Australia's population density is low because most of the country's interior is desert (also known as the outback) and presents extremely difficult living conditions.
Last week the Australian government's Center for Population released its forecast for the next decade. From its current population of 25.7 million people, the country is expected to reach just short of 30 million by 2032.
The current population of Australia in 2023 is 26,439,111, a 1% increase from 2022. The population of Australia in 2022 was 26,177,413, a 0.99% increase from 2021. The population of Australia in 2021 was 25,921,089, a 0.98% increase from 2020.
The Australian Academy of Science has recommended that 23 million people would be a safe upper limit for Australia. That was before climate change and peak oil became hot topics. We're nearly there now. With a balanced migration program, it is possible to stabilise Australia's population until 2050.
Darwin is Australia's least populated place. The city has a population of 148,564 and a density of 703 people/sq km.
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. And this is also the reason why more than 80% of the country's population lives within 50 kilometres from the coast.
More than 80 per cent of Australians live within the coastal zone.
Last year, two University of South Australia academics theorised Australia's optimum population size could be 15 million. They based their assumption on Australia recording a peak Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) in the mid-1970s, when the population was under 15 million.
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.
Earth's capacity
Many scientists think Earth has a maximum carrying capacity of 9 billion to 10 billion people. [ How Do You Count 7 Billion People?]
Australia is colloquially known as "the Land Down Under" (or just "Down Under"), which derives from the country's position in the Southern Hemisphere, at the antipodes of the United Kingdom.
What is Australia's homeless population? On Census night in 2021, statistics show 122,494 people were estimated to be experiencing homelessness. That's an increase of 5.2 per cent since the 2016 Census.
The number of Aussies aged over 100 grew by more than 30 per cent between 2013 and 2018, with Victoria showing a significant leap in centenarians. In total, there are 4828 centenarians in Australia, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics 2018 census data.
The warming will likely cause a number of key trends:
Accelerated sea level rise and worsening coastal erosion. Increased weather intensity including Category 6 cyclones. More frequent and extreme bushfires. A greater chance of extreme flood events.
If this rate of growth is restored after the pandemic, Australia will exceed 40 million by 2050 and 100 million before 2100.
Growth in Australia's population is made up of two components: natural increase—births minus deaths and. net overseas migration (NOM)—the net gain or loss of population through immigration to Australia and emigration from Australia.
A white person is defined as a person who has European ancestry. In Australia, about 90.2 percent of the nation's population is white. The following is a breakdown of some of the major ethnic groups that fall under this category: To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Australia is very likely to grow by four million people per decade, so we can expect the population to reach 52 million in about 65 years. Let's not act surprised by strong growth in the coming decades. We must plan for this growth now, and we mustn't repeat past mistakes.
National, state and territory population
Australia's population was 26,268,359 people at 31 December 2022. The quarterly growth was 127,078 people (0.5%). The annual growth was 496,800 people (1.9%). Annual natural increase was 109,800 and net overseas migration was 387,000.
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's coastline stretches almost 50,000 kilometres and is linked by over 10,000 beaches, more than any other country in the world. More than 85 per cent of Australians live within 50 kilometres of the coast, making it an integral part of our laid-back lifestyle.
Australia population is equivalent to 0.33% of the total world population. Australia ranks number 55 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population. The population density in Australia is 3 per Km2 (9 people per mi2). The median age in Australia is 37.5 years.
Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world; 70% of it is either arid or semi arid land. The arid zone is defined as areas which receive an average rainfall of 250mm or less. The semi arid zone is defined as areas which receive an average rainfall between 250-350mm.
Australia's older population
Australia's population is ageing due to increasing life expectancy and declining fertility rates. Both the number of people at the older ages is growing and older people are representing an increasing share of the total population (CEPAR 2021).
As a result, Australians tend to live in the parts of the country that receive the most rainfall. Australia's physical environments and different climate zones play a major role in where Australians choose to live. Places that receive the highest and most reliable rainfall are often the most populated.