Overview
- The Australian Bureau of Statistics population clock registered 28 million around 6am on Tuesday, using growth-rate assumptions set on 1 July 2025 and estimating one person added roughly every 75 seconds.
- Recent gains have been driven mainly by net overseas migration rather than births, with migration accounting for about three quarters of growth in the year to September 2025 and natural increase contributing roughly one third of that amount.
- Net overseas migration fell from 429,000 in 2023–24 to 306,000 in 2024–25 as federal immigration settings tightened and temporary arrivals such as students and visitors declined.
- States are growing unevenly: Western Australia led growth at about 2.2 percent from September 2024 to September 2025 while Tasmania grew only about 0.3 percent, and the ABS estimates the national average age near 39.7 in 2026.
- Projections show slower annual growth ahead with record-low fertility forecasts and lower migration scenarios that put 30 million around 2031, and the August 2026 census will provide an updated, more precise population count.