Facts and statistics
Main contentClick on a topic below for more information about:
- the number of people who become Australian citizens each year and where they come from
- the number of clients who have sat the citizenship test and the pass rates.
Australian citizenship statistics
More than 4 million people have become citizens since Australian citizenship was introduced in 1949.
Some 95 per cent of the population are Australian citizens.
Former nationality or citizenship
In 1949, during the inaugural year of the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948, Australian citizenship was granted to 2 493 people from just over 35 different nationalities. The top 5 nationalities (and number of grants) at that time according to the Australian Yearbook 1953, ABS were:
- Italian (708)
- Polish (597)
- Greek (276)
- German (225)
- Yugoslav (80)
In 2010-11, 95 284 people became Australian citizens by conferral from 185 different countries.
The following table shows the number of people who were conferred as Australian citizens at ceremonies in 2010-11, according to their former nationality/citizenship.
| Former citizenship | Persons | Per cent |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 19 101 | 20.1 |
| India | 12 948 | 13.6 |
| People's Republic of China | 8898 | 9.3 |
| South Africa | 4389 | 4.6 |
| New Zealand | 4304 | 4.5 |
| Philippines | 4051 | 4.3 |
| Sri Lanka | 2520 | 2.6 |
| Republic of Korea | 2321 | 2.4 |
| Malaysia | 2207 | 2.3 |
| Vietnam | 1688 | 1.8 |
| Other | 32 857 | 34.5 |
| Total | 95 284 | 100.0 |
Australian citizenship test statistics
A detailed report on citizenship tests, including the number of clients who have sat the test and the pass rates, is available by clicking the link immediately below. The data in the 30 June 2011 report relates to Australian citizenship tests administered by the department between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2011.
See: Australian Citizenship Test Snapshot Report (468KB PDF file)
