MEDIA RELEASE
29 March 2011	Embargoed: 11.30 am (Canberra time)	40/2011

Australia's annual population growth rate slowed to 1.6% for the year ending September 2010 (345,500 increase), according to preliminary figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
This is down from its peak growth rate of 2.2% in the year ending December 2008 and is the lowest since the year ending September 2006 (319,100)

Net overseas migration continued to decline to the end of September 2010. The preliminary net overseas migration estimate for the September quarter 2010 (42,500 people) was 41.2% lower than that for the September quarter 2009 (72,300 people).

Australia's population reached 22,407,700 by the end of September 2010, growing by 345,500 people over the year. Net overseas migration accounted for 54% of this growth, with the remaining 46% due to natural increase (births minus deaths). For the year ending September 2009, Net overseas migration accounted for 65% of the year's total growth, with the remaining 35% due to natural increase.

Western Australia continued to record the fastest population growth rate at 2.1%, followed by Queensland (1.8%), Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory (both 1.7%), New South Wales and the Northern Territory (both 1.3%), South Australia (1.1%) and Tasmania (0.8%).

Based on preliminary figures, there were 301,500 births registered in the year ending September 2010, 1.1% more than the previous year. The number of deaths registered over the same period was 141,700, 0.1% fewer than the previous year.

	Population at end Sep qtr 2010	Change over previous year	Change over previous year
PRELIMINARY DATA	'000	'000	%
New South Wales	7 253.4	95.2	1.3
Victoria	5 567.1	90.5	1.7
Queensland	4 532.3	82.2	1.8
South Australia	1 647.8	17.4	1.1
Western Australia	2 306.2	47.3	2.1
Tasmania	508.5	4.1	0.8
Northern Territory	230.2	2.9	1.3
Australian Capital Territory	359.7	6.0	1.7
Australia(a)	22 407.7	345.5	1.6

(a) Includes Other Territories.

Further information is available in Australian Demographic Statistics, June Quarter 2010 (cat. no. 3101.0).

For population estimates at the regional level, please see Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2008–09 (cat. no. 3218.0) and Population by Age and Sex, Regions of Australia, 2009 (cat. no. 3235.0).

Media note: When reporting ABS data you must attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.