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'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.
95% of Australia has only as much population as can be supported by cattle grazing in very dry terrain. The coastal strips with useful rainfall constitute very roughly 5% of the Australian landmass and contain something like 95% of its population.
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.
Natural increase (number of births minus number of deaths) contributed to almost half of population growth, decreasing from 139,000 people in 1991–92 to 124,000 people in 2021–22: Fertility rates have declined, from 1.86 babies per woman in 1991–92 to 1.69 in 2021–22.
A reduction over time in a region's population can be caused by sudden adverse events such as outbursts of infectious disease, famine, and war or by long-term trends, for example, sub-replacement fertility, persistently low birth rates, high mortality rates, and continued emigration.
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.
More than 90 percent of Australia's population lives within 100km of the coast. The whole state of Tasmania currently comprises 200,000 households.
This puts us on a trajectory to almost double our current population of just over 25 million to at least 40 million people by 2050 — just over 30 years away. Melbourne and Sydney will also double in size to mega cities of around eight million each. The infrastructure costs alone are staggering.
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.
Population, society and the economy
Australia's population will increase by 50-100% by 2050. The proportion of the population living in the north and west is projected to increase at the expense of smaller southern states. Median age will increase from the 36.8 years of 2007 to between 41.9 and 45.2 years.
Three major economic centres are set to become uninhabitable by the end of the century, with global temperatures on track to warm by 2.7C. Darwin, Broome and Port Hedland are predicted to be pushed outside the “human climate niche” — that is, the temperature and humidity conditions in which humans can survive.
CANBERRA (Reuters) - More than 40 percent of Australia, an area the size of India, remains untouched by humans, making the country as critical to the world's environment as the Amazon rainforests, a study said on Wednesday.
“Australia's population was at a near standstill through the September quarter of 2021, growing by under 0.1 per cent (12,100 people) to 25.8 million, an annual increase of 68,900 people,” Ms Cho said.
If this rate of growth is restored after the pandemic, Australia will exceed 40 million by 2050 and 100 million before 2100.
With a total population of around 22 million people, Australia is a busy place. Who are all these people? Well, Australia has a unique ethnic distribution. About 85–90% of the population identifies as ethnically white (meaning of European ancestry), but this is actually a compilation of several ethnic categories.
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.
For starters, mainland Australia is the world's largest island that also tops as a continent. In fact, Australia is considered the 2nd driest continent after Antarctica. The busy Sydney harbour or the skyline of metropolitan Melbourne make it seem unbelievable that nearly 40% of Australia's land is uninhabitable.
Australia's population grew at fastest rate since 2008 amid post-Covid migration boom. Australia's population grew at its fastest rate in more than 13 years in 2022, in part due to a post-pandemic migration boom.
Most of Australia's 19 million people live near the coast, because the inner parts are made up of deserts. 80% of the country's population live in the south-eastern part of the country. Here you can also find the big cities like Sydney and Melbourne, or the capital Canberra.
In the last 100 years, the life expectancy of Australians has increased by 20 years. Now Australia has 3700 people aged over 100. By 2050, Australia will have over 50,000 people aged 100 and over. For seniors, this means more years of being active and being a valuable part of the community.
Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. As at 30 June 2021 there were 984,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, representing 3.8% of the total Australian population.
Meanwhile, collaborative database Expatistan estimates the current cost of living in Australia is roughly $3,828 per month for a single person or $7,134 per month for a family of four, just for the bare essentials.
The Australian Academy of Science has recommended that 23 million people would be a safe upper limit for Australia.
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.