Population growth rate in Australia
Australia: Population growth rate was 1.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.0%
Change on year
up 7.7%
World rank
113th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.2%
in 1970
All-time low
0.7%
in 2020
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Population growth rate in Australia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth rate in Australia is 1.0%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 7.7% on the previous year and down 38.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth rate in Australia peaked at 3.2% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2020.
That places Australia 113th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Population growth rate in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.1% | — |
| 1951 | 2.7% | -13.4% |
| 1952 | 2.3% | -16.1% |
| 1953 | 2.0% | -12.9% |
| 1954 | 2.1% | +7.8% |
| 1955 | 2.4% | +11.8% |
| 1956 | 2.3% | -2.4% |
| 1957 | 2.2% | -6.9% |
| 1958 | 2.1% | -2.1% |
| 1959 | 2.1% | +1.2% |
| 1960 | 2.2% | +2.3% |
| 1961 | 2.0% | -7.3% |
| 1962 | 1.9% | -8.2% |
| 1963 | 1.9% | +4.1% |
| 1964 | 2.0% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 2.1% | +8.2% |
| 1966 | 2.0% | -6.6% |
| 1967 | 1.8% | -11.6% |
| 1968 | 1.9% | +10.4% |
| 1969 | 2.1% | +6.5% |
| 1970 | 3.2% | +55.0% |
| 1971 | 3.0% | -4.6% |
| 1972 | 1.6% | -46.0% |
| 1973 | 1.5% | -5.8% |
| 1974 | 1.4% | -9.3% |
| 1975 | 1.1% | -19.7% |
| 1976 | 1.1% | -5.8% |
| 1977 | 1.2% | +9.1% |
| 1978 | 1.1% | -2.2% |
| 1979 | 1.2% | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 1.4% | +21.0% |
| 1981 | 1.7% | +17.9% |
| 1982 | 1.6% | -5.5% |
| 1983 | 1.3% | -14.6% |
| 1984 | 1.3% | -2.1% |
| 1985 | 1.4% | +8.4% |
| 1986 | 1.5% | +6.2% |
| 1987 | 1.6% | +6.6% |
| 1988 | 1.7% | +5.2% |
| 1989 | 1.6% | -5.6% |
| 1990 | 1.4% | -10.7% |
| 1991 | 1.2% | -15.4% |
| 1992 | 1.0% | -13.8% |
| 1993 | 0.9% | -10.9% |
| 1994 | 1.0% | +11.1% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | +13.3% |
| 1996 | 1.1% | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 1.0% | -9.6% |
| 1998 | 1.1% | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 1.1% | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 1.2% | +7.2% |
| 2001 | 1.2% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | -5.0% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 1.2% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | +12.5% |
| 2006 | 1.6% | +22.5% |
| 2007 | 1.9% | +19.7% |
| 2008 | 2.0% | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | -10.9% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | -18.6% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | +6.8% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | +10.2% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | -6.8% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | -9.0% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | +10.7% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 1.4% | -10.1% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | -49.7% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | +40.7% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | -4.8% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | +7.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%, 2.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.7%, 1.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.6% | 1.1% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.4% | 1.1% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More population data for Australia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.5755 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2553 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 32,193 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8589 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.2773 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.5% (2100)
- Population density 5.61 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 2.09 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth rate in Australia?
- Population growth rate in Australia was 1.0% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population growth rate recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.2% in 1970.
- What is the lowest population growth rate recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for population growth rate?
- Australia ranks 113th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population growth rate rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population growth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Annual rate at which the population is growing, expressed as a percentage.