This statistic shows the median age of the population in Australia from 1950 to 2100. The median age of a population is an index that divides the population into two equal groups: half of the population is older than the median age and the other half younger. In 2020, the median age of Australia's population was 36.9 years.

Civilian Population: 15 Years and Over: Male data was reported at 11,168.540 Person th in Mar 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 11,144.123 Person th for Feb 2025. Civilian Population: 15 Years and Over: Male data is updated monthly, averaging 7,509.217 Person th from Feb 1978 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 566 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11,168.540 Person th in Mar 2025 and a record low of 5,173.602 Person th in Feb 1978. Civilian Population: 15 Years and Over: Male 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.G001: Civilian Population: by Age, Sex and Status. Civilian Population refers to all usual residents of Australia aged 15 years and over except members of the permanent defence forces, certain diplomatic personnel of overseas governments customarily excluded from census and estimated population counts, overseas residents in Australia, and members of non-Australian defence forces (and their dependants) stationed in Australia.

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.

Since 1960, age distribution across Australia's population has observed a fairly significant change. The share of the population below 14 years has dropped from over 30 percent to less than 20 percent; while the share aged over 65 has almost doubled. However, Australia's under-14 population is still larger than its over-65 population. The bulk of the population is aged between 15 and 64 years, and this group had its largest share of the population in 2009 when it made up over two-thirds of the entire population. This gradual change has come as a result of decreasing fertility and higher life expectancy, causing the average age of the population to rise.

Civilian Population: 15 Years & Over: 15-24 Years data was reported at 1,699.100 Person th in Mar 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,693.027 Person th for Feb 2025. Civilian Population: 15 Years & Over: 15-24 Years data is updated monthly, averaging 1,375.008 Person th from Feb 1978 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 566 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,699.100 Person th in Mar 2025 and a record low of 1,258.857 Person th in Jun 1995. Civilian Population: 15 Years & Over: 15-24 Years 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.G001: Civilian Population: by Age, Sex and Status.

UIS: Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years, both sexes in Australia was reported at 12.51 Years in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - Mean years of schooling of the population age 25+. Total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Civilian Population: 15 Years & Over: Female: 30-34 Years data was reported at 1,037.566 Person th in Mar 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,035.528 Person th for Feb 2025. Civilian Population: 15 Years & Over: Female: 30-34 Years data is updated monthly, averaging 730.205 Person th from Feb 1978 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 566 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,037.566 Person th in Mar 2025 and a record low of 532.535 Person th in Feb 1978. Civilian Population: 15 Years & Over: Female: 30-34 Years 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.G001: Civilian Population: by Age, Sex and Status.

UIS: Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years, male in Australia was reported at 12.43 Years in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - Mean years of schooling of the population age 25+. Male - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

The estimated resident population (ERP) is the official measure of the Australian population. This dataset contains annual ERP by country of birth, age and sex at the Australia level. At the state/territory level it is available for Census years only.

As of June 2023 in the state of South Australia, about 6.8 percent of the population was between 25 and 29 years old. In comparison, just 2.6 percent of the population was over the age of 85.

Civilian Population: 15 Years & Over: Male: 55-59 Years data was reported at 756.112 Person th in Feb 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 755.334 Person th for Jan 2025. Civilian Population: 15 Years & Over: Male: 55-59 Years data is updated monthly, averaging 515.193 Person th from Feb 1978 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 565 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 766.126 Person th in Jun 2020 and a record low of 340.307 Person th in Feb 1978. Civilian Population: 15 Years & Over: Male: 55-59 Years 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.G001: Civilian Population: by Age, Sex and Status.

Age dependency ratio (% of working-age population) in Australia was reported at 55.21 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - Age dependency ratio (% of working-age population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

This dataset, released December 2016, contains Median age at death of males, 2010 to 2014; Median age at death of females, 2010 to 2014; Median age at death of persons, 2010 to 2014; The data is by Population Health Area (PHA) 2016 geographic boundaries based on the 2016 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS).

Population Health Areas, developed by PHIDU, are comprised of a combination of whole SA2s and multiple (aggregates of) SA2s, where the SA2 is an area in the ABS structure.

For more information please see the data source notes on the data.

Source: Data compiled by PHIDU from deaths data based on the 2010 to 2014 Cause of Death Unit Record Filessupplied by the Australian Coordinating Registry and the Victorian Department of Justice, on behalf of the Registriesof Births, Deaths and Marriages and the National Coronial Information System.

AURIN has spatially enabled the original data. Data that was not shown/not applicable/not published/not available for the specific area ('#', '..', '^', 'np, 'n.a.', 'n.y.a.' in original PHIDU data) was removed.It has been replaced by by Blank cells. For other keys and abbreviations refer to PHIDU Keys.

