September 22, 2009

67/2009

Australia's population increased by 2.1% for the year ending March 2009 according to statistics released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today.
The last time Australia saw higher growth rates was in the 1950's and 1960's as a result of post war migration and high birth rates.

These rates compare with a 1.2% growth rate recorded five years ago.

As at 31 March 2009, Australia's population had grown to 21,779,000, an increase of 439,100 people over the previous year. Australia's net overseas migration contributed to more than half of this growth at 63% or 278,200 people. Natural increase (the excess of births over deaths) contributed 160,800 (37%).

In the same period, Western Australia continued to record the fastest population growth at 3.1%, followed by Queensland (2.6%), the Northern Territory (2.2%), Victoria (2.1%), the Australian Capital Territory (1.8%), New South Wales (1.6%), South Australia (1.2%) and Tasmania (1.0%).

Queensland and Western Australia gained the most people through net interstate migration from the other states and territories (20,000 and 5,900 people respectively). The states that lost people to interstate migration were New South Wales (loss of 21,900), South Australia (loss off 5,000), the Australian Capital Territory (loss of 310) and Victoria (loss of 300).

As at 31 March 2009, the population of each State and Territory was:

New South Wales 7,076,000;	Western Australia 2,224,000;
Victoria 5,403,000;	Tasmania 501,800;
Queensland 4,380,000;	Northern Territory 223,100;
South Australia 1,618,000;	Australian Capital Territory 349,900.

More details are available in Australian Demographic Statistics, March Quarter 2009 (cat. no. 3101.0).

For population estimates at the regional level please see Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2007-08 (cat. no. 3218.0) and Population by Age and Sex, Regions of Australia, 2008 (cat. no.3235.0)

Media note:
Please ensure that you attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source when reporting on ABS data.