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OVERVIEW

This is the final issue of this electronic product. It is intended that future state and territory-specific data will be made available in spreadsheet format with releases of the relevant annual national publications.

This electronic product provides a demographic overview of Western Australia, 2004. It contains summary tables and commentary on trends in the components of population change including births, deaths and migration. Marriages, divorces, estimated resident population and various demographic rates are also presented. Population and migration data are for the year ended 30 June 2004, while births, deaths, marriages and divorces data are for the year ended 31 December 2004. More recent data are released quarterly in Australian Demographic Statistics (cat. no. 3101.0).

For comparisons between the states and territories of Australia, please refer to Demography, Australia, 2004 (cat. no. 3311.0.55.001). Demography publications for each state and territory can be accessed from the Related Information tab at the top of this page. Additional state demographic data are also available from publications and data cubes linked at the foot of this page. The Demography Theme Page provides links to other Australian as well as international demographic statistics. The National Regional Profiles provide economic and social statistics of Statistical Local Areas and Local Government Areas of Australia.

INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or Deborah Wade-Marshall on Perth (08) 9360 5389.

SUMMARY COMMENTARY


OVERVIEW

At 30 June 2004, Western Australia's population was 1,978,000 which was 9.8% of the Australian population. Western Australia has been the fourth most populous state since 1982. The state had 9.9% of all births, 8.4% of all deaths, 9.6% of all marriages and 8.2% of all divorces in Australia in 2004. Of all overseas arrivals (permanent and long-term), 11.5% settled in Western Australia. The state also recorded a net gain through interstate migration for the first time since 1999.

POPULATION

The Estimated Resident Population of Western Australia at 30 June 2004 was 1,978,000, which was 9.8% of the Australian total. The main contributors to population growth in 2004 were net overseas migration (13,600) and natural increase (13,200). Net overseas migration has been the largest source of annual population growth in Western Australia since 2000. During the year to 30 June 2004, Western Australia also experienced a net gain of 1,300 persons through interstate migration. Western Australia remained the second fastest growing state/territory in 2003-04, with a growth rate of 1.4%. Queensland had the highest growth rate of 2.3%.

POPULATION COMPONENTS, Western Australia - 1994-2004

POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLDS, Western Australia - Selected years at 30 June
			1994	2003	2004
Estimated resident population		('000)	1 703.0	1 949.9	1 978.1
Components of population change(a)
	Natural increase(b)	no.	14 499	12 630	13 225
	Net overseas migration	no.	6 718	15 575	13 634
	Net interstate migration	no.	3 825	-2 810	1 272
Total increase(c)		no.	25 340	25 395	28 131
Annual growth rate		%	1.51	1.32	1.44
Estimated resident households(d)		('000)	633.0	nya	nya
Projected households(e)		('000)	. .	755.6	772.1
. . not applicable
nya not yet available
(a) From previous year.
(b) Excess of births over deaths. Births and deaths figures used to compile natural increase for population estimates are based on year of occurrence and may differ from births and deaths data based on year of registration displayed in the Births and Deaths sections of this paper.
(c) Includes intercensal discrepancy not accounted for by natural increase and net migration.
(d) Based on 1996 census data.
(e) Series II from Household and Family Projections, Australia, 2001-2026 (Cat. no. 3236.0).

BIRTHS AND CONFINEMENTS

In 2004, there were 24,900 confinements resulting in 25,300 births registered to mothers usually residing in Western Australia. Registrations of births during 2004 were 4.2% higher than in 2003 (24,300 births) and 0.6% higher than in 1994 (25,100 births). There were 13,000 male births and 12,300 female births registered in 2004, giving a sex ratio of 105.2 males per 100 females. The crude birth rate for Western Australia was 12.8 births per 1,000 estimated resident population, which was slightly higher than the national rate of 12.7.

The total fertility rate (TFR), the average number of babies that a woman could expect to give birth to in her lifetime if she experienced current age-specific fertility rates, was 1.81 babies per woman in 2004. Since 1977, TFRs have been below the rate of 2.10 babies per woman, which is the rate required for replacement of the population.

The tendency to have children later in life continued. While the upward trend in median age of mothers stabilised in 2004 remaining 30.2 years, there was an increase for fathers to a high of 32.6 years. The 30-34 year age group had the highest fertility rate at 114.4 babies per 1,000 women in 2004.

