Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Australia
Australia: Share of children, working-age adults, and older people was 4.77 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4.77 million people
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
73rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.78 million people
in 2021
All-time low
2.18 million people
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share 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 share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Australia is 4.77 million people, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Australia peaked at 4.78 million people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.18 million people, in 1950.
Australia ranks 73rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Australia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.18 million people | — |
| 1951 | 2.28 million people | +5.0% |
| 1952 | 2.38 million people | +4.4% |
| 1953 | 2.48 million people | +4.0% |
| 1954 | 2.57 million people | +3.8% |
| 1955 | 2.67 million people | +3.8% |
| 1956 | 2.77 million people | +3.6% |
| 1957 | 2.86 million people | +3.3% |
| 1958 | 2.95 million people | +3.1% |
| 1959 | 3.03 million people | +2.7% |
| 1960 | 3.11 million people | +2.5% |
| 1961 | 3.17 million people | +2.2% |
| 1962 | 3.22 million people | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 3.27 million people | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 3.32 million people | +1.5% |
| 1965 | 3.37 million people | +1.5% |
| 1966 | 3.42 million people | +1.5% |
| 1967 | 3.46 million people | +1.2% |
| 1968 | 3.50 million people | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 3.55 million people | +1.5% |
| 1970 | 3.63 million people | +2.3% |
| 1971 | 3.73 million people | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 3.79 million people | +1.7% |
| 1973 | 3.82 million people | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 3.82 million people | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 3.82 million people | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 3.79 million people | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 3.77 million people | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 3.75 million people | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 3.73 million people | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 3.72 million people | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 3.73 million people | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 3.75 million people | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 3.75 million people | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 3.75 million people | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 3.73 million people | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 3.72 million people | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 3.71 million people | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 3.72 million people | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 3.74 million people | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 3.77 million people | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 3.80 million people | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 3.83 million people | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 3.85 million people | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 3.87 million people | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 3.90 million people | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 3.92 million people | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 3.93 million people | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 3.94 million people | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 3.96 million people | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 3.97 million people | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 3.98 million people | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 3.99 million people | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 4.00 million people | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 4.00 million people | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 4.01 million people | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 4.03 million people | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 4.07 million people | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 4.13 million people | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 4.18 million people | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 4.22 million people | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 4.27 million people | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 4.33 million people | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 4.40 million people | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 4.46 million people | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 4.53 million people | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 4.60 million people | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 4.66 million people | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 4.71 million people | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 4.76 million people | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 4.78 million people | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 4.78 million people | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 4.78 million people | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 4.77 million people | -0.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 4.77 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 424,895 people, 11.2× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 4.77 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 473,838 people, 10.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.62 million people | 2.18 million people | 3.03 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.34 million people | 3.11 million people | 3.55 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.76 million people | 3.63 million people | 3.82 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.73 million people | 3.71 million people | 3.75 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.88 million people | 3.77 million people | 3.96 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.04 million people | 3.97 million people | 4.18 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.49 million people | 4.22 million people | 4.76 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.78 million people | 4.77 million people | 4.78 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 70 Cambodia 5.25 million people compare
- 71 Sri Lanka 5.14 million people compare
- 72 North Korea 5.01 million people compare
- 74 South Sudan 4.58 million people compare
- 75 Ecuador 4.50 million people compare
- 76 Tajikistan 3.79 million people compare
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 share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Australia?
- Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Australia was 4.77 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.78 million people in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.18 million people in 1950.
- How does Australia rank for share of children, working-age adults, and older people?
- Australia ranks 73rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children, working-age adults, and older people rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Share 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
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-14.