This horizontal bar chart displays median age (year) by country full name using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Australia and New Zealand. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

This horizontal bar chart displays median age (year) by currency using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Australia and New Zealand. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

These population projections were prepared by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for Geoscience Australia. The projections are not official ABS data and are owned by Geoscience Australia. These projections are for Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2s) and Local Government Areas (LGAs), and are projected out from a base population as at 30 June 2022, by age and sex. Projections are for 30 June 2023 to 2032, with results disaggregated by age and sex.

Method The cohort-component method was used for these projections. In this method, the base population is projected forward annually by calculating the effect of births, deaths and migration (the components) within each age-sex cohort according to the specified fertility, mortality and overseas and internal migration assumptions. The projected usual resident population by single year of age and sex was produced in four successive stages – national, state/territory, capital city/rest of state, and finally SA2s. Assumptions were made for each level and the resulting projected components and population are constrained to the geographic level above for each year.
These projections were derived from a combination of assumptions published in Population Projections, Australia, 2022 (base) to 2071 on 23 November 2023, and historical patterns observed within each state/territory.

Projections – capital city/rest of state regions The base population is 30 June 2022 Estimated Resident Population (ERP) as published in National, state and territory population, June 2022. For fertility, the total fertility rate (at the national level) is based on the medium assumption used in Population Projections, Australia, 2022 (base) to 2071, of 1.6 babies per woman being phased in from 2022 levels over five years to 2027, before remaining steady for the remainder of the projection span. Observed state/territory, and greater capital city level fertility differentials were applied to the national data so that established trends in the state and capital city/rest of state relativities were preserved. Mortality rates are based on the medium assumption used in Population Projections, Australia, 2022 (base) to 2071, and assume that mortality rates will continue to decline across Australia with state/territory differentials persisting. State/territory and capital city/rest of state differentials were used to ensure projected deaths are consistent with the historical trend. Annual net overseas migration (NOM) is based on the medium assumption used in Population Projections, Australia, 2022 (base) to 2071, with an assumed gain (at the national level) of 400,000 in 2022-23, increasing to 315,000 in 2023-24, then declining to 225,000 in 2026-27, after which NOM is assumed to remain constant. State and capital city/rest of state shares are based on a weighted average of NOM data from 2010 to 2019 at the state and territory level to account for the impact of COVID-19. For internal migration, net gains and losses from states and territories and capital city/rest of state regions are based on the medium assumption used in Population Projections, Australia, 2022 (base) to 2071, and assume that net interstate migration will trend towards long-term historic average flows.

Projections – Statistical Areas Level 2 The base population for each SA2 is the estimated resident population in each area by single year of age and sex, at 30 June 2022, as published in Regional population by age and sex, 2022 on 28 September 2023. The SA2-level fertility and mortality assumptions were derived by combining the medium scenario state/territory assumptions from Population Projections, Australia, 2022 (base) to 2071, with recent fertility and mortality trends in each SA2 based on annual births (by sex) and deaths (by age and sex) published in Regional Population, 2021-22 and Regional Population by Age and Sex, 2022. Assumed overseas and internal migration for each SA2 is based on SA2-specific annual overseas and internal arrivals and departures estimates published in Regional Population, 2021-22 and Regional Population by Age and Sex, 2022. The internal migration data was strengthened with SA2-specific data from the 2021 Census, based on the usual residence one year before Census night question. Assumptions were applied by SA2, age and sex. Assumptions were adjusted for some SA2s, to provide more plausible future population levels, and age and sex distribution changes, including areas where populations may not age over time, for example due to significant resident student and defence force populations. Most assumption adjustments were made via the internal migration component. For some SA2s with zero or a very small population base, but where significant population growth is expected, replacement migration age/sex profiles were applied. All SA2-level components and projected projections are constrained to the medium series of capital city/rest of state data in Population Projections, Australia, 2022 (base) to 2071.

Projections – Local Government Areas The base population for each LGA is the estimated resident population in each area by single year of age and sex, at 30 June 2022, as published in Regional population by age and sex, 2022 on 28 September 2023. Projections for 30 June 2023 to 2032 were created by converting from the SA2-level population projections to LGAs by age and sex. This was done using an age-specific population correspondence, where the data for each year of the projection span were converted based on 2021 population shares across SA2s. The LGA and SA2 projections are congruous in aggregation as well as in isolation. Unlike the projections prepared at SA2 level, no LGA-specific projection assumptions were used.