AGE SPECIFIC FERTILITY RATES(a), Western Australia - Selected years

BIRTHS AND CONFINEMENTS, Western Australia - Selected years(a)
			1994	2003	2004
Live births
	Number	no.	25 138	24 273	25 295
	Crude birth rate(b)	rate	14.8	12.4	12.8
	Total fertility rate(c)	rate	1.872	1.741	1.807
	Net reproduction rate(d)	rate	0.901	0.838	0.871
All confinements
	Number	no.	24 794	23 874	24 896
	Median age of mother	years	28.7	30.2	30.2
Nuptial confinements
	Number	no.	17 639	15 228	15 592
	Median age of mother	years	29.8	31.4	31.6
	Median age of father	years	32.1	33.5	33.7
First nuptial confinements
	Number	no.	6 961	6 280	6 460
	Median age of mother	years	28.3	30.3	30.4
(a) Year of registration.
(b) Births per 1,000 population.
(c) Births per woman.
(d) Daughters surviving to reproductive age per woman.

DEATHS

In 2004, there were 11,200 registered deaths of persons usually resident in Western Australia, an increase of 8.7% from 1994 when there were 10,300 deaths. There were 5,900 male deaths and 5,300 female deaths. Despite the ageing of the population, there has been a slight decline in the crude death rate over the last 10 years. The crude death rate (CDR) was 5.7 deaths per 1,000 estimated resident population in 2004, compared with 6.0 in 1994. Western Australia's CDR was lower than the national rate of 6.6. In 2004, the CDR for males (5.9) was slightly higher than for females (5.4) and has been over the previous decade.

Standardised death rates (SDRs) enable comparison of death rates between populations with different age structures. In 2004, Western Australia's SDR of 6.0 was lower than the national rate of 6.3, with only the Australian Capital Territory recording a lower SDR (5.6). In 2004, the male SDR was 7.3 and the female SDR significantly lower at 4.9.

In 2004, life expectancy at birth for Western Australian usual residents was 78.6 years for males and 83.3 years for females, slightly above the national averages of 78.1 and 83.0 years respectively. Compared with ten years ago, life expectancy at birth in Western Australia has increased by 3.1 years for males and 2.1 years for females.

DEATHS, Western Australia - Selected years(a)
			1994	2003	2004
Number		no.	10 293	11 311	11 184
Crude death rate(b)		rate	6.0	5.8	5.7
Standardised death rate(c)		rate	7.7	6.2	6.0
Median age at death
	Males	years	73.1	75.5	75.6
	Females	years	79.7	82.1	81.9
Infant deaths
	Number	no.	140	100	99
	Infant mortality rate(d)	rate	5.6	4.1	3.9
Life expectancy at birth(e)
	Males	years	75.5	78.1	78.6
	Females	years	81.2	83.0	83.3
(a) Year of registration.
(b) Deaths per 1,000 population.
(c) Deaths per 1,000 population. Standardised death rates use total persons in the 2001 Australian population as the standard population.
(d) Deaths per 1,000 live births.
(e) From 1995 onwards expectation of life has been calculated using three years of data.

MIGRATION

Overseas migration includes permanent and long-term (over 12 months) movement between Australia and other countries. Net overseas migration refers to net permanent and long-term overseas migration, adjusted for changes in traveller duration intention and errors associated with multiple movements during long-term stays or absences. In 2004, net overseas migration contributed an additional 13,600 persons to the Western Australian population, 2,000 less than in 2003 but more than double in 1994 (6,700).

Western Australia's net interstate migration has fluctuated over the past 20 years, peaking at 9,400 in 1986 and declining to a net loss of 4,400 in 2002. In 2004, Western Australia recorded a net gain from interstate migration of 1,300 people, the first increase since 1999. There was a net gain of 1,700 people from New South Wales, 600 people from South Australia and 360 people from the Northern Territory and net losses to all other states and territories during the year. Queensland was the most popular destination followed by Victoria.

INTERSTATE MIGRATION MOVEMENTS, Western Australia - at 30 June 2004

MIGRATION, Western Australia - Selected years at 30 June
			1994	2003	2004
Overseas migration
	Permanent and long-term movement(a)
	Arrivals	no.	24 086	42 615	45 970
	Departures	no.	14 905	21 413	23 433
	Net overseas migration(b)	no.	6 718	15 575	13 634
Interstate migration
	Arrivals	no.	28 466	30 898	32 297
	Departures	no.	24 641	33 708	31 025
	Net interstate migration	no.	3 825	-2 810	1 272
(a) Based on stated intention on arrival or departure.
(b) 1994 includes an adjustment for category jumping. 2003 and 2004 have been adjusted for changes in traveller intention and multiple mover error.

