Lyla Lindsey
Victoria, Australia's second most populated state, is projected to have a population of 7.051 million by the end of June 2025. The state, which covers 3% of Australia's land mass, has seen its population grow by 2.38% since 2024. Melbourne, the state capital, is home to more than 6.8 million people, with over 70% of Victorians living in the city. Victoria is known for its cultural diversity, with more than 180 languages and dialects spoken and a religious makeup that includes Catholic, Anglican, Islam, Buddhism, and more.
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What You'll Learn
Population growth and demographics
Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second most populous state in the country, with a population of over 7 million people. The state's capital city, Melbourne, is home to an estimated population of over 6.8 million people, with 75% of the state's population living in the city and its southern suburbs. The greater Melbourne metro area has an estimated population of 4.17 million. Victoria has the highest population density in Australia, with 30.6 people per square kilometre, and its population is spread out across the state, except for the far northwest and the Victorian Alps, which lack permanent settlement.
The population of Victoria has been growing rapidly. In 2011, Victoria's population grew by more than 100,000 in a single year, with net overseas migration reaching a four-year high. Melbourne is currently leading Australia's population growth, adding more than 77,000 people between 2011 and 2012. The Australian Bureau of Statistics predicts that Victoria's population will reach 7.2 million by 2050.
Victoria's population growth can be attributed to its diverse and thriving economy, which is the second largest among Australian states. The state has a rich variety of landscapes, from alpine plateaus in the northeast to sandy deserts in the west, and a range of climates and geographical features. The discovery and exploitation of petroleum and natural gas in the Gippsland Basin and Bass Strait beginning in the 1960s provided a significant boost to Victoria's economy. Today, the state's main industries include healthcare and social assistance, retail trade, manufacturing, construction, education, and tourism.
The population of Victoria is diverse, with people of various ancestries, religions, and languages. The founding Anglo-Celtic population has been supplemented over the years by migrants from southern and eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the Horn of Africa. While around 72% of people in Victoria were born in Australia, this percentage is lower in Melbourne, at 66%. The top five ancestries in Victoria are Australian, English, Irish, Scottish, and Italian. Over two-thirds of Victorians have Australian, English, Scottish, Irish, or Italian ancestry, while under 1% are Aboriginal. The most common countries of birth among those born outside Australia include England, India, China, New Zealand, and Italy.
The religious makeup of Victoria is also varied. The largest religious affiliation is Catholic, at nearly 27%, followed by those with no religious affiliation (24%), Anglican (12.3%), Uniting Church (4.7%), and Eastern Orthodox (4.3%). The percentage of people with no religious affiliation has been increasing over time, rising from 7.3% in 1971 to 32.1% in 2016, and reaching 39.3% in 2021.
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Population density and distribution
Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state in terms of area (after Tasmania) and the second-most populous state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million people. Victoria is the most densely populated state in Australia, with 30.6 people per square kilometre.
The state capital, Melbourne, is the largest city in Victoria and is home to an estimated population of over 6.8 million people, with 75% of the state's population living in the city and its southern metropolitan area. The greater Melbourne metro area accounts for more than 4.17 million people. Melbourne is currently leading Australia's population growth, adding more than 77,000 people between 2011 and 2012 alone. Five of the eight municipalities in Australia with the largest growth were located in Melbourne.
Victoria's population is spread out across the state, with only the far northwest and the Victorian Alps lacking permanent settlement. The state is divided into distinct geographic regions, primarily for economic development, land management, and censusing or electoral purposes. The Victoria State Government has divided the state into five regions covering all parts of the state, excluding Greater Melbourne.
The founding Anglo-Celtic population of Victoria has been supplemented by migrants from southern and eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the Horn of Africa. Around 72% of Victorians were born in Australia, with Melbourne having a lower percentage of Australian-born residents at 66%. Up to 95% of residents in the rural areas in the northwest are Australian-born. The top five ancestries in Victoria are Australian, English, Irish, Scottish, and Italian. Over two-thirds of Victorians have Australian, English, Scottish, Irish, or Italian ancestry, while under 1% are Aboriginal.
The population of Victoria is expected to continue growing, with predictions that it will reach 7.051 million by the end of June 2025 and further estimates stating it will reach 7.2 million by 2050.
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Ancestry and religion
Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, has a population of over 7 million people and the highest population density in the country. The state's capital is Melbourne, and it is bordered by New South Wales to the north and South Australia to the west.
Ancestry
Victoria has a diverse population with a long history of human habitation. Archaeological evidence suggests that the area now known as Victoria was inhabited by Aboriginal Australians as early as 35,000 years ago. The Aboriginal peoples of Victoria traditionally followed a set of spiritual beliefs known as The Dreaming, which continue to shape their culture and customs.
