Ruqayyah Snyder
Australia has a population of around 23 million people, with approximately 600,000 identifying as Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders. The population has quadrupled since World War I, largely due to immigration, with 30% of the population, or 7,529,570 people, born overseas as of 2019. The country's population is most dense in coastal areas, with the five cities of over one million people all located on the coast. Indigenous Australians are more spread out across the country, while non-indigenous Australians tend to live in coastal cities, which offer better services and job opportunities.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Total population | 23 million |
| Indigenous population | 600,000 (2.6%) |
| Born overseas | 7,529,570 (30%) |
| Languages spoken at home | English (72%), Mandarin Chinese (2.7%), Arabic (1.4%), Vietnamese (1.3%), Cantonese (1.2%) |
| Population density | Highest in coastal cities |
| Most populated cities | Darwin, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Canberra |
| Indigenous population by state | New South Wales (208,476), Queensland (188,954), Northern Territory (61,115) |
| Outer Regional Australia population | 2.4 million (8.8%) |
| Remote areas | Western Australia, Northern Territory, inland Queensland |
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Population density
Australia has a total population of around 23 million people, with approximately 600,000 identifying as Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders. The population density varies across the country, with the majority of people living in coastal areas and cities. The coastal cities of Australia are the most densely populated areas, with around 72% of the population living in cities. The cities with the highest populations are located in these coastal regions.
The distribution of the indigenous population differs from that of non-indigenous Australians. Indigenous Australians are spread across the country, with some living in more isolated inland areas and others in cities. In contrast, non-indigenous Australians are more concentrated in the coastal cities. This pattern is influenced by factors such as accessibility, climate, and the availability of services and job opportunities, which make coastal cities attractive to migrants and residents alike.
The Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia Plus (ARIA+) provides an objective measure of geographic remoteness. It uses road distances from populated locations to service centres, with population as a proxy for service availability. According to ARIA+, Outer Regional Australia, which accounts for 8.8% of the population, has lower population density and is farther away from major cities. Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and inland areas of Queensland are characterised by very remote and remote areas, with small patches of higher population density.
Tasmania, on the other hand, is mostly yellow on the ARIA+ map, indicating inner regional areas with higher population density. The east coast of Australia is home to a significant proportion of the indigenous population, with New South Wales and Queensland accounting for almost 60% of indigenous residents in the country. The Northern Territory has the highest percentage of indigenous residents, making up 26.3% of its total population.
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Indigenous Australians
The Aboriginal Australians have lived on the continent of Australia for tens of thousands of years, through its various changes in landmass. When sea levels were lower, Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea were part of the same landmass, known as Sahul. As sea levels rose, the Aboriginal people on the Australian mainland and nearby islands became increasingly isolated. Over time, the ancient people expanded and differentiated into distinct groups, each with its own language and culture. More than 400 distinct Australian Aboriginal peoples have been identified, distinguished by names designating their ancestral languages, dialects, or distinctive speech patterns.
In the 2021 census, 812,728 people self-identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin, representing 3.2% of the total population of Australia. Of these Indigenous Australians, 91.4% identified as Aboriginal, 4.2% identified as Torres Strait Islander, and 4.4% identified with both groups. Three-quarters (74.5%) of Indigenous Australians lived in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia combined. Almost two-thirds of Aboriginal people live in Australia's eastern states, with the majority living in New South Wales and Queensland.
The Indigenous Regions (IREGs) that had the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population were: Central and North Coast, New South Wales (116,100 people). Over a third of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population (333,900 people) lived in these three Regions. The WA ILOCs with the largest number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2021 were: Kalgoorlie (2,228 people) and Rockingham (3,579 people). The WA IAREs with the highest proportion of people who identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander in 2021 were: Fitzroy River (92.6% people) and Warburton (84.3% people).
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Immigration
Australia has the world's eighth-largest immigrant population, with immigrants making up 30% of the total population—a higher proportion than in any other nation with a population over 10 million. This is largely due to the country's immigration policies, which have encouraged people from all over the world to make Australia their home.
European colonisation began in 1788 with the establishment of a British penal colony in New South Wales. From 1788 until the mid-20th century, most settlers and immigrants came from Britain and Ireland, particularly England, Ireland, and Scotland. During the 19th century, there was also significant immigration from China and Germany. The Gold Rush era, which began in 1851, led to a large influx of British and Irish settlers, followed by smaller numbers of Germans, other Europeans, and Chinese. However, due to increasing restrictions and discrimination, many Chinese immigrants were forced to leave the country.
Starting in 1901, Australia implemented the White Australia policy, which forbade the entrance of people of non-European ethnic origins. This policy was gradually relaxed after World War II and was abolished in 1973. Since then, Australia has pursued an official policy of multiculturalism, and the country has seen 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 has continued to be a desirable destination for immigrants, with net overseas migration reaching a record level of 536,000 in 2022-23. The largest components of immigration are skilled migration and family reunion programs. A significant proportion of first- and second-generation immigrants are bilingual, with English being the primary language spoken at home, followed by Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese, and Cantonese.
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Language
Australia's population has quadrupled since the end of World War I, with much of this increase due to immigration. In 2019, 30% of the population, or 7,529,570 people, were born overseas. Australia has the world's eighth-largest immigrant population, with immigrants accounting for 30% of the population, a higher proportion than in any other nation with a population of over 10 million.
English is the de facto national language of Australia, with a distinctive Australian accent and lexicon. It is spoken by almost all Australians, although it has no official legal status. In 2021, 72% of the population spoke only English at home. English was introduced to Australia upon British settlement in 1788 and gradually overtook Indigenous languages to become the majority language.
There are hundreds of Indigenous languages in Australia, with over 250 thought to have existed at the time of first European contact. Today, around 120-170 Indigenous languages and dialects are spoken, but many are endangered. Only around 50,000 Aboriginal people may have some knowledge of an Indigenous language. The most widely spoken Indigenous languages include Kriol and Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole).
The increase in Australia's migrant population has seen a decline in the number of people speaking only English at home. In 2021, 5.8 million people used a language other than English at home. The most common of these languages were Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Punjabi, Greek, Italian, and Hindi.
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Population by state
Australia is divided into six federated states: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. The country also has ten federal territories, three of which are internal territories: the Australian Capital Territory, the Jervis Bay Territory, and the Northern Territory. The remaining seven are external territories, including the Australian Antarctic Territory and Norfolk Island.
New South Wales is the biggest state in Australia by population, accounting for about 32% of the country's population. The state is home to Sydney, the country's most populous city, housing around 20% of Australia's total population. Queensland is the third-largest state by population, accounting for about 9% of the country's total population. Brisbane, the state capital, is the third-largest city in Australia. Victoria is home to Melbourne, the country's second-largest city, which accounts for about 17% of the country's population.
Western Australia had the fastest growth rate in 2024, at 2.4%, while Tasmania had the slowest rate at 0.3%. Based on population projections, Western Australia is expected to almost double its population by 2040, while Victoria's population is expected to increase by 51%. New South Wales' population is projected to increase by 35%, reaching about 9.9 million people.
Most of Australia's population lives close to coastlines, and the Indigenous population predominantly resides on the east coast. Australia has the world's eighth-largest immigrant population, with immigrants accounting for 30% of the total population.
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Frequently asked questions
Most people in Australia live in coastal cities, with around 60% of Indigenous Australians living in New South Wales and Queensland. The cities with the highest populations are all in coastal areas.
Australia has a total population of around 23 million people. Approximately 600,000 of these people are Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders.
The cities with the highest population in Australia are Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Canberra, and Darwin.
