Victoria at 7 million

At some point during the first months of 2025, Victoria's population reached 7 million. This milestone seemed to slip under the radar, with almost no reporting in mainstream media. Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia, and in recent years population change has been extremely volatile. Let's have a look at Victoria's path to a population of 7 million.

Twenty years of urban growth and change

Australia is said to be one of the most urbanised countries in the world. The 2021 Census showed that 90% of the population lived in urban areas with more than 1,000 people. This blog looks at the growth of urban areas in Australia over the period 2003-23. What are Australia's largest urban areas? Which ones have grown the most? Read on to found out.

Australia's population reaches 27 million

Well not 27 million exactly, but by the time you read this blog, Australia's population will have easily surpassed this milestone. At Dec 2023, Australia's population was 26.97 million with an annual growth rate of 2.5%. This strong growth was driven by a high level of net overseas migration, comprising 84% of the total growth. Read on to find out more about current demographic trends in Australia.

NSW at 8 million - how did we get here?

In the second half of 2018, the population of NSW reached 8 million - a milestone that was 230 years in the making. Population wise, NSW is Australia's largest state, and it is also the state that was first settled by Europeans. The state capital, Sydney, is a global city which is one of the main gateways for overseas migrants. This blog looks at the history of population growth in NSW from 1788 to 2019.

Population growth in NSW is deceptively strong

In the second half of 2018, the population of NSW surpassed the 8 million mark.  This milestone has been somewhat overlooked in the current discourse around the challenges associated with rapid population growth in Australia.  For the last decade, the population growth rate in NSW has been at or around the national average.  But don't let this fool you - the volume of growth has exceeded 100,000 persons per annum since 2013.  This milestone was only reached twice prior to 2000.  This blog looks beyond the growth rate to examine the dynamics of population change in NSW.

Melbourne versus Sydney - a long standing rivalry

The rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney has a long history.  Everything from the weather to the football is keenly debated.  But one thing remains a fact - Sydney is Australia's largest city, with a 2018 population of 5.23 million.  But has it always been this way, and what of the future?  Read on the find out more.

The young and the old - how age structures differ across NSW

Recently I published a blog that looked at the importance of considering age alongside other social variables in order to give it more context.  This blog will continue the age theme, but look at examples of different age structures across NSW.  The data is sourced from the ABS release Regional Population by age and sex (ABS Cat. no. 3235.0) and as such uses the 2017 ERP (Estimated Resident Population - the official figure) rather than the Census figure.

When will Melbourne reach 5 million people?

Recently The Age published an article claiming that Melbourne's population was about to hit 5 million - specifically on 1 September 2018.  Naturally this intrigued me, and I wondered how this conclusion was reached.  My recent blog on population milestones did not even discuss Melbourne reaching this mark in 2017 or 2018.  The article in The Age was more about the history of Melbourne and did not elaborate on how this was calculated other than to suggest it was on the basis of new estimates from the ABS.  Did Melbourne's population reach 5 million?  Let's have a look at the evidence.

Australian population milestones - the significance of a number

This week the Australian population is set to hit 25 million.  Those of us who are interested in these things have been keeping a close eye on the ABS population clock as it approaches this milestone.  Every one minute and 23 seconds, another person is added to the population.  The ABS estimates that the 25 million milestone will be reached on the 7th August 2018.  In an environment where population has become a hot political topic, a number of other population milestones have been overlooked.  While 25 million people is a significant milestone, it's the dynamics of population change and where people live that inform planning policy.  For this reason, it's worth looking at other population milestones in Australia.

Australia at 25 million - how did we get here?

Happy World Population Day!  On this day when we focus on all things population, why not have a look at the history of Australia's population since 1788.  There's no doubt that Australia is recording strong population growth in the current era, and the ABS estimates that Australia reach a population of 25 million in the coming weeks.  But how did we get here, and when did we reach other population milestones in the past?