Population trends
Australia’s low population growth increases slightly in the June 2021 quarter
The latest data shows Australia’s population growth increasing slightly in the June 2021 quarter. Glenn analyses the data in relation to COVID-19 and the different drivers of change across the states and territories.
Australia’s birth rate declines to a record low in 2020
A review of the 2020 Australian Births data, breaking down some of the implications of a record low fertility rate and addressing misinterpretations regarding the impact of COVID-19 on these numbers.
Australia’s life expectancy ranks 6th in the world
The latest release of Life Tables shows life expectancy in Australia continues to grow, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Glenn looks at how Australia compares with other countries and revisits his personal life...
Fewer deaths in 2020 despite the pandemic
Glenn takes a look at the recently released ABS death statistics for 2020 – and finds a cheerier tale than you may expect.
Australia’s population growth almost zero
The ABS have now released a full 12 months of COVID-affected population-growth data. Victoria’s population is declining sharply, Queensland is booming. Glenn provides a state-by-state analysis of the...
What’s happening to South Australia’s population?
How are COVID-19 restrictions impacting South Australia’s population growth? In today’s blog, Glenn looks at how the effects of the pandemic relate to South Australia compared to (the more talked about) New...
Queensland drives Australia's population growth while Victoria declines
Part of our ongoing monitoring of new population data, this blog sees Glenn unpack the December 2020 quarter release, focusing on how natural increase, overseas migration and interstate migration combine to...
Telling the local story of migration in the COVID era
With international migration on hold, population pundits are paying close attention to internal migration around Australia. Glenn takes a look at the trends in the latest data and showcases how to tell this...
Exodus from Sydney and Melbourne accelerates in late 2020
In this latest blog in our series on new migration data, Glenn explores the figures from the December 2020 quarter and discusses the emerging trends for people moving around Australia.
How did the first few months of COVID-19 impact population growth in Capital cities and Regional Australia?
The recent release of the Annual Population Estimates for Local Government Areas from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has been an excellent opportunity for our Local Government Population Forecast...
The 50 largest cities in Australia | 2021 update
An updated (pandemic edition) of this blog has been published. See the 2022 table of Australia’s largest cities here.
Population growth slows in 2020 but Perth is the fastest growing LGA
Glenn explores the annual regional population data release from the ABS, telling the story of population growth and decline across Local Government Areas and the impact we’re seeing from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Migration out of Sydney and Melbourne continues in the September quarter
The ABS has released a new quarter’s worth of migration data, giving further insight into how the pandemic is affecting migration patterns around Australia. In today’s blog, Glenn summarises the latest...
COVID-19 pandemic rapidly slowing Australia's population growth
The latest population figures for Australia includes the March–June 2020 quarter, giving us a key insight into how the pandemic is affecting population changes. In this blog, Glenn breaks down the figures from...
Australia’s birth rate falls to the lowest in a century
The ABS has just released the count of births and birth rate for the 2019 calendar year, recording a significant decrease in the nation’s birth rate. In this blog, Glenn explores Australia’s historic birth...
Exodus from Melbourne to the regions during the pandemic
How will the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of working from home affect where people choose to live? Does everyone want a treechange? Have people been moving out of Melbourne during lockdown? The ABS has...
Australia’s population growth turns down even before COVID-19
In the latest population figures from the ABS, we see national population growth trending slightly downward. As these figures are for the quarter ending December 2019, they pre-date the impacts of COVID-19 in...
Chart: what happens to statistics when you close the borders
Last week, the ABS unsentimentally released this month’s Overseas arrivals and departures figures, revealing the full extent of one of the most significant demographic events to hit Australia in a generation: a...
Working from home – the new reality, or business as usual?
In this article, Glenn takes a look at the much-discussed phenomenon of working from home. While COVID-19’s long-term impact on our working lives is yet to be seen, the 2016 Census provides an important...
The 50 largest cities and towns in Australia, by population | 2020 update
In this 2020 update of the most popular series of blogs on our website, Glenn goes through the largest urban centres in Australia and provides a population update to June 2019.
Migration within Australia – strongest out of Sydney
This is the third blog on the Regional Population Growth 2018-19, which was released in late March by the ABS. This publication looks at population in June 2019, and is the main source of population updates for...
