1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2001  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 25/01/2001   
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MILLION MILESTONES

Australia's population was estimated to have reached 19 million during August 1999 - five times the population of 1901 (3.8 million). From European settlement in 1788 it took 70 years for the population of Australia to reach one million. An additional million people were added by 1877. Subsequent millions were added in progressively shorter time intervals, with the six million mark reached in 1925. The Great Depression and WWII slowed the population growth to the seventh and eighth million as fertility and migration declined. Following WWII, the baby boom and post-war migration program increased population growth. Since 1949, when the population reached 8 million, each successive million has been added in around 4 to 5 years. The seventeenth million reached in 1990 was the fastest million added, being attained in just 3 years and nine months.

In mid 2004 the population is projected to reach the 20 million mark - 4 years and 9 months after the 19 million milestone in 1999. The interval between following millions is projected to increase in the 21st century as population growth slows from the ageing population and sustained lower fertility.


5.5 AUSTRALIAN POPULATION GROWTH - Time Between Successive Millions(a)(b)
Year
Millions
Years/months from previous million
1858
1
70/0
1877
2
19/0
1889
3
12/0
1905
4
16/0
1918
5
13/0
1925
6
7/0
1939
7
14/0
1949
8
10/11
1954
9
4/9
1959
10
4/7
1963
11
4/7
1968
12
4/8
1972
13
4/9
1976
14
5/0
1981
15
5/7
1986
16
4/8
1990
17
3/9
1995
18
5/0
1999
19
4/5
2004
20
4/9
2009
21
5/5
2015
22
5/10
2021
23
6/4
2029
24
7/3
2040
25
11/8
(a) Aboriginal people were not included in population estimates prior to 1961.
(b) Years after 1999 are based on Population Projections, series II.

Source: Official Year Book of the Commonwealth of Australia 1901-1910; Australian Demographic Trends (3102.0); Australian Demographic Statistics (3101.0); Population projections 1999-2101 (3222.0).