Net long-term arrivals into Australia surge higher

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Thursday released monthly overseas arrivals and departures data for December, which continued to show strong growth in the number of people arriving and intending to stay in Australia for 12 months or more.

In 2026, a net of 480,520 people arrived in Australia on a permanent or long-term basis, up 8.1% from 2024 and 7.3% higher than in 2023.

The number of net permanent and long-term (NPLT) arrivals in 2025 was also 63% higher than immediately before the pandemic in 2019, when 294,310 people intended to stay in Australia for 12 months or more:

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.