HOW WE'VE CHANGED
Reaching a population milestone like 20 million allows us to reflect on how much Australia has changed. Society is vastly different today to what it was when our population first reached 10 million in 1959.
We are healthier, living longer, having fewer children, more likely to be unemployed and more likely to be living in urban areas.
In brief
 | 1959 | 2003 |
| Fertility (babies per woman) | 3.44 | 1.75 |
| Male Life Expectancy (years) | 67.9 | 77.4 |
| Female Life Expectancy (years) | 74.2 | 82.6 |
| Babies Dying Before First Birthday (per 1000 births) | 21.5 | 5.0 |
| Aged under 15 | 30.2% | 20.8% |
| Aged 65 years and over | 8.5% | 12.7% |
| Unemployment | 3.9% | 6.1% |
| Mean Household size (persons) | 3.55 | 2.64 |
| Living in Urban Areas | 79.3% | 86.3% |
Statistics from speech by Professor Graeme Hugo, ABS House, December 4, 2003
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