2035.0 - Census of Population and Housing: Population Growth and Distribution, Australia, 2001  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 16/06/2003  Final
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MEDIA RELEASE

June 16, 2003
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
59/2003

Australians' love of coastal living continues

More than eight in ten Australians (85%) lived within 50 kilometres of the coastline in 2001, according to the latest figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

In 2001, 87% of people lived in urban areas with a population greater than 1000 people. Apart from the Australian Capital Territory, where the city of Canberra accounted for 99.3% of the population, the highest levels of urbanisation occurred in New South Wales and Victoria (89% for both).

In 2001, 97% of Australia's total population lived in either major cities, inner regional areas or outer regional areas, while 3% lived in remote or very remote areas.

74% of the Indigenous population lived in major cities, inner regional areas or outer regional areas in 2001, while 26% lived in remote or very remote areas. In the Northern Territory, 81% of the Indigenous population lived in either remote or very remote areas.

Between 1996 and 2001, 6.8 million people (42% of the population) changed their address within Australia, with younger adults, recent migrants and the Indigenous being the most mobile population groups.

The only states or territories to experience a net gain through interstate migration between 1996 and 2001 were Queensland (with 92,200 people), Victoria (6,400) and Western Australia (2,900).

Further information is in Census of Population and Housing: Population Growth and Distribution, Australia (cat. no. 2035.0).

This publication provides information about population changes in Australia, between the 1996 and 2001 Censuses. It includes information on the growth, location and mobility of the population at the national, state and regional levels. A major focus of the publication is the characteristics and volume of interstate and intrastate movements between 1996 and 2001.