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Demographics of  Australia
Indicator	Rank	Measure
Population
Population	53rd	25,200,000[1]
Economy
GDP (PPP) per capita	19th	$63,699
GDP	12th	$1.56 trillion
Unemployment rate	↓ 57th	5.80%[2]
CO2 emissions	11th	18.3 t†
Electricity consumption	17th	213.5 TWh
Economic freedom	3rd	82.5
Politics
Human Development Index	3rd	0.939
Political freedom	1st (equal)*	1
Corruption (A higher score means less (perceived) corruption.)	11th	80
Press freedom	18th	5.38
Society
Literacy rate	21st	99%
Broadband uptake	17th	13.8%
Beer consumption	20th[3]	4.49 L†
Health
Life expectancy	4th	81.2
Birth rate	148th	13.8‡
Fertility rate	137th	1.969††
Infant mortality	202nd	4.57‡‡
Death rate	122nd	7.56‡
Suicide rate	50th	♂ 14.9†‡ ♀ 4.4†‡
HIV/AIDS rate	108th	0.10%
Notes
↓ indicates rank is in reverse order (e.g. 1st is lowest) † per capita ‡ per 1000 people †† per woman ‡‡ per 1000 live births †‡ per 100,000 people per year ♂ indicates males, ♀ indicates females

The demography of Australia covers basic statistics, most populous cities, ethnicity and religion. The population of Australia is estimated to be 25,200,000 as of 27 December 2018.^[1] Australia is the 52nd most populous country in the world and the most populous Oceanian country. Its population is concentrated mainly in urban areas and is expected to exceed 28 million by 2030.^[4]

Australia's population has grown from an estimated population of between 300,000 and 1,000,000 at the time of British settlement in 1788 due to numerous waves of immigration during the period since. Also due to immigration from other continents, the European component's share of the population is declining as a percentage.

Australia has an average population density of 3.3 persons per square kilometre of total land area, which makes it is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. This is generally attributed to the semi-arid and desert geography of much of the interior of the country. Another factor is urbanisation, with 89% of its population living in a handful of urban areas, Australia is one of the world's most urbanised countries.^[5] The life expectancy of Australia in 1999–2001 was 79.7 years, among the highest in the world.

It is estimated that around 70% of the population is of European ancestry and descent.^[6] Australia generally doesn't collect data on race and ethnicity, with the exception of Australian Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders.

Indigenous population

The earliest accepted timeline for the first arrivals of indigenous Australians to the continent of Australia places this human migration to at least 40,000 years ago.^[7]

These first inhabitants of Australia were originally hunter-gatherers, who over the course of many succeeding generations diversified widely throughout the continent and its nearby islands. Although their technical culture remained static—depending on wood, bone, and stone tools and weapons—their spiritual and social life was highly complex. Most spoke several languages, and confederacies sometimes linked widely scattered tribal groups. Aboriginal population density ranged from approximately one person per 3 km² (1 sq mi) along the coasts to one person per 90 km² (35 sq mi) in the arid interior. Food procurement was usually a matter for the nuclear family, requiring an estimated 3 days of work per week. There was little large game, and outside of some communities in the more fertile south-east, they had no agriculture.

Dutch navigators landed on the coasts of modern Western Australia and Queensland several times during the 17th century. Captain James Cook wrote that he claimed the east coast for Great Britain in 1770 while standing on Possession Island off the west coast of Cape York Peninsula. The west coast was later settled by Britain also. At that time, the indigenous population was estimated to have been between 315,000 and 750,000,^[8] divided into many tribes speaking many different languages. In the 2011 census, 495,757 respondents declared they were Aboriginal, 31,407 declared they were Torres Strait Islander, and a further 21,206 declared they were both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.^[9]

Since the end of World War II, efforts have been made both by the government and by the public to be more responsive to Aboriginal rights and needs.

Today, most of Australia's Indigenous population live on the east coast of Australia, where almost 60% of Indigenous Australians live in New South Wales (208,476) and Queensland (188,954) which roughly represents 2–5% of those state's populations. The Northern Territory has an Indigenous population of almost 70,000 and represents about 30% of the total Northern Territory population.

Cities

Australia contains five cities that consist of over one million people. Most of Australia's population live close to coastlines.^[10]

v t e Largest populated areas in Australia 2016 data from Australian Bureau of Statistics[11][12]
	Rank	Name	State	Pop.	Rank	Name	State	Pop.
Sydney Melbourne	1	Sydney	NSW	5,131,326	11	Hobart	Tas	224,462	Brisbane Perth
	2	Melbourne	Vic	4,850,740	12	Geelong	Vic	192,393
	3	Brisbane	Qld	2,408,223	13	Townsville	Qld	178,864
	4	Perth	WA	2