Australian air force crews have assisted with aid drops to Yazidis fleeing Islamic State-led genocide in northern Iraq. The government will now quarantine places in its humanitarian program to resettle them in Australia.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said that of 13,750 places in Australia's humanitarian program, 2200 had been reserved for Iraqis for 2014-15 “including [for] ethnic and religious minorities fleeing the violence in northern Iraq to neighbouring countries”.

A further 2200 places have been reserved for Syrians fleeing the civil war in that country.

Up to two-and-a-half million Syrians have escaped their homeland and are living in camps in countries of first asylum such as Jordan and Lebanon.

More than 40,000 people apply for Australia’s protection through the humanitarian program each year. Fewer than half are granted resettlement.

The humanitarian intake was raised from 13,750 to 20,000 in 2012 but was cut back to 13,750 last year.

“In 2014-15, the government is again ensuring that 11,000 of the 13,750 places in the humanitarian program are for people overseas in need of resettlement. There will be 6000 places for refugees referred by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, including 1000 places for women at risk and their dependants and 5000 for people proposed by their close family in Australia,” Mr Morrison said.

Australia is the third largest resettler of refugees in the world, behind the US and Canada. But fewer than 1 per cent of the world’s refugees are resettled in a third country.

In absolute terms, Australia ranks 49^th in the world for refugee intake, and 69^th in the world on a per capita basis.

Pakistan has the most refugees, with more than 1.3 million, followed by Iran and Germany.