Global Trends
Global Refugee Statistics
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports there were over 34 million “persons of concern” in 2006. Persons of concern include refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced peoples, returned refugees and stateless persons (see definitions). This represents a 56% increase in the number of persons of concern to the UNHCR since 2005.
In 2006, for the first time since the turn of the century there was an increase in the number of people recognised as refugees under the 1951 UN Convention/1967 Protocol and the 1969 OAU Convention, to around 10 million people.
To learn more, see the UNHCR.
Refugee intake in Australia
Australia has resettled approximately 600,000 refugees since the Second World War. During 1947 and 1954 Australia resettled approximately 170,000 refugees from Western Europe, mostly from Poland, who had fled the Second World War and the Holocaust. Following this influx Australia accepted large humanitarian intakes from Hungary between 1956 and 1958, and of Czechs and Slovaks in 1968. Most of these refugees were anti-communist and recruited mainly for their skilled labour.
Until 1951, upon ratifying the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, Australia had no obligation to protect refugees. Even after ratifying the refugee convention, until 1973 Australia enforced a strict White Australia policy, embedded in the Immigration (Restriction) Act 1901, restricting entry into Australia to European and Anglo migrants and humanitarian entrants.
After the defeat of United States backed forces in Vietnam and Cambodia in 1975, Australia was met with an influx of refuges from these areas. By 1986 Australia had resettled 100,000 Indo-Chinese refugees who had mainly fled the Vietnam War and Cambodia. By the late 1970s Australia had developed an explicit refugee policy, separate from its general immigration policy, enabling the permanent and temporary resettlement of people fleeing persecution.
By the 1990s the regional focus of Australia’s refugee and humanitarian intake had shifted from South-East Asia, Central America and Europe, to Africa, the Middle East and South-West Asia. Australia also provided resettlement protection to 39,000 refugees fleeing political crisis, conflict and genocide in the countries of Former Yugoslavia between 1999 and 2002.
Throughout its history Australia has provided protection to refugees fleeing persecution in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Chile, Vietnam, East Timor, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, China, Iraq, Kuwait, Former Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea, Liberia, Burundi, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo and many other places.
Refugee intake in Australia: 2005-2006
During 2005-2006 there was a shift in offshore visa grants away from Africa towards the Middle East and Asia regions in line with regional priorities recommended by the UNHCR and reflecting greater access to resettlement caseloads in our region.
During 2005-2006, 14 144 visas for protection in Australia were granted to persons fleeing persecution or conflict in their home country. Ninety per cent (12 758) of the total visas were granted to refugee applicants who have applied offshore. These applicants have either been referred to Australia’s resettlement programme by the UNHCR (6022 people), or have been proposed by family members or organisations in Australia under the Special Humanitarian Programme (6736 people). The remaining 10 per cent of visas granted were granted to asylum seekers who applied for protection after arriving on Australia’s shores (1386).
Australia ranks 28th in the world in terms of its sharing of the global burden of refugee protection. In the Asia-Pacific region Australia accepts fewer refugees than China (301,041), India (139,283), Nepal (126,436) and Thailand (117,053). However, in terms of permanently resettling refugees, Australia is now the second highest resettlement country in the world, behind the United States.
