By the late 1940s the proportion had dropped to below half. Table S2.2 shows the main countries of birth of settler arrivals in 1976 and 1995. Many long-term visitor arrivals to Australia become settlers. ABS, unpublished Overseas Arrivals and Departures data. Italy provided a substantial proportion of the overseas-born population, particularly in the second half of the century.
Some settlers emigrate from Australia after living here for a period of years.
In 1972, emigration of European-born settlers peaked at 26,400. There is no direct measure of the proportion of new settlers who emigrate within a year of their arrival. An approximation can be obtained by comparing the number of immigrants who arrived in one year with the number of emigrants departing in the same year, who stated that they had been in Australia for less than one year. This compares to 8 of every 1,000 other Europeans. Data relating to overseas pensions do not identify all Australians receiving pensions overseas, as some countries, such as New Zealand and the United Kingdom, have host country agreements with Australia to pay pensions to Australian former residents, while Australia pays pensions to their former residents living in Australia.