Publications
Country Information Reports
Country Information Reports are prepared by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for protection status determination purposes only. They provide DFAT's best judgment and assessment at time of writing and are distinct from Australian Government policy with respect to the countries in question. DFAT reports are a snapshot in time and situations in countries can change rapidly – for example, in Afghanistan and Myanmar.
The reports provide a general, rather than an exhaustive country overview. They are prepared with regard to the current caseload for decision makers in Australia without reference to individual applications for protection visas. Reports do not contain policy guidance for decision makers. Decision makers have access to a wide range of current country of origin information, in addition to DFAT Country Information Reports.
Ministerial Direction Number 84 of 24 June 2019, issued under s 499 of the Migration Act 1958, states that:
Where the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has prepared [a] country information assessment expressly for protection status determination purposes, and that assessment is available to the decision maker, the decision maker must take into account that assessment, where relevant, in making their decision. The decision maker is not precluded from considering other relevant information about the country.
Reports take into account relevant and credible open source reports, as well as information obtained on the ground.
Country information reports
- Afghanistan [PDF 1.5 MB] | [DOCX 1 MB] (updated 14 January 2022)
- Bangladesh [PDF 2 MB] | [DOCX 1 MB] (updated 30 November 2022)
- China [PDF 1.5 MB] | [DOCX 835 KB] (updated 22 December 2021)
- Egypt [PDF 1.3 MB] (updated 17 June 2019)
- Ethiopia [PDF 2.4 MB] | [DOCX 1 MB] (updated 12 August 2020)
- Eritrea [PDF 1.2 MB] (updated 8 February 2017)
- Fiji [PDF 900 KB] | [DOCX 1 MB] (updated 20 May 2022)
- India [PDF 1.7 MB] | [DOCX 900 KB] (updated 29 September 2023)
- Indonesia [PDF 8.32 KB] | [DOCX 819 KB] (updated 24 July 2023)
- Iran [PDF 2.5 MB] | [DOCX 1 MB] (updated 24 July 2023)
- Iraq [PDF 1.6 MB] | [DOCX 1.2 MB] (updated 16 January 2023)
- Lebanon [PDF 1 MB] | [DOCX 640 KB] (updated 20 June 2023)
- Libya [PDF 640 KB] (updated 14 December 2018)
- Malaysia [PDF 1.1 MB] | [DOCX 1.2 MB] (updated 29 June 2021)
- Myanmar [PDF 2 MB] | [DOCX 1 MB] version 2 (updated 11 November 2022)
- Nepal [PDF 1.3 MB] (updated 1 March 2019)
- Nigeria [PDF 3.7 MB] | [DOCX 1.2 MB] (updated 3 December 2020)
- Occupied Palestinian Territories [PDF 1.4 MB] (updated 15 March 2017)
- Pakistan [PDF 1.6 MB] | [DOCX 1.1 MB] (updated 25 January 2022)
- Papua New Guinea [PDF 1.6 MB] | [DOCX 1 MB] (updated 6 September 2022)
- Philippines [PDF 2 MB] | [DOCX 1 MB] (updated 23 August 2021)
- South Sudan [PDF 953 KB] (updated 5 October 2016)
- Somalia [PDF 1.2 MB] (updated 13 June 2017)
- Sri Lanka [PDF 2 MB] | [DOCX 1.5 MB] (updated 23 December 2021)
- Sudan [PDF 575 KB] (updated 27 April 2016)
- Thailand [PDF 2.4 MB] | [DOCX 1.7 MB] (published 10 July 2020)
- Thematic report: Conditions in Syria [PDF 1 MB] (updated 23 October 2017)
- Türkiye [PDF 2 MB] | [DOCX 1.8 MB] (updated 10 September 2020)
- Vietnam [PDF 2 MB] | [DOCX 1 MB] (updated 11 January 2022)
- West African States (ECOWAS) [PDF 2.9 MB] | [DOCX 985 KB] (updated 3 December 2020)
- Zimbabwe [PDF 2 MB] (updated 19 December 2019)
Older reports are available on request.
These documents may not meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. If you require a fully accessible copy of this document or for further information, please contact please contact CIS@dfat.gov.au