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Australia’s population hits 24 million

Australia’s population hits 24 million

Georgia Allan 15 Feb, 2016

Australia’s population is estimated to reach 24 million at 12:50am (AEDT) tomorrow (16 February 2016)! The ABS population clock is based on assumptions from historical demographic indicators. The current assumptions are:

  • one birth every 1 minute and 44 seconds,
  • one death every 3 minutes and 24 seconds,
  • a net gain of one international migration every 2 minutes and 39 seconds, leading to
  • an overall total population increase of one person every 1 minute and 31 seconds.

.id would like to welcome the person that tips us over to 24 million, whether they are a new baby or international migrant.

In thinking about the population reaching 24 million, I was wondering how quickly each additional million has been added. Here is a quick table of the year in which each million was reached.

  Year No. of years/million
1 million 1858 70 (from settlement in 1788)
2 million 1877 19
3 million 1889 12
4 million 1905 16
5 million 1918 13
6 million 1925 7
7 million 1939 14
8 million 1949 10
9 million 1954 5
10 million 1959 5
11 million 1963 4
12 million 1968 5
13 million 1971 3
14 million 1976 5
15 million 1981 5
16 million 1986 5
17 million 1990 4
18 million 1995 5
19 million 2000 5
20 million 2004 4
21 million 2007 3
22 million 2010 3
23 million 2013 3
24 million 2016 3

Here’s an animation the ABS made to celebrate this milestone: 24 Million Milestone Video (ABS)

And 25 million? See you back here on January 3, 2019 (based on current assumptions).

Georgia Allan

Georgia completed a Masters in Population Studies and Demography at Flinders University in Adelaide. At .id, Georgia is a consultant in .id's housing team. She was heavily involved in the creation and continued development of housing.id, the online tool developed to give councils an accessible evidence base for planning and advocacy. Georgia has prepared housing demand and supply analysis for a range of councils, including those in inner-city, middle ring, growth and peri-urban areas. When not in the office, she is likely to be cooking, knitting, crocheting, or buried in a good book.

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