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 2.4 MB] (updated 27 June 2019)
- Bangladesh [PDF 585 KB] (updated 22 August 2019)
- China [PDF 1.7 MB] (updated 3 October 2019)
- 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 1.1 MB] (updated 27 September 2017)
- India [PDF 1.7 MB] | [DOCX 900 KB] (updated 10 December 2020)
- Indonesia [PDF 1.2 MB] (updated 25 January 2019)
- Iran [PDF 2.5 MB] (updated 14 April 2020)
- Iraq [PDF 2.4 MB] | [DOCX 1.25 MB] (updated 17 August 2020)
- Thematic report: Palestinians in Jordan and Lebanon [PDF 634 KB] (updated 2 March 2015)
- Lebanon [PDF 1 MB] (updated 19 March 2019)
- Libya [PDF 642 KB] (updated 14 December 2018)
- Malaysia [PDF 1.1 MB] | [DOCX 1.2 MB] (updated 29 June 2021)
- Myanmar [PDF 1.4 MB] (updated 18 April 2019)
- Nepal [PDF 1.3 MB] (updated 1 March 2019)
- Nigeria [PDF 3.7 MB] | [DOCX 1.2 MB] (updated 3 December 2020)
- Pakistan [PDF 2.6 MB] (updated 20 February 2019)
- Palestinian Territories [PDF 1.4 MB] (updated 15 March 2017)
- Papua New Guinea [PDF 1.3 MB] (updated 10 February 2017)
- 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] (updated 4 November 2019)
- Sudan [PDF 575 KB] (updated 27 April 2016)
- Thailand [PDF 2.4 MB] | [DOCX 1.7 MB] (publshed 10 July 2020)
- Thematic report: Conditions in Syria [PDF 1 MB] (updated 23 October 2017)
- Turkey [PDF 2.0 MB] | [DOCX 1.8 MB] (updated 10 September 2020)
- Vietnam [PDF 2 MB] (updated 13 December 2019)
- 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