If this rate of growth is restored after the pandemic, Australia will exceed 40 million by 2050 and 100 million before 2100.
“This is not just 36 million by 2050. We're talking about a population of 80 to 100 million people by the end of the 21st century.” According to the latest ABS population projection data, Australia's population could reach up to 70.1 million people by 2101.
The Australian Academy of Science has recommended that 23 million people would be a safe upper limit for Australia.
The country is now predicted to reach a population of 30 million in 2032-33, later than previously expected due to reduced immigration levels caused by the pandemic pause. The last intergenerational report, released by Josh Frydenberg in 2021, predicted Australia would hit the 30 million milestone in 2030-31.
Australia has an average population density of 3.5 persons per square kilometre of total land area, which makes it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. This is generally attributed to the semi-arid and desert geography of much of the interior of the country.
Australia has one of the lowest population densities in the world. With a low population of 23 million and a land area of over 7.6 million km² its density is around 3 people per km². This is very low compared to the Monoco, the most densely populated area in the world with 26150 people per km².
THE optimal population size for Australia is just 15 million people. That's the opinion of environmental experts Peter Martin and James Ward from the University of South Australia, and Paul Sutton from the University of Denver.
The mobile-friendly MyClimate 2050 tool shows almost all areas across Australia will experience longer and hotter summers, with temperatures increasing by an average of 2.32°C.
In 2100, the Australian population is projected to be 42.9 million people equivalent to a more than 10-fold increase since 1900 and a more than doubling during the 21st century. Australia is the 13 largest economy in the world. The country is expected to drop to 16th place by 2030 and out of the top 20 by 2050.
Based on these trends Australia's population is projected to reach 35.9 million in 2050. Population growth, by supporting reduced ageing of the population and adding to the labour force, benefits the Australian economy but puts pressure on infrastructure, services and the environment.
Australia's population is expected to increase from 25.7 million on June 30 2021, to 29.9 million by June 30, 2033. The government's baseline case is for our population to then grow to 39.2 million by 2060-61.
Earth's capacity
Many scientists think Earth has a maximum carrying capacity of 9 billion to 10 billion people.
Estimates vary, but we're expected to reach "peak human" around 2070 or 2080, at which point there will be between billion and 10.4 billion people on the planet.
One reason behind this large landmass being so desolate is the shortage of rainfall. More than two-third part of the country only receives less than 500 mm annual rain. This arid, uninhabitable part of Australia lies in the middle of the continent (the Outback), away from the coasts.
Beyond 30 million people, Australia may not be food-secure in drought years. More than half (around 60%) of Australia's population growth in recent decades has been due to immigration. The rest is due to 'natural increase' (births minus deaths).
Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show 4,440 Australians turned 100-years old between June 2014-15 -- that's an increase of 550 centenarians on the previous year and works out to be 444,000 worth of years lived.
Australia is still getting bigger, with the population expected to close in on 30 million within a decade from 26 million now. The nation is also getting older faster thanks to the pause in overseas migration when borders were shut during the pandemic.
With almost two-thirds of Australia's population now living in the major capitals, the biggest, Sydney and Melbourne, are on a trajectory to more than double to more than 10 million residents each by the middle of this century - "megacity" status as defined by the United Nations.
The population of New Zealand is expected to grow from 4.82 million people in 2020 to 5.61 million in 2050, and 6.00 million in 2100. The largest city is Auckland with 1.5 million inhabitants.
Civilisations could collapse by 2100. Despite only dealing with probabilities, scientists predict without a determined effort to reduce emissions, the globe will likely experience 4 degrees of warming by 2100. “That makes large parts of Australia and other continents uninhabitable,” Prof Flannery warns.
New research suggests that, if the planet keeps warming at current rates, much of the top third of Australia could soon be too hot for people to live in.
Absolutely. Australia is a fantastic place to live, even for foreigners. There aren't only advantages to living in Australia, but they outweigh the disadvantages. I love the climate, work-life balance, safety and the wide range of outdoor activities that I can enjoy every weekend.
More than 90 percent of Australia's population lives within 100km of the coast. The whole state of Tasmania currently comprises 200,000 households. Australia is adding more than 200,000 households every 16 months.
More than 85 per cent of Australians live within 50 kilometres of the coast, making it an integral part of our laid-back lifestyle.
More than 80 per cent of Australians live within the coastal zone.