Over time, Victoria has welcomed people from diverse backgrounds, contributing to its multicultural fabric. The gold rush in the 1850s attracted Chinese miners and workers from the Pacific Islands, fostering the growth of Buddhism and other religious traditions in the state.
Religion
Victoria reflects Australia's religious diversity, with a range of religious groups coexisting. According to the 2021 Census, 54.0% of Victorians nominated a religion, while 39.1% stated they had no religion. The largest single religion in Victoria is Western (Roman) Catholicism, with 20.3% of the population adhering to this faith.
Victoria also has a significant Greek Orthodox community, with 2.6% of Victorians identifying with this denomination, which is a larger proportion compared to the rest of Australia (1.5%). In contrast, a smaller percentage of Victorians identify as Anglican (6.5%) compared to the national average of 9.8%.
Buddhism has been growing in Victoria and across Australia. The Quang Minh Temple in Braybrook, Melbourne, is a vibrant example of Buddhist worship and community engagement, serving thousands of people every week.
Sikhism is another fast-growing religion in Victoria, with around 42% of Australia's Sikhs calling the state home. The state's religious landscape also includes smaller groups such as Jainism, with a significant presence in Melbourne and other capital cities.
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Language and culture
Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state in terms of area, but the second-most-populous, with a population of over 7 million people as of 2024. It is also the most densely populated state in Australia, with population centres spread out over most of the state.
Victoria is home to people from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, with 27.6% of people reporting speaking a language other than English at home in the 2021 Census. The state is said to be home to over 300 languages, including Mandarin and Arabic, with the top 10 languages spoken in the state being:
- Mandarin
- Arabic
- Greek
- Vietnamese
- Italian
- Cantonese
- Hindi
- Punjabi
- Spanish
- Tagalog
The state also has a rich Indigenous language history, with 38 languages and 11 language families identified by the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages (VACL). Each language is deeply rooted in a particular location and identifies who the speaker is and where they come from. The 11 language families include eastern Kulin, western Kulin, Gunditjmara, and Gunaikurnai.
The Victorian Aboriginal community has expressed a desire for their children to be bilingual speakers and for the wider community to appreciate and learn their languages. They have developed curriculum and educational resources to achieve this goal.
The state has also seen an increase in the percentage of people identifying as having no religious affiliation, with 39.3% in 2021, up from 32.1% in 2016 and 7.3% in 1971. The median weekly income in Victoria in 2021 was $803 for individuals and $2,136 for families. The average number of people per household in 2021 was 2.5, down from 3.3 in 1971.
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History of settlement
Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state in the country, with a land area of 227,444 square kilometres. Victoria has the highest population density in Australia, with population centres spread out over most of the state. As of 30 June 2024, the state's population was estimated to be 6,978,719, making it the second-most populous state after New South Wales.
The history of Victoria dates back to the ancient times of the Aboriginal peoples who occupied the land for tens of thousands of years. Archaeological sites in Tasmania and on the Bass Strait Islands have been dated to between 20,000 and 35,000 years ago, when sea levels were lower, allowing Aboriginal people to migrate to the region. During the Ice Age, around 20,000 years ago, the area now known as Port Phillip Bay was dry land, and the Yarra and Werribee rivers flowed through the Bassian plain.
The first Europeans settled in Victoria in October 1803. In September 1836, the region became part of the colony of New South Wales, known as the District of Port Phillip. The first successful British settlement was established by the Henty family in Portland on the west coast of Victoria in November 1834. John Pascoe Fawkner and the Port Phillip Association, led by John Batman, initiated the Port Phillip settlement in 1835, which later became Melbourne. The District of Port Phillip was formally established as an administrative division of New South Wales in September 1836, with ill-defined borders.
In July 1851, the District of Port Phillip became its own colony, known as the Colony of Victoria, with its own government within the British Empire. The discovery of gold in Clunes, Buninyong, and Ballarat in the 1850s sparked the Victorian Gold Rush, leading to a significant increase in population and prosperity as immigrants arrived from worldwide. Melbourne became the financial centre of Australia and New Zealand during this period. In 1901, Victoria ceased to be an independent colony and became a state within the Commonwealth of Australia.
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Frequently asked questions
Victoria is the second most populated state in Australia, with an estimated population of 5.71 million to 7 million people.
Victoria is the most densely populated state in Australia, with 23.54 to 25 people per square kilometre.
Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria, has an estimated population of over 4.17 million to 6.8 million people.
Victoria is growing rapidly. In 2011, Victoria’s population grew by more than 100,000, with net overseas migration reaching a four-year high. The Australian Bureau of Statistics predicts Victoria will have a population of 7.2 million by 2050.
