Australia has taken more immigrants in the first nine months of 2025 than during any other year on record, with 1,530 arriving every day within that period, new statistics show.
According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data, there were 415,760 net permanent and long-term arrivals between January 1 and September 30, the highest ever, and 6% higher than in 2024, which set the previous record.
The figure for the 12 months to September 30, 468,390, also beat 2024 by 4% and was the highest on record for the period, while the September net intake of 35,890 was the second highest ever for the same month after 2023.
The ABS defines permanent arrivals as travellers who arrive on permanent migrant visas for the first time, New Zealand citizens who indicate for the first time an intention to migrate permanently, and those otherwise eligible to settle, such as the overseas-born children of Australian citizens.
Long-term arrivals are defined as overseas visitors who intend to stay in Australia for more than 12 months, but not permanently.
Net oversea migration (NOM) figures for the last financial year are yet to be released by the ABS, and while the total will differ slightly from net permanent and long-term arrivals the totals are closely related, and the latter can act as an proxy to estimate NOM.
Daniel Wild, Deputy Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), said high net permanent and long-term arrival numbers were the “new norm” despite not being welcomed by the community, resulting in growing discontent about mass immigration.
“The federal government’s out-of-control migration program does not have the consent of the community, and it is not targeted toward areas of economic need,” he said.
“Is there any wonder that a growing number of Australians want to hit the brakes on migration inflow until such a time that housing, public infrastructure, and critical services are able to keep up with this rapid explosion in population?
“The out-of-control levels of migrant arrivals should not be blamed on the migrants. This failure belongs to the federal government alone. The numbers are clearly unsustainable.”
Recent polls show large proportions of Australians want immigration cut, and rising anti-immigration sentiment has resulted in a surge in the popularity of One Nation, which enjoyed a record-high 15% of the primary vote in the latest Newspoll.
The Newspoll from earlier this month found that 64% of Australians want fewer immigrants, 26% want the numbers to stay the same, and 10% want more, and a Freshwater Strategy poll released two days earlier found concerns about immigration have doubled in the past 20 months.
Header image: Anthony Albanese panders to Indian voters in a turban (PMO).
