NSW has always been a donor state, meaning more people move from NSW to other parts of Australia than move to NSW from elsewhere.
NSW’s net interstate migration losses were smaller during the first year of the pandemic. The state lost 16,670 people through interstate migration in the year to 30 June 2021. This loss was around 4,200 fewer than in the previous year, a combination of more people arriving from interstate and periods where fewer people left NSW for elsewhere.