Australia’s population grew by 2.5% to 26.8 million people in the year to September 2023.
For context, over the ten years from 2010 to 2019, hovering around 1.5% annual growth and dropping sharply during the Covid pandemic.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics attributed the 659,800 population increase to net overseas migration, which comprised of 548,800 people or 83 per cent of the growth.
The year saw 765,900 arrivals as well as 217,100 emigrations from Australia. We also saw a natural increase of 111,000.
South Australia’s population grew 1.7% in the year – ahead of Tasmania (0.3%) and the Northern Territory (0.7%). Western Australia’s population is growing at the highest rate (3.3%) of all states and territories.
According to the 2023 Intergenerational Report – Australia’s population growth is projected to fall to 1.1% per year over the next 40 years, with our population predicted to hit 40.5 million by 2062 – 63.