Nature of projections and considerations for usage The nature of the projection method and inherent fluctuations in population dynamics mean that care should be taken when using and interpreting the projection results. The projections are not forecasts, but rather illustrate future changes which would occur if the stated assumptions were to apply over the projection period. These projections do not attempt to allow for non-demographic factors such as major government policy decisions, economic factors, catastrophes, wars and pandemics, which may affect future demographic behaviour. To illustrate a range of possible outcomes, alternative projection series for national, state/territory and capital city/rest of state areas, using different combinations of fertility, mortality, overseas and internal migration assumptions, are prepared. Alternative series are published in Population Projections, Australia, 2022 (base) to 2071. Only one series of SA2-level projections was prepared for this product. Population projections can take account of planning and other decisions by governments known at the time the projections were derived, including sub-state projections published by each state and territory government. The ABS generally does not have access to the policies or decisions of commonwealth, state and local governments and businesses that assist in accurately forecasting small area populations. Migration, especially internal migration, accounts for the majority of projected population change for most SA2s. Volatile and unpredictable small area migration trends, especially in the short-term, can have a significant effect on longer-term projection results. Care therefore should be taken with SA2s with small total populations and very small age-sex cells, especially at older ages. While these projections are calculated at the single year of age level, small numbers, and fluctuations across individual ages in the base population and projection assumptions limit the reliability of SA2-level projections at single year of age level. These fluctuations reduce and reliability improves when the projection results are aggregated to broader age groups such as the five-year age bands in this product. For areas with small elderly populations, results aggregated to 65 and over are more reliable than for the individual age groups above 65. With the exception of areas with high planned population growth, SA2s with a base total population of less than 500 have generally been held constant for the projection period in this product as their populations are too small to be reliably projected at all, however their (small) age/sex distributions may change slightly. These SA2s are listed in the appendix. The base (2022) SA2 population estimates and post-2022 projections by age and sex include small artificial cells, including 1s and 2s. These are the result of a confidentialisation process and forced additivity, to control SA2 and capital city/rest of state age/sex totals, being applied to their original values. SA2s and LGAs in this product are based on the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) boundaries as at the 2021 Census (ASGS Edition 3). For further information, see Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3.

Made possible by the Digital Atlas of Australia The Digital Atlas of Australia is a key Australian Government initiative being led by Geoscience Australia, highlighted in the Data and Digital Government Strategy. It brings together trusted datasets from across government in an interactive, secure, and easy-to-use geospatial platform. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is working in partnership with Geoscience Australia to establish a set of web services to make ABS data available in the Digital Atlas of Australia.

Contact the Australian Bureau of Statistics If you have questions or feedback about this web service, please email geography@abs.gov.au. To subscribe to updates about ABS web services and geospatial products, please complete this form. For information about how the ABS manages any personal information you provide view the ABS privacy policy.

Data and geography references Source data publication: Population Projections, Australia, 2022 (base)

This statistic presents the results of a survey on perceived percentage of population over 65 years old by 2050 in Australia as of October 2018. According to data published by Ipsos, respondents in Australia overestimated the proportion of their population who will be over ** in 2050. On average, the respondents thought that around ** out of every 100 people in Australia will be over 65 years old in 2050, when the actual share of elderly population, according to projections by the World Bank, will be around ** percent in Australia.

This dataset presents the summary preliminary estimates of the resident population by age and sex as at 30 June 2019, this includes population by sex, median age by sex and percentage of the …Show full descriptionThis dataset presents the summary preliminary estimates of the resident population by age and sex as at 30 June 2019, this includes population by sex, median age by sex and percentage of the population within a certain age range. The data is aggregated to the 2019 edition of the Local Government Areas (LGA). Estimated resident population (ERP) is the official estimate of the Australian population, which links people to a place of usual residence within Australia. Usual residence within Australia refers to that address at which the person has lived or intends to live for six months or more in a given reference year. For the 30 June reference date, this refers to the calendar year around it. Estimates of the resident population are based on Census counts by place of usual residence (excluding short-term overseas visitors in Australia), with an allowance for Census net undercount, to which are added the estimated number of Australian residents temporarily overseas at the time of the Census. A person is regarded as a usual resident if they have been (or expected to be) residing in Australia for a period of 12 months or more over a 16-month period. This data is ABS data (catalogue number: 3235.0) available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. For more information please visit the Explanatory Notes. AURIN has spatially enabled the data. Regions which contain unpublished data have been left blank in the dataset. Where regions have zero population, the relating ratio and percentage columns have been left blank. Copyright attribution: Government of the Commonwealth of Australia - Australian Bureau of Statistics, (2018): ; accessed from AURIN on 12/16/2021. Licence type: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Median age at death years by SD, from 2003 to 2007.

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.