supercycle peak |
| 2010 | 172.1 | 32.0 – 59.9 | The Australian Economy in 2010 → |
| 2009 | 246.9 | 41.7 – 88.7 | The Australian Economy in 2009 → |
| 2008 | 315.7 | 65.1 – 93.5 | Global Financial Crisis (GFC) & emergency rate cuts |
| 2007 | 244.0 | 49.2 – 76.0 | The Australian Economy in 2007 → |
| 2006 | 182.1 | 21.4 – 56.9 | The Australian Economy in 2006 → |
| 2005 | 137.0 | 17.8 – 47.1 | The Australian Economy in 2005 → |
| 2004 | 106.5 | 12.1 – 35.5 | The Australian Economy in 2004 → |
| 2003 | 110.1 | 16.1 – 41.6 | The Australian Economy in 2003 → |
| 2002 | 110.5 | 15.3 – 36.4 | The Australian Economy in 2002 → |
| 2001 | 136.1 | 22.4 – 54.8 | The Australian Economy in 2001 → |
| 2000 | 111.4 | 15.5 – 37.4 | Introduction of the 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) |
| 1999 | 104.2 | 14.8 – 35.1 | The Australian Economy in 1999 → |
| 1998 | 88.8 | 8.5 – 33.7 | The Australian Economy in 1998 → |
| 1997 | 72.4 | 6.1 – 29.4 | The Australian Economy in 1997 → |
| 1996 | 97.4 | 19.4 – 32.3 | The Australian Economy in 1996 → |
| 1995 | 106.8 | 23.8 – 29.2 | The Australian Economy in 1995 → |
| 1994 | 55.6 | 3.9 – 27.8 | The Australian Economy in 1994 → |
| 1993 | 34.9 | -6.3 – 18.5 | RBA formalises 2–3% inflation targeting |
| 1992 | 51.4 | 2.8 – 27.1 | The Australian Economy in 1992 → |
| 1991 | 81.7 | 9.3 – 33.1 | Early 1990s recession ("The recession we had to have") |
| 1990 | 97.2 | 15.0 – 34.7 | Monetary tightening peak (17.5% Cash Rate) |
| 1989 | 129.5 | 19.1 – 43.0 | The Australian Economy in 1989 → |
| 1988 | 172.9 | 30.2 – 53.6 | The Australian Economy in 1988 → |
| 1987 | 136.1 | 29.1 – 37.4 | October 1987 sharemarket crash |
| 1986 | 110.8 | 23.4 – 32.0 | The Australian Economy in 1986 → |
| 1985 | 89.4 | 16.2 – 27.7 | The Australian Economy in 1985 → |
| 1984 | 59.9 | 11.0 – 18.5 | The Australian Economy in 1984 → |
| 1983 | 55.0 | 10.9 – 19.2 | Float of the Australian Dollar & Prices and Incomes Accord |
| 1982 | 102.7 | 16.3 – 31.4 | Early 1980s recession & drought |
| 1981 | 94.2 | 25.6 – 34.5 | The Australian Economy in 1981 → |
Related Australian Economic Statistics
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Compare Net Overseas Migration against another indicator →
Source Information & Methodology
- Primary Institution:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
- Dataset / Publication:
- Population Components of Change - Net Overseas Migration
- Series / Table ID:
- ABS Dataflow ERP_COMP_Q (9.AUS.Q)
- Release Frequency:
- Quarterly
• Primary source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) - Population Components of Change - Net Overseas Migration (ABS Dataflow ERP_COMP_Q).
• Observation frequency: Quarterly. Annual table values represent calendar year sums.
• Series coverage spans 1981 to 2026 (46 annual observations).
APA Citation:Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2026). Population Components of Change - Net Overseas Migration (Dataflow ERP_COMP_Q: 9.AUS.Q). Retrieved October 2026 from https://data.api.abs.gov.au
Frequently Asked Questions: Net Overseas Migration (NOM)
- What is the current Net Overseas Migration (NOM)?
- As of 2026 Q1, the latest recorded Net Overseas Migration (NOM) is 101.0 ('000 persons / qtr), compared with 56.1 in 2025 Q4.
- What is the highest and lowest Net Overseas Migration (NOM) ever recorded in Australia?
- Across the historical series (1981–2026), the highest observation was 165.5 ('000 persons / qtr) in 2023 Q1, while the lowest was -42.6 ('000 persons / qtr) in 2020 Q3. The long-run historical average is 159.3.
- Where is the official Net Overseas Migration (NOM) data sourced from?
- This series is compiled from Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (Population Components of Change - Net Overseas Migration, Series ID: 9.AUS.Q) and is updated on a quarterly basis under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).