MARRIAGES

In 2004, there were 10,600 marriages registered in Western Australia, this was 11.0% higher than the number registered in the previous year. This is the highest number of marriages recorded in a year since 2000 when 11,000 were registered. The crude marriage rate (the number of marriages per 1,000 of the estimated resident population) for Western Australia was 5.4 in 2004, this compares with a national rate of 5.5.

The median age for brides in 2004 was 29.6 years and for bridegrooms it was 31.9 years. This compares with median ages of 26.9 years and 29.5 for brides and bridegrooms respectively in 1994 and reflects the continuing tendency to marry later in life.

MARRIAGES, Western Australia - Selected years
			1994	2003	2004
Number registered		no.	10 366	9 549	10 601
Crude marriage rate(a)		rate	6.1	4.9	5.4
Median age at marriage
	Bridegroom	years	29.5	31.8	31.9
	Bride	years	26.9	29.5	29.6
(a) Marriages per 1,000 population.

DIVORCES

In 2004, there were 4,300 divorces granted in Western Australia and the crude divorce rate was 2.2 divorces per 1,000 population. This rate is the lowest recorded since 1975 and is slightly lower than the national crude divorce rate of 2.6.

Duration of marriage is the interval between the date of marriage and the date the divorce was made absolute. In 2004, the median duration of marriage in Western Australia was 12.8 years, 1.4 years longer than in 1994 but slightly lower than the peak of 13.2 years in 2003.

DIVORCES, Western Australia - Selected years
			1994	2003	2004
Number granted		no.	5 024	5 685	4 337
Crude divorce rate(a)		rate	3.0	2.9	2.2
Median duration of marriage
	To separation	years	8.1	9.4	9.1
	To divorce	years	11.4	13.2	12.8
(a) Divorces per 1,000 population.

REGIONAL SUMMARY

In 2004, the Perth Statistical Division accounted for 73.5% of the Western Australian population and had 71.7% of the State's births and 73.5% of the State's deaths. The Perth Statistical Division's average total fertility rate over the three years 2002-2004 (1.67 births per woman) was less than the three-year average for the remainder of the State (2.04 births per woman).

In Western Australia, the largest populations tended to be in those Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) on the fringe of the Perth Statistical Division. The most populous SLA in Western Australia was Joondalup - South with an estimated resident population of 107,000 persons. Other SLAs within the Perth Statistical Division with high populations were Stirling - Central (101,000), Melville (97,300), Swan (91,500), Gosnells (89,900), Rockingham (81,700), Canning (79,400), Cockburn (74,500), and Stirling - Coastal (64,100).

The largest SLA outside the Perth Statistical Division was Mandurah with a population of 58,500 persons.

Demographic Summary, Western Australia Statistical areas, 2004(a)(b)
	Estimated mid-year resident population(c)	Births(d)	Total fertility rate(e)	Deaths(d)	Indirect standardised death rate(f)
Statistical Division	no.	no	rate	no.	rate
Perth	1 454 606	18 125	1.67	8 223	6.0
South West	211 477	2 440	1.88	1 267	6.2
Lower Great Southern	53 544	729	2.19	359	6.3
Upper Great Southern	18 031	258	2.40	133	6.5
Midlands	52 551	659	2.24	299	6.2
South Eastern	54 174	934	2.18	217	7.7
Central	59 539	798	2.07	312	6.9
Pilbara	39 229	725	2.10	119	8.2
Kimberly	34 928	591	1.99	203	11.7
Western Australia(g)	1 978 079	25 295	1.75	11 184	6.2
(a) The statistical area boundaries used in the compilation of these statistics are those in existence at 1 July 2004.
(b) Cells in this table have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data.
(c) As at 30 June 2004. Revised estimated resident population.
(d) Data is for calendar year 2004.
(e) The average total fertility rate over the three years 2002 to 2004.
(f) The average indirect standardised death rate over the three years 2002 to 2004.
(g) This includes births and deaths where usual residence was overseas, no fixed abode and New South Wales undefined.

RELATED LINKS

Demographic data for all Western Australian statistical local areas are available from the data cube linked on the Details tab at the top of this page.

From the Related Information Tab there are links to other releases providing more specific or in-depth analysis and information