By - glenn the census expert
Western Australia the fastest growing state in 2023-24
Australia's population is still growing strongly, but the growth rate is definitely falling from the heights we saw in the 2022-23 year. Western Australia saw the most growth over 2023-24, while other states continued the reversion to...
Australia's birth rate falls to an all-time low
A recent data release from the ABS shows Australia's birth rate reached it's lowest recorded level in 2023. Glenn Capuano looks at the stories behind the headline. How do birth rates vary across the states and...
Australia's death rate falls to an all time low
According to data just released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there were 183,131 deaths registered in Australia in 2023. The leading cause of death was heart disease – just ahead of dementia, which is...
Australia's population hits 27 million, migration slows slightly
Australia's population has passed 27 million, as of March 2024, while the rate of population growth due to overseas migration has slowed slightly in the latest quarter of data. Demographer Glenn Capuano breaks...
What is Australia's largest suburb?
Which suburb is Australia's most populous? A recent question from one of our Local Government clients prompted this piece on our most populated suburbs and the pitfalls of looking at numbers without context....
Australia's population growth hits another record but may be slowing
Population figures to December 2023 show another record growth, but include signs that Australia's recent unprecedented growth may be slowing. Glenn breaks down the latest trends for growth across the states...
Australia's migration boom: where are our new migrants coming from?
Australia is a nation of migrants, and migration has boomed since the end of COVID border restrictions. Where are our new migrants coming from? Glenn Capuano breaks down how our migration "source countries" are...
Inner city areas of Australia are booming – regional population growth 2022-23 update
A return to the cities? The latest population figures from the ABS allows us to see how the record growth we know happened in 2022–23 at State and National levels was spread around the country at the LGA level....
Migration drives Australia’s record 2022–23 population growth
The latest population growth figures from the ABS completes the financial year picture for 2022–23, showing record population growth. Strong overseas migration remains the key driver for the nation, with...
Australia’s life expectancy falls slightly due to COVID
The latest Australian life expectancy dataset has recently been released for the 2020–2022 period. Demographer Glenn Capuano unpacks the impact of COVID-19, lays out how life expectancy varies across Australia,...
Australia’s birth rate falls in 2022
New data from the ABS shows Australia’s birth rate at a near-record low, continuing a decades-long trend. Demographer Glenn Capuano explains the history of Australia’s birth rate, how the story differs...
Who are Australia’s carers?
A question on “Unpaid care to a person with a disability, health condition or due to old age” has been included on each Census since 2006. This article looks at how many people provide unpaid care within the...
Australia’s population growth hits a new record high in the March quarter 2023
The latest figures on Australia’s population growth are out, and overseas migration remains the main driver. Glenn Capuano breaks down the latest population story for the nation, comparing the different drivers...
ABS opens second phase of 2026 Census topic consultation
The ABS is consulting on the topics to be included in the 2026 Census. Initial submissions are in, and there is now a list of suggested topics and changes for which the ABS is seeking feedback. Census expert...
Australia’s population booms again with post-COVID migration surge
In 2022, Australia’s population grew by record numbers – our largest ever recorded increase a calendar year. This was driven largely by a surge in international migration. Glenn breaks down the story by state...
The top 50 largest cities and towns in Australia, 2022 edition
Demographer Glenn Capuano provides the latest update to the top 50 cities and towns in Australia.
Advantage and disadvantage across Australia: SEIFA 2021
Where are the most advantaged and disadvantaged areas in Australia? Census expert Glenn Capuano explains the SEIFA indexes and explores the results of the recently released 2021 update.
Has Melbourne overtaken Sydney to become Australia’s largest city?
Has Melbourne’s population really overtaken Sydney’s? With the latest Regional Population dataset from the ABS just out, Glenn digs into the detail behind the headlines. Hint: it’s all about how you define a...
Regional population growing at the same rate as capital cities
A new data release from the ABS gives us insight into how population is changing in small areas across Australia. This post includes an interactive map of population growth and decline for all local government...
Rate of homelessness falls during the pandemic, but not everywhere
Newly released Census 2021 data shows the overall rate of homelessness in Australia has fallen since 2016. But this is by no means the end of the story; as is always the case with these sorts of trends, the...
Have your say on the topics included in the 2026 Census
The Census never sleeps. While there is still some information yet to be released from the 2021 Census, the ABS is already well under way preparing for the next Census in 2026, including taking submissions on...
