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Australia is a country with a unique demographic makeup. With a population of over 25 million people, it is considered both underpopulated and overpopulated by different observers. Australia's population is heavily concentrated along the coastlines, with five cities, including their suburbs, home to over a million people each. The country has experienced significant population growth, doubling to 27.4 million in the last 50 years, and its immigrant population accounts for 30% of its total population, the eighth-highest proportion globally. However, the vast interior regions of the country are sparsely populated, with large swaths of land used for cattle ranching and mining. This contrast between densely populated coastal cities and sparsely populated interior regions fuels the debate about whether Australia is underpopulated or overpopulated.
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What You'll Learn
Australia's population growth
The population growth rate is low, however, due to low birth and death rates. The fertility rate is 2.17 births per woman for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, and below 2.1 for the general population, which leads to an aging population and a decreasing population.
Australia's population is concentrated along the coastlines and in cities, with five cities consisting of over one million people. The interior of the country is sparsely populated, with large cattle ranches and mines. Some argue that the country is mostly uninhabitable due to its desert climate, the difficulty and expense of accessing the country, and the lack of water and soil needed for human habitation and agriculture.
The high population growth has had negative social and economic impacts. There is increased pressure on finite resources, and the degradation of the natural environment has led to declining real household incomes and increased food insecurity. The demand for housing has also pushed housing costs beyond what most can afford.
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Indigenous Australians
Australia's Indigenous population, comprising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, numbers around 984,000, or 3.8% of the total population. This figure may be an undercount, and estimates of the Indigenous population prior to European settlement range from 318,000 to over 3,000,000. Today, the Indigenous population is relatively young, with a median age of 24.0 years, and a third of Indigenous Australians are under 15 years old. This is in contrast to the non-Indigenous population, where only 17.9% are under 15.
In conclusion, while Australia as a whole may be considered underpopulated in terms of space, with some arguing that the country could support a larger population with its current land area and food output, it is important to acknowledge that Indigenous Australians have historically been and continue to be underrepresented and disproportionately affected by population growth and associated issues such as environmental degradation and increased cost of living.
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Immigration
Australia's population has grown significantly since British colonisation in 1788, due to several waves of immigration. Between 1788 and the Second World War, most immigrants came from the British Isles, though there was also significant immigration from China and Germany during the 19th century. Following the war, Australia experienced a large wave of immigration from across Europe, particularly Southern and Eastern Europe. Since the end of the White Australia policy in 1973, Australia has pursued an official policy of multiculturalism, and there has been a large and continuous wave of immigration from around the world, with Asia being the largest source of immigrants in the 21st century.
In recent years, Australia's population growth rate has been a cause for concern for many Australians, with some considering it too high. Sustainable Population Australia (SPA) has called on the federal government to reduce immigration to curb population growth. Australia's population grew by nearly half a million (496,800 or 1.9%) in the year ending December 31, 2022, with more than half of this growth (around 60%) attributed to 'net overseas migration'. Polls indicate that over two-thirds of Australians do not want further population growth and that 69% favour a lower immigration rate.
The high population growth rate has put pressure on infrastructure, with Western Australia experiencing the highest growth of 2.3%, leading to a predicted shortfall of 25,200 dwellings in Perth by 2027. There are also concerns about access to resources, with some commenting on the need to conserve water and the impact of population growth on food production, housing, and traffic congestion.
However, others argue that Australia is underpopulated when considering the country's land area and food output capacity. They suggest that the issue is not the population size but the concentration of people in capital cities, resulting in a perceived overpopulation in urban areas. This perspective advocates for a redistribution of the population by encouraging people to move to regional cities and towns while also investing in infrastructure development.
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Natural resources
Australia is rich in natural resources, with large reserves of natural gas, oil, gold, uranium, and metal ores. These resources have attracted migrant workers to support their extraction and exploitation. However, there are concerns about the country's ecological limits and the degradation of its natural environment.
Australia has a vast land area and a relatively small population, with a population density of less than 3 people per square kilometre, which is the lowest among sizeable countries. Despite this, Australia's population has been steadily growing, doubling to 27.4 million in the past 50 years and adding 8.3 million since 2000. This growth has led to concerns about the country's ecological limits and environmental sustainability.
The country faces challenges in terms of infrastructure and natural resources, particularly water and arable land. While Australia has more resources than it uses, leading to a high GDP per capita, there are concerns about the depletion of resources and environmental degradation. For example, there has been a significant denuding of forests in Australia, and the country has a record of steady environmental decline over the past 100 years.
To address these issues, some organisations, such as Sustainable Population Australia (SPA), have called for policies that consider the ecological limits to growth. SPA has suggested capping annual net migration to maintain a population below 30 million and limit further environmental degradation.
In summary, while Australia has abundant natural resources, the country faces challenges due to its growing population and the impact on its infrastructure and natural environment. There are concerns about the depletion of resources and ecological limits, leading to calls for sensible public policies to ensure sustainable growth and protect the country's natural resources for the future.
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Housing costs
Australia's housing market is in a state of crisis, with demand from rapid population growth pushing housing costs beyond the reach of many. This has been exacerbated by the unsuitability of planning laws, which has slowed the release of shovel-ready land and increased housing densities in existing suburbs. Since the early 2000s, Australia's population growth has accelerated, but homebuilding rates have not kept up, further contributing to the housing shortage.
The high cost of housing in Australia is a significant issue, with prices much higher than they were pre-pandemic. This has made it challenging for aspiring first-time buyers to get on the property ladder, with 90% unable to purchase a property. The financial sector deregulation in the 1980s and the low-interest-rate environment of the early 1990s also played a role in increasing household access to finance, impacting the housing market.
Rapid population expansion in urban areas has had a notable impact on housing costs, creating challenges for housing affordability. However, the relationship between population growth and housing costs is complex, and various factors come into play, such as location-specific attributes and measurement errors. Nevertheless, research indicates that housing costs tend to increase at a faster rate than population growth, putting pressure on households, especially those with lower incomes, who allocate a larger proportion of their earnings to housing.
To address the housing crisis, experts suggest that planning laws need to be more flexible to accelerate the release of land for development and increase housing densities in existing urban areas. Additionally, capping annual net migration to ensure Australia's population remains below 30 million could help alleviate the strain on housing demand and improve housing affordability.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia has been described as underpopulated due to the large empty spots in the centre of the country. However, this is because there is a lack of infrastructure to support the quality of life desired by most people. Australia has the world's eighth-largest immigrant population, with immigrants accounting for 28.2% to 30% of the population.
Australia's population has doubled to 27.4 million over the past 50 years, with 8.3 million or 43% of that growth occurring since 2000. This has led to a degradation of the natural environment, with social and economic impacts. For example, household incomes are in decline, and housing costs have increased beyond the price that most can afford.
Australia has low birth and death rates, leading to a low natural increase. The fertility rate is 2.17 births per Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman, and 1.67 births per non-Indigenous woman.
Australia has a very low unemployment rate.
