Key Points
- Australia marks Citizenship Day on 17 September.
- More than 115,000 migrants became Australian citizens this year, as of 31 August.
- Migrants from New Zealand and India occupy the top two positions in Australia's citizenship numbers so far.
Italian migrants topped the charts of people who became Australian citizens in 1949 — the first time a citizenship ceremony was held in Australia.
That year — four years after the end of World War Two — just under 2,500 migrants, primarily from European countries, became Australian citizens.
But in 2024 — the 75th anniversary of the introduction of Australian citizenship — it's a different picture.
The top spot has been taken by migrants from New Zealand, followed very closely by India.
Indian migrants top citizenship charts
As of 31 August, migrants born in India ranked first in four of Australia's eight states and territories when it came to acquiring citizenship by conferral in 2024.
Source: SBS News
Migrants born in New Zealand have a slender lead over them, with just over 16,000 born in Australia's neighbouring country, making 13.97 per cent of the total number of foreign nationals to acquire citizenship.
More than 163,000 migrants from various countries became citizens of Australia in 2014, out of which nearly 28,000 were Indian-born.
This was closely followed by those born in the United Kingdom (nearly 26,000), the Philippines (more than 11,000), South Africa (more than 9,200) and a near-equal number from China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau).
Citizenship by conferral is a common way of becoming a citizen. People need to be a permanent resident and meet certain criteria before they can apply.
The history of Australian citizenship
Australia's Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 came into effect on 26 January 1949.
Those who were immediately before that date and were born in Australia, were naturalised, or a resident for the five years immediately before, automatically became Australian citizens by operation of law.
Then-prime minister Ben Chifley automatically became a citizen on that day, along with all other eligible British subjects.
Reports at the time stated Chifley was presented with the first citizenship certificate at the start of the first ceremony, in what the then-immigration minister Arthur Calwell was reported as saying was "purely symbolical".
The first 'non-British subject' to become an Australian citizen, was Jandura (Jan) Pucek, who migrated to Australia from Czechoslovakia in 1939.
The first Australian citizenship certificate issued to a European migrant in 1949. Credit: Department of Home Affairs
In 1949, almost 2,493 migrants from more than 35 countries became Australian citizens. A majority of them were migrants from Italy, Poland, Greece, Germany and Yugoslavia.
Since then, Australia has granted citizenship to over six million new citizens from more than 200 countries.
Today, more than half of all Australians were born overseas or have a parent who was.
In the financial year 2023-2024, more than 187,000 people became Australian citizens.
