Australia: net overseas migration from China 2025| ��ƽ��

Net overseas migration from China to Australia from financial year 2009 to 2025 (in 1,000s)

Characteristic	Number of people in thousands
2025*	35.16
2024	46.58
2023	59.57
2022	15.1
2021	-50.27
2020	-18.59
2019	20.17
2018	44.61
2017	50.02
2016	45.48
2015	39.07
2014	30.8
2013	22.58
2012	15.51
2011	17.68
2010	28.34
2009	33.59

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Release date

December 2025

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Region

Australia

Survey time period

FY 2009 to FY 2025

Supplementary notes

Net Overseas Migration (NOM) is the net gain or loss of population through migration to Australia and emigration from Australia.

Figures have been rounded.

*Estimates for 2024-25 are preliminary.

Australia's financial year runs from July of one year to June of the following year; for example, the financial year 2020 starts on July 1, 2019 and ends on June 30, 2020

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In financial year 2025, it was estimated that over 35,000 more Chinese migrated to Australia than emigrated. This marked a decrease in Chinese net migration compared to nearly 46,600 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.