Australia: Internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Australia's internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases) fell 72.4% on 2022 (from 17,000 to 4,700).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2022), the average change was +193.7% and a typical year strayed about 357.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 900% in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 90.8% in 2014. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 17% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Australia had the 71st highest value of the 90 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Australia in the 2023 ranking

• El Salvador — 68th of 90: 5,300
• Gambia, The — 69th of 90: 5,300
• Tajikistan — 70th of 90: 5,100
• United Kingdom — 72nd of 90: 4,600
• Uruguay — 73rd of 90: 4,300
• Bolivia — 74th of 90: 3,800

What this measures

Internally displaced persons are defined according to the 1998 Guiding Principles (http://www.internal-displacement.org/publications/1998/ocha-guiding-principles-on-internal-displacement) as people or groups of people who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of armed conflict, or to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights, or natural or human-made disasters and who have not crossed an international border. "New Displacement" refers to the number of new cases or incidents of displacement recorded over the specified year, rather than the number of people displaced. This is done because people may have been displaced more than once.

Limitations: Please note that most of the figures are estimates. The definition highlights two issues: 1) The coercive or otherwise involuntary character of movement. The definition mentions some of the most common causes of involuntary movements, such as armed conflict, violence, human rights violations and disasters. These causes have in common that they give no choice to people but to leave their homes and deprive them of the most essential protection mechanisms, such as community networks, access to services, livelihoods. Displacement severely affects the physical, socio-economic and legal safety of people and should be systematically regarded as an indicator of potential vulnerability.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 16 values

Internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases) in nearby economies

• Cambodia — 46,000 (2023)
• China — 4.7 million (2023)
• Fiji — 6,700 (2023)
• Indonesia — 238,000 (2023)
• Japan — 8,600 (2023)
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 200 (2022)
• Korea, Rep. — 40,000 (2023)
• Lao PDR

More public sector data for Australia

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 826 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 35.33 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 54.81 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.92% (2025)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 108 million (2025)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 19.74 billion (2022)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 0.84% (2022)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) — -31.49 billion (2022)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) — -1.35% (2022)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Australia's internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases)?

4,700 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2008?

It is up 370% from 1,000 in 2008 (10.87% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 51,000 in 2020 and the lowest 1,000 in 2008.

How does Australia rank?

71st highest of 90 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases) unusual for Australia?

In 2023, Australia's internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases) fell 72.4% on 2022 (from 17,000 to 4,700). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2022), the average change was +193.7% and a typical year strayed about 357.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator VC.IDP.NWDS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), uri: http://www.internal-displacement.org/ Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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