Number of children, working-age adults, and older people in Australia
Australia: Number of children, working-age adults, and older people was 4.59 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Number of children, working-age adults, and older people in Australia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of children, working-age adults, and older people in Australia is 4.59 million people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 37.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of children, working-age adults, and older people in Australia peaked at 4.59 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 667,290 people, in 1950.
That places Australia 29th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 761,803 people | 667,290 people | 857,957 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 956,252 people | 876,360 people | 1.03 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.20 million people | 1.05 million people | 1.37 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.61 million people | 1.41 million people | 1.84 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.11 million people | 1.89 million people | 2.32 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.60 million people | 2.36 million people | 2.90 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.51 million people | 2.99 million people | 4.06 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.40 million people | 4.20 million people | 4.59 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More population data for Australia
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.5% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 2.09 million people (2100)
- Population density 5.61 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.5% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.48 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 29,511 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.48 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.48 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 0.5% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.64 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of children, working-age adults, and older people in Australia?
- Number of children, working-age adults, and older people in Australia was 4.59 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.59 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest number of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 667,290 people in 1950.
- How does Australia rank for number of children, working-age adults, and older people?
- Australia ranks 29th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of children, working-age adults, and older people rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Number of children, working-age adults, and older people. 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).
About this data
The total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 65+.