Population growth rates in Australia
Australia: Population growth rates was 0.985 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.985
Change on year
up 7.7%
World rank
113th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.19
in 1970
All-time low
0.683
in 2020
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Population growth rates in Australia, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth rates in Australia is 0.985, 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 rates in Australia peaked at 3.19 in 1970 and was at its lowest, 0.683, 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 rates in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.13 | — |
| 1951 | 2.71 | -13.4% |
| 1952 | 2.27 | -16.1% |
| 1953 | 1.98 | -12.9% |
| 1954 | 2.13 | +7.8% |
| 1955 | 2.38 | +11.8% |
| 1956 | 2.33 | -2.4% |
| 1957 | 2.17 | -6.9% |
| 1958 | 2.12 | -2.1% |
| 1959 | 2.15 | +1.2% |
| 1960 | 2.19 | +2.3% |
| 1961 | 2.03 | -7.3% |
| 1962 | 1.87 | -8.2% |
| 1963 | 1.94 | +4.1% |
| 1964 | 1.96 | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 2.12 | +8.2% |
| 1966 | 1.98 | -6.6% |
| 1967 | 1.75 | -11.6% |
| 1968 | 1.93 | +10.4% |
| 1969 | 2.06 | +6.5% |
| 1970 | 3.19 | +55.0% |
| 1971 | 3.04 | -4.6% |
| 1972 | 1.64 | -46.0% |
| 1973 | 1.55 | -5.8% |
| 1974 | 1.4 | -9.3% |
| 1975 | 1.13 | -19.7% |
| 1976 | 1.06 | -5.8% |
| 1977 | 1.16 | +9.1% |
| 1978 | 1.13 | -2.2% |
| 1979 | 1.16 | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 1.41 | +21.0% |
| 1981 | 1.66 | +17.9% |
| 1982 | 1.57 | -5.5% |
| 1983 | 1.34 | -14.6% |
| 1984 | 1.31 | -2.1% |
| 1985 | 1.42 | +8.4% |
| 1986 | 1.51 | +6.2% |
| 1987 | 1.61 | +6.6% |
| 1988 | 1.69 | +5.2% |
| 1989 | 1.6 | -5.6% |
| 1990 | 1.43 | -10.7% |
| 1991 | 1.21 | -15.4% |
| 1992 | 1.04 | -13.8% |
| 1993 | 0.928 | -10.9% |
| 1994 | 1.03 | +11.1% |
| 1995 | 1.17 | +13.3% |
| 1996 | 1.14 | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 1.03 | -9.6% |
| 1998 | 1.09 | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 1.13 | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 1.21 | +7.2% |
| 2001 | 1.21 | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.15 | -5.0% |
| 2003 | 1.12 | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 1.16 | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 1.3 | +12.5% |
| 2006 | 1.59 | +22.5% |
| 2007 | 1.91 | +19.7% |
| 2008 | 2.02 | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 1.8 | -10.9% |
| 2010 | 1.47 | -18.6% |
| 2011 | 1.56 | +6.8% |
| 2012 | 1.72 | +10.2% |
| 2013 | 1.61 | -6.8% |
| 2014 | 1.46 | -9.0% |
| 2015 | 1.5 | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 1.66 | +10.7% |
| 2017 | 1.61 | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 1.51 | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 1.36 | -10.1% |
| 2020 | 0.683 | -49.7% |
| 2021 | 0.961 | +40.7% |
| 2022 | 0.915 | -4.8% |
| 2023 | 0.985 | +7.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 0.985 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.492, 2.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 0.985 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.69, 1.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.34 | 1.98 | 3.13 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.98 | 1.75 | 2.19 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.65 | 1.06 | 3.19 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.51 | 1.31 | 1.69 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.12 | 0.928 | 1.43 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.45 | 1.12 | 2.02 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.55 | 1.36 | 1.72 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.886 | 0.683 | 0.985 | 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)
- Population growth rate 0.503 (2100)
- Population density 5.61 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 2.09 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth rates in Australia?
- Population growth rates in Australia was 0.985 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population growth rates recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.19 in 1970.
- What is the lowest population growth rates recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.683 in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for population growth rates?
- Australia ranks 113th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population growth rates 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Population growth rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).