Australia Population Density: People per Square Km data was reported at 3.382 Person/sq km in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.339 Person/sq km for 2021. Australia Population Density: People per Square Km data is updated yearly, averaging 2.263 Person/sq km from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2022, with 62 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.382 Person/sq km in 2022 and a record low of 1.365 Person/sq km in 1961. Australia Population Density: People per Square Km data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.;Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank population estimates.;Weighted average;

Population density metrics for 2011 Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2) within 2011 Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSA), including SA2 Population-weighted density (PWD) for 2011 and 2014, PWD change 2011-2014, and ERP population counts by density classes. Selected Density Classes were based on the Australian Population Density Grid published by the ABS, December 2014 (cat. no. 1270.0.55.007). Corresponding population metrics for 2011 GCCSAs. PWD using standardised 1km grid cells provides a more comparable measure of the density in larger regions. It does this by weighting the density using the proportion of population living at that density. In this way the density measure reflects the density at which people actually live. This removes the effect of large unpopulated areas that may be within the regions being compared. In this way comparisons between regions are more valid.

The map service can be viewed at http://soe.terria.io/#share=s-AgXEN0N0Q95icRW7M9JIC9IYBdE

Downloadable spatial data also available below.

Map prepared by the ABS and presented as Figure BLT3 in Built environment theme of the 2016 State of the Environment Report, available at http://www.soe.environment.gov.au.

Since the 1960s, Australia's urbanization rate has consistently been above 80 percent, and in 2023 it has reached its highest ever rate at 86.62 percent. Historically, Australia has been one of the most urbanized countries in the world, due to high rates of immigration since the 20th century, which were generally to coastal, urban areas. However, despite its high urbanization rate, Australia is among the largest countries in the world; therefore its population density is among the lowest in the world.

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.

ABS Statistics about the population, density and components of change (births, deaths, migration) for Australia's capital cities and regions.This dataset is based on ABS Population estimates and components by LGA Excel files as data sources.

It should be noted that this data is now somwhat dated!

Human population density is a surrogate indicator of the extent of human pressures on the surrounding landscapes.

Areas with high population density are associated with higher levels of stream pollution and water diversion through sewers and drains. City and urban environments are substantially changed from their pre-European condition but a changed condition is not of itself necessarily poor by societal standards. It is the impacts such as polluted run-off to waterways, air pollution, sewage disposal, household water use and predation of wildlife by pets that confer impacts on catchment condition. Human population centres have an impact well beyond the built environment.

The impact of major population centres is well expressed in the AWRC map, but is best displayed in the 500 map. The main areas of impact are the major coastal and capital cities and suburbs, including popular beachside tourist destinations. Elsewhere, the impact of population density appears to be confined to the Murray and other major river valleys.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics compiles population statistics by sampling statistical local areas (SLAas) through the national census. These data can be converted to a per catchment basis.

Interpretation of the indicator is largely unequivocal, although there are land-uses/activities (e.g. mining) where population density is not a good indicator of the degree of habitat decline. This indicator has not been validated relative to habitat decline. This indicator is easy to understand.

Data are available as:

• continental maps at 5km (0.05 deg) cell resolution for the ILZ;
• spatial averages over CRES defined catchments (CRES, 2000) in the ILZ;
• spatial averages over the AWRC river basins in the ILZ.

See further metadata for more detail.

Urban Centres and Localities (UCL)

Urban Centres and Localities (UCLs) represent areas of concentrated urban development with populations of 200 people or more. These areas of urban development are primarily identified using dwelling and population density criteria using data from the 2021 Census. UCLs are not an official definition of towns.

UCLs can cross state or territory boundaries, however in these cases they are split into two parts so that data can still be aggregated to the state and territory level. For example, the UCL of Albury - Wodonga consists of Albury – Wodonga (Albury Part) and Albury – Wodonga (Wodonga Part).

Areas in a state or territory that are not included in an UCL are considered to be ‘rural’ and combined into the category: ‘Remainder of State/Territory’.

Using UCLs with Census data

UCLs are designed for the analysis of statistical data, particularly from the Census. The 200 minimum population size allows users to access cross classified Census data for these areas without the resulting counts becoming too small for use.

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Australian Bureau of Statistics (Jul2021-Jun2026), Data services and APIs, ABS Website, accessed 25 July 2023.

https://www.abs.gov.au/website-privacy-copyright-and-disclaimer#copyright-and-creative-commons

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Melbourne, Australia metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

The statistic depicts Australia's gross domestic product (GDP) from 1987 to 2023, with projections up until 2029. In 2023, GDP in Australia amounted to about 1.74 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.

In 2019, major cities in Australia had the highest number of general practitioners (GP) per capita with 121.4 GPs per 100,000 of the population. The density of GPs decreases considerably in more remote areas.

Due to Australia’s size and relatively low population density, domestic travel for a holiday, business, or visiting family and friends often involves long hours of driving or a domestic airline flight. Nevertheless, in the year ended December 2023, Australians spent millions of nights away from home on domestic travel trips, with the most popular accommodation type being with friends or relatives. The second most popular choice of accommodation was at a hotel or motel.  Holidaying close to home  With the outbreak of COVID-19 early in 2020, many Australians were forced to cancel international travel plans or look to domestic options for a holiday. Furthermore, many states and territories also imposed border closures, restricting interstate travel as well. New South Wales was the most popular state for domestic travel, boasting popular holiday locations like the Hunter Valley, Mudgee, and the Southern Highlands for wine and food tourism, as well as many popular coastal destinations such as Byron Bay in the north and Jervis Bay on the NSW south coast. Although the state of NSW proved to be a popular destination for domestic tourism, it was the Victorian capital, Melbourne, that was the most popular city to visit in 2018. The travel budget Compared to some other popular international tourist destinations for Australians, traveling within Australia is not always the cheapest option for a holiday. Flights across the country can cost as much as a flight to New Zealand, Fiji, or South East Asia and the cost of domestic accommodation, food, and activities is often higher than comparable services in countries where the cost of living is generally lower. Overall, in 2022, domestic visitor expenditure in Australia totaled almost 102 billion Australian dollars.