INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON
Information in this section is from the Population Division of the United Nations' World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision(footnote 1) . International migration statistics presented therein are averaged over five years to improve comparability between countries. Note that NOM produced by the ABS differs from that provided by the United Nations, due to differences in methodology. The ABS estimates NOM at an average of 234,000 per year for 2005-10 and, using current estimates and projections, at 174,000 per year for 2010-15. The United Nations estimates Australia's NOM at an average of 225,000 per year for 2005-10 and 149,000 for 2010-15.
Table 2.4 illustrates selected countries that gain or lose population through net migration. As with Canada, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore and Sweden, Australia also experienced high net international migration rates in 2005-10 (rates above 3.5 per 1,000 population). Some countries experienced lower rates of growth (e.g. Japan and Malaysia at 0.4 and 0.6 per 1,000 population respectively), while others had negative rates (e.g. Philippines -2.8 per 1,000 population). In numeric terms in the 2005-10 period, for the selected countries, the gains from net international migration ranged from an average 13,000 persons per year for New Zealand to 991,000 persons for the United States of America. The losses ranged from 6,000 persons for South Korea to an average 600,000 persons per year for India.
2.4 NET INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Selected countries(a) |
|
 | 2005-2010 | 2010-2015 | |
| Number | Migration Rate(b) | Number | Migration Rate(b) | Percentage change 2005-10 to 2010-15 |
| '000 | rate | '000 | rate | % |
|
| Australia(c) | 234.0 | 11.1 | 174.0 | 7.7 | -26.0 |
| Canada | 220.0 | 6.6 | 196.0 | 5.6 | -10.9 |
| China(d) | -377.0 | -0.3 | -350.0 | -0.3 | -7.2 |
| France | 100.0 | 1.6 | 102.0 | 1.6 | 2.0 |
| Greece | 31.0 | 2.7 | 31.0 | 2.7 | - |
| Hong Kong (SAR of China) | 35.0 | 5.1 | 57.0 | 7.9 | 62.9 |
| India | -600.0 | -0.5 | -263.0 | -0.2 | -56.2 |
| Indonesia | -259.0 | -1.1 | -201.0 | -0.8 | -22.4 |
| Italy | 400.0 | 6.7 | 210.0 | 3.4 | -47.5 |
| Japan | 54.0 | 0.4 | 54.0 | 0.4 | - |
| Korea, Republic of (South) | -6.0 | -0.1 | -6.0 | -0.1 | - |
| Malaysia | 17.0 | 0.6 | 17.0 | 0.6 | - |
| New Zealand | 13.0 | 3.1 | 14.0 | 3.2 | 7.7 |
| Philippines | -247.0 | -2.8 | -200.0 | -2.1 | -19.0 |
| Singapore | 144.0 | 30.9 | 35.0 | 6.6 | -75.7 |
| South Africa | 140.0 | 2.9 | -60.0 | -1.2 | -142.9 |
| Sweden | 53.0 | 5.8 | 31.0 | 3.3 | -41.5 |
| United Kingdom | 204.0 | 3.3 | 209.0 | 3.3 | 2.5 |
| United States of America | 991.0 | 3.3 | 996.0 | 3.1 | 0.5 |
| Vietnam | -86.0 | -1.0 | -42.0 | -0.5 | -51.2 |
|
| - nil or rounded to zero (including null cells) |
| (a) Medium variant. |
| (b) Net overseas migration per 1,000 population. |
| (c) Data for Australia relates to current estimated resident population counts and projections. <Source: ABS> |
| (d) China (excludes SARs and Taiwan). |
| Source: United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision. Accessed 17 May 2011 |
In the 2010-15 period, the United Nations estimates that while some countries will continue to gain population from net international migration, the rate of gain will be reduced in most cases. For example, in 2010-15 Singapore is estimated to gain an average of 35,000 persons per year from net international migration, a 76% decrease on the 2005-10 gain (144,000). Conversely, in 2010-15 period, Hong Kong is estimated to gain an average of 57,000 persons from net international migration, an increase of 63% on the 2005-2010 figure (35,000 persons).
For most of the countries that experienced negative net international migration in the selected periods, the loss in 2010-15 is estimated to be less than that experienced in 2005-2010. For China, the loss due to net international migration in 2010-15 was an average 350,000 persons per year, 7% less than the loss in the 2005-10 period (377,000 persons). On the other hand, in 2010-15 period, India and Indonesia are expected to lose an average of 263,000 and 201,000 persons per year respectively from net international migration, an increased loss of 56% and 22% on the 2005-2010 figures (600,000 and 259,000 persons).
The only country from those selected that is expected to experience a change from gains in net international migration to negative net international migration was South Africa which gained 140,000 per year in 2005-2010 and is expecting a net loss of 60,000 per year in 2010-2015, a decrease of 143%.
When examining the regions of the world (as defined by the United Nations Population Division) the estimates of international movements show the more developed regions gain population from migration whereas the less and least developed regions lose population from overseas migration (figure 2.5). The medium projection suggests that there will be a decline in the migration rate for the more developed regions. Over time the migration rate is projected to drop from 2.7 per 1,000 population in 2005-10 to 2.0 per 1,000 population in 2010-15. This indicates that over time, a smaller proportion of people will leave the less developed and least developed regions for the more developed regions. The less developed regions will reduce their net migration rate from -0.6 to -0.4 per 1,000 population while the least developed regions will reduce their net migration rate from -1.4 to -0.4 per 1,000 population.
2.5 NET GLOBAL MIGRATION RATES(a)
1 United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision. Accessed 17 May 2011.
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