Australian Population Stats

25 Million

The official estimation of the population as of the 27th of March 2019 is 24,992,860 people. This is up by 391,000 from 2017. Growth in Australia’s key capital cities accounted for 79% of the countries overall population growth. (Government Statistics)

Australia - More information

Australia in 2023 is the 54th biggest country in the world by population, but surprisingly it’s the 6th largest country by land mass, making the population density 3/km². One of the lowest in the world! In 1770 James Cook claimed the east coast of Australia followed by the west creating settlements, officially making the continent a British colony.

Australia population 2023 - In city order

Rank	City	Estimated Population
1	Sydney – New South Wales	5,230,330
2	Melbourne – Victoria	4,963,349
3	Brisbane – Queensland	2,462,637
4	Perth – Western Australia	2,059,484
5	Adelaide – South Australia	1,345,777
6	Gold Coast– Tweed Heads Queensland / New South Wales	679,127
7	Newcastle – New South Wales	481,183
8	Canberra – Queanbeyan Australian Capital Territory / New South Wales	457,563
9	Sunshine Coast – Queensland	333,436
10	Wollongong – New South Wales	299,203
11	Geelong – Victoria	268,277
12	Hobart – Tasmania	232,606
13	Townsville – Queensland	180,820
14	Cairns – Queensland	152,729
15	Darwin – Northern Territory	148,564

*The Central coast is not included in the list, as Sydney‘s greater capital city statistical area encompasses the Central Coast city. The latest estimate of the significant urban area of the Central Coast is 329,437 people, in June 2017. 3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia Estimated Resident Population, Significant Urban Areas, Australia (Government Statistics)

Australia Population Growth

Based on statistics released from the Australian National Bureau of Statistics in the 2016 census, it shows areas where there is an increased population growth and decreases in population. As you can see in the map in north Queensland there is increased growth, in particular around the city of Cairns. Read more on the country’s population growth here.

Australian Unemployment Rate

Based on statistics released from the Australian National Bureau of Statistics about the unemployment rate of Australia, we have listed the population’s unemployment rate for the past 6 years and also next years predicted rate. To compare, the unemployment rate of the UK & USA is 4% as of 2018.

2012	5.23%
2013	5.66%
2014	6.07%
2015	6.06%
2016	5.71%
2017	5.6%
2018	5.25%
2019	5.16%

Country of birth

Based on statistics released from the Australian National Bureau of Statistics in the 2016 census, England (3.9%) is the highest place of overseas birth followed by New Zealand (2.2%). As to be expected Australia is the highest place of birth at 66.7%, although this is decreasing from 69.8% in 2011 when the previous census was conducted.

Rank	Country of Birth	2016 (%)	2011 (%)
1	Australia	66.7	69.8
2	England	3.9	4.2
3	New Zealand	2.2	2.2
4	China	2.2	1.5
5	India	1.9	1.4

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Population

Based on statistics released from the Australian National Bureau of Statistics in the 2016 census, 649,171 identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. This has gone up since 2011 from 2.5% of the population to 2.8% in 2016.

649,171

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders account for 2.8% of the population in the most recent Australian government census.

Ancestry

Based on statistics released from the Australian National Bureau of Statistics in the 2016 census, these figures are what the population most closely identified there ancestry with. The majority of the population identify as having English heritage at 36.1%.

Rank	Ancestry	Percentage
1	Australian	33.50%
2	English	36.10%
3	Irish	11%
4	Scottish	9.30%
5	Chinese	5.60%

Religion

Based on statistics released from the Australian National Bureau of Statistics in the 2016 census, Christianity (52%) had the biggest religious association. The next biggest group was Atheist (No Religion) at 30.1% of the population.

Population By State

Languages

Based on statistics released from the Australian National Bureau of Statistics in the 2016 census, there were over 300 individual languages spoken in Australian homes. More than one-fifth (21%) of Australians speak another language in their home environment.

Rank	language	Percentage
1	English Only	72.70%
2	Mandarin	2.50%
3	Arabic	1.40%
4	Cantonese	1.20%
5	Vietnamese	1.20%

Migrants locations

Based on statistics released from the Australian National Bureau of Statistics in the 2016 census, the most popular state for migrates to live in was New South Wales at 2,072,454. Most of these migrants live in Sydney.

Rank	State	Migrant Figure	Percentage
1	NSW	2,072,454	33.60%
2	VIC	1,680,256	27.30%
3	QLD	1,015,875	16.5%
4	WA	797,695	12.9%
5	SA	384,097	6.2%
6	ACT	105,161	1.70%
7	TAS	61,240	1%
8	NT	45,403	0.7%

Facts about Australia's Population

Australia is ranked the 53rd largest country in the world by population.
Around 28% of Australia’s population is born overseas (7 million people) making it one of the most multicultural countries in the world.
If a person in Australia reaches the age of 101 the will receive a letter from the Queen. Currently that’s over 4,000 people.
In Australia over 300 langues are spoken.
90% of Australians live in urban areas.
The VAT rate in Australia is 10%