2026 observation
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, net overseas migration reached its peak in 2023 at nearly 540,000 people. Since then, the number has steadily declined, falling to 430,000 in 2024 and then to 306,000 in 2025. A majority of Australians (55%) say the total number of migrants coming to Australia is ‘too high’. While this result is within the margin of error of last year’s Poll (53%), it still represents a sevenpoint increase from 2024 and is on par with the previous high of 54%, recorded in 2018.