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.

Rural population (% of total population) in Australia was reported at 13.38 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - Rural population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Urban population (% of total population) in Australia was reported at 86.75 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - Urban population (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

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.

Total current population for Australia in 2025 is 26,958,054, a 0.97% increase from 2024.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Total population for Australia in 2024 was <strong>26,699,482</strong>, a <strong>0.15% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>Total population for Australia in 2023 was <strong>26,658,948</strong>, a <strong>2.48% increase</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>Total population for Australia in 2022 was <strong>26,014,399</strong>, a <strong>1.28% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.

Urban population in Australia was reported at 23600172 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - Urban population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Key information about Australia population

• The Australia population reached 27.0 million people in Dec 2023, compared with the previously reported figure of 26.3 million people in Dec 2022
• The data reached an all-time high of 27.0 million people in Dec 2023 and a record low of 8.2 million people in Dec 1950

• In the latest reports, Australia Unemployment Rate dropped to 3.9 % in Nov 2024
• Monthly earnings of the Australia population was 3,744.1 USD in Nov 2023
• Australia Labour Force Participation Rate increased to 67.1 % in Nov 2024

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Australia was reported at 3.382 sq. Km in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - Population density (people per sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In the middle of 2023, about 60 percent of the global population was living in Asia.The total world population amounted to 8.1 billion people on the planet. In other words 4.7 billion people were living in Asia as of 2023. Global populationDue to medical advances, better living conditions and the increase of agricultural productivity, the world population increased rapidly over the past century, and is expected to continue to grow. After reaching eight billion in 2023, the global population is estimated to pass 10 billion by 2060. Africa expected to drive population increase Most of the future population increase is expected to happen in Africa. The countries with the highest population growth rate in 2024 were mostly African countries. While around 1.47 billion people live on the continent as of 2024, this is forecast to grow to 3.9 billion by 2100. This is underlined by the fact that most of the countries wit the highest population growth rate are found in Africa. The growing population, in combination with climate change, puts increasing pressure on the world's resources.

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.

Australia Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million data was reported at 16,559,716.000 Person in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 16,345,586.000 Person for 2023. Australia Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million data is updated yearly, averaging 10,713,058.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2024, with 65 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16,559,716.000 Person in 2024 and a record low of 5,569,845.000 Person in 1960. Australia Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million 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 in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.;United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.;;

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Perth, Australia metro area from 1950 to 2025.

Australia Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 22.768 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 22.673 % for 2023. Australia Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 24.964 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2024, with 65 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 27.701 % in 1971 and a record low of 22.181 % in 2013. Australia Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population 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 in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.;United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.;Weighted average;

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Canberra, Australia metro area from 1950 to 2025.

Australia Population in Largest City data was reported at 5,315,600.000 Person in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 5,235,407.000 Person for 2023. Australia Population in Largest City data is updated yearly, averaging 3,709,165.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2024, with 65 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,315,600.000 Person in 2024 and a record low of 2,134,673.000 Person in 1960. Australia Population in Largest City 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 in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.;United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.;;

As of October 2024, approximately ******* Japanese residents lived in Australia. The number has increased for four consecutive years, reaching the highest level in the past decade.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Brisbane, Australia metro area from 1950 to 2025.

Australia Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data was reported at 61.531 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 61.314 % for 2023. Australia Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 60.970 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2024, with 65 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 63.459 % in 1971 and a record low of 54.200 % in 1960. Australia Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population 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 in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the percentage of a country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.;United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.;Weighted average;

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Sydney, Australia metro area from 1950 to 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.