The statistic shows the total population of Australia from 1980 to 2023, with projections up until 2030. In 2023, Australia had a total population of about 26.95 million people. Population of Australia Australia is among the ten largest countries in the world, in terms of area size, although its total population is low in relation to this. Much of Australia’s interior remains uninhabited, as the majority of Australians live in coastal metropolises and cities. Most of the population is of European descent (predominantly British), although there is a growing share of the population with Asian heritage; only a small percentage belongs to the indigenous Aboriginal population. Australia's year-on-year population growth is fairly high compared to most other economically and demographically advanced nations, due to comparatively high rates of natural increase and immigration. Living standards Standard of living is fairly high in Australia, which can be seen when looking at the Human Development Index, which ranks countries by their level of human development and living standards, such as their unemployment rate, literacy rate, or life expectancy at birth. Life expectancy of Australia’s population is quite high in international comparison, for example, Australia is also among the leading countries when it comes to this key factor. Economically speaking, Australia is also among the leading nations, with a steadily rising employment rate, an increasing gross domestic product (GDP) with a steady growth rate, and a relatively stable share in the global GDP.

Urban population growth (annual %) in Australia was reported at 2.2035 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - Urban population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In June 2022, it was estimated that around 7.3 percent of Australians were aged between 25 and 29, and the same applied to people aged between 30 and 34. All in all, about 55 percent of Australia’s population was aged 35 years or older as of June 2022. At the same time, the age distribution of the country also shows that the share of children under 14 years old was still higher than that of people over 65 years old. A breakdown of Australia’s population growth Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world, yet with a population of around 26 million inhabitants, it is only sparsely populated. Since the 1970s, the population growth of Australia has remained fairly constant. While there was a slight rise in the Australian death rate in 2022, the birth rate of the country decreased after a slight rise in the previous year. The fact that the birth rate is almost double the size of its death rate gives the country one of the highest natural population growth rates of any high-income country.
National distribution of the population Australia’s population is expected to surpass 28 million people by 2028. The majority of its inhabitants live in the major cities. The most populated states are New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland. Together, they account for over 75 percent of the population in Australia.

Population growth (annual %) in Australia was reported at 2.05 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - Population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

The total population in Australia was estimated at 27.4 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - Australia Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Population Change: Net Overseas Migration: Western Australia data was reported at 11,564.000 Person in Sep 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 7,957.000 Person for Jun 2024. Population Change: Net Overseas Migration: Western Australia data is updated quarterly, averaging 3,972.000 Person from Jun 1981 (Median) to Sep 2024, with 174 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 20,995.000 Person in Mar 2023 and a record low of -2,317.000 Person in Sep 2020. Population Change: Net Overseas Migration: Western Australia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.G003: Population Change.

Since the mid-1970s, Australia's population growth rate has remained fairly constant, fluctuating between one and two percent annual change in most years. Australia's crude birth rate has consistently been higher than its death rate during this time, which means that the population grows naturally and is not dependent on migration - however, Australia has historically been one of the most popular destinations for migrants, who are also responsible for a large share of this change.

Population Change: Natural Increase: South Australia data was reported at 128.000 Person in Sep 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 958.000 Person for Jun 2024. Population Change: Natural Increase: South Australia data is updated quarterly, averaging 1,756.500 Person from Jun 1981 (Median) to Sep 2024, with 174 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,801.000 Person in Mar 1984 and a record low of 128.000 Person in Sep 2024. Population Change: Natural Increase: South Australia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.G003: Population Change.

Australia Population Change: Change Over Previous Quarter data was reported at 115,027.000 Person in Sep 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 85,555.000 Person for Jun 2024. Australia Population Change: Change Over Previous Quarter data is updated quarterly, averaging 65,272.000 Person from Sep 1981 (Median) to Sep 2024, with 173 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 194,017.000 Person in Mar 2023 and a record low of -15,907.000 Person in Sep 2020. Australia Population Change: Change Over Previous Quarter data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.G003: Population Change.

Population, total in Australia was reported at 27204809 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - Population, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Humans have been living on the continent of Australia (name derived from "Terra Australis"; Latin for "the southern land") for approximately 65,000 years, however population growth was relatively slow until the nineteenth century. Europeans had made some contact with Australia as early as 1606, however there was no significant attempt at settlement until the late eighteenth century. By 1800, the population of Australia was approximately 350,000 people, and the majority of these were Indigenous Australians. As colonization progressed the number of ethnic Europeans increased while the Australian Aboriginal population was decimated through conflict, smallpox and other diseases, with some communities being exterminated completely, such as Aboriginal Tasmanians. Mass migration from Britain and China After the loss of its American colonies in the 1780s, the British Empire looked to other parts of the globe to expand its sphere of influence. In Australia, the first colonies were established in Sydney, Tasmania and Western Australia. Many of these were penal colonies which became home to approximately 164,000 British and Irish convicts who were transported to Australia between 1788 and 1868. As the decades progressed, expansion into the interior intensified, and the entire country was claimed by Britain in 1826. Inland colonization led to further conflict between European settlers and indigenous Australians, which cost the lives of thousands of natives. Inward expansion also saw the discovery of many natural resources, and most notably led to the gold rushes of the 1850s, which attracted substantial numbers of Chinese migrants to Australia. This mass migration from non-European countries eventually led to some restrictive policies being introduced, culminating with the White Australia Policy of 1901, which cemented ethnic-European dominance in Australian politics and society. These policies were not retracted until the second half of the 1900s. Independent Australia Australia changed its status to a British dominion in 1901, and eventually became independent in 1931. Despite this, Australia has remained a part of the British Commonwealth, and Australian forces (ANZAC) fought with the British and their Allies in both World Wars, and were instrumental in campaigns such as Gallipoli in WWI, and the South West Pacific Theater in WWII. The aftermath of both wars had a significant impact on the Australian population, with approximately 90 thousand deaths in both world wars combined, as well as 15 thousand deaths as a result of the Spanish flu pandemic following WWI, although Australia experienced a significant baby boom following the Second World War. In the past fifty years, Australia has promoted immigration from all over the world, and now has one of the strongest economies and highest living standards in the world, with a population that has grown to over 25 million people in 2020.

As of June 2024, about 13.69 million females and 13.5 million males lived in Australia. The population of both sexes has been increasing consistently with slightly more females than males.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for Australia (SPPOPGROWAUS) from 1961 to 2024 about Australia, population, and rate.

The Australian population grid 2024 was created using 2024 Estimated Resident Population (ERP) by Statistical Area Level 1 2021 (SA1) data. This data was modelled to 1 kilometre square grid cells to represent the population density of Australia (people per square kilometre). This is modelled data and should be used and interpreted with caution.SA1s are defined by the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3 2021. The grid was constructed using the National Nested Grid Standard.Processing steps:A subset of the ABS Address Register (AR) was created to represent residential addresses as closely as possible. Indigenous Community Points (ICP) were included where no AR point existed. SA1 centroid points were included where no AR or ICP point existed within an SA1. All these layers were combined into a single point layer (Allpoints).The Allpoints layer was overlaid with the SA1 boundaries to give every point an SA1 code. Points without an SA1 code (outside all SA1 regions) were dropped.ERP by SA1 was averaged across all points within each SA1. Points were converted to raster using the National Nested Grid as template. Point population values which fell within each raster cell were summed.Data and geography referencesMain source data publication: Regional population, 2023–24 financial yearGeographic boundary information: Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3Further information: Regional population methodologySource: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)Contact the Australian Bureau of StatisticsEmail geography@abs.gov.au if you have any questions or feedback about this web service.Subscribe to get updates on ABS web services and geospatial products.Privacy at the Australian Bureau of StatisticsRead how the ABS manages personal information - ABS privacy policy.

Whereas the population is expected to decrease somewhat until 2100 in Asia, Europe, and South America, it is predicted to grow significantly in Africa. While there were 1.55 billion inhabitants on the continent at the beginning of 2025, the number of inhabitants is expected to reach 3.81 billion by 2100. In total, the global population is expected to reach nearly 10.18 billion by 2100. Worldwide population In the United States, the total population is expected to steadily increase over the next couple of years. In 2024, Asia held over half of the global population and is expected to have the highest number of people living in urban areas in 2050. Asia is home to the two most populous countries, India and China, both with a population of over one billion people. However, the small country of Monaco had the highest population density worldwide in 2024. Effects of overpopulation Alongside the growing worldwide population, there are negative effects of overpopulation. The increasing population puts a higher pressure on existing resources and contributes to pollution. As the population grows, the demand for food grows, which requires more water, which in turn takes away from the freshwater available. Concurrently, food needs to be transported through different mechanisms, which contributes to air pollution. Not every resource is renewable, meaning the world is using up limited resources that will eventually run out. Furthermore, more species will become extinct which harms the ecosystem and food chain. Overpopulation was considered to be one of the most important environmental issues worldwide in 2020.

Australia Population Change: Natural Increase: Victoria data was reported at 9,689.000 Person in Sep 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 6,789.000 Person for Jun 2024. Australia Population Change: Natural Increase: Victoria data is updated quarterly, averaging 7,997.500 Person from Jun 1981 (Median) to Sep 2024, with 174 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12,302.000 Person in Mar 2024 and a record low of 4,646.000 Person in Dec 2023. Australia Population Change: Natural Increase: Victoria data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.G003: Population Change.

Australia Population Change: Natural Increase: Queensland data was reported at 4,469.000 Person in Sep 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5,533.000 Person for Jun 2024. Australia Population Change: Natural Increase: Queensland data is updated quarterly, averaging 6,616.000 Person from Jun 1981 (Median) to Sep 2024, with 174 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10,084.000 Person in Mar 2012 and a record low of 4,405.000 Person in Dec 2023. Australia Population Change: Natural Increase: Queensland data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.G003: Population Change.

In the Cook Islands in 2024, the population decreased by about 2.24 percent compared to the previous year, making it the country with the highest population decline rate in 2024. Of the 20 countries with the highest rate of population decline, the majority are island nations, where emigration rates are high (especially to Australia, New Zealand, and the United States), or they are located in Eastern Europe, which suffers from a combination of high emigration rates and low birth rates.

The statistic depicts Australia's gross domestic product (GDP) from 1987 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, GDP in Australia amounted to about 1.8 trillion US dollars. See global GDP for a global comparison. Australia’s economy and population Australia’s gross domestic product has been growing steadily, and all in all, Australia and its economic key factors show a well-set country. Australia is among the countries with the largest gross domestic product / GDP worldwide, and thus one of the largest economies. It was one of the few countries not severely stricken by the 2008 financial crisis; its unemployment rate, inflation rate and trade balance, for example, were hardly affected at all. In fact, the trade balance of Australia – a country’s exports minus its imports – has been higher than ever since 2010, with a slight dip in 2012. Australia mainly exports wine and agricultural products to countries like China, Japan or South Korea. One of Australia’s largest industries is tourism, which contributes a significant share to its gross domestic product. Almost half of approximately 23 million Australian residents are employed nowadays, life expectancy is increasing, and the fertility rate (the number of children born per woman) has been quite stable. A look at the distribution of the world population by continent shows that Australia is ranked last in terms of population and population density. Most of Australia's population lives at the coast in metropolitan areas, since parts of the continent are uninhabitable. Unsurprisingly, Australia is known as a country with very high living standards, four of its biggest cities – Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and Perth – are among the most livable cities worldwide.

Rural population growth (annual %) in Australia was reported at 1.0513 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - Rural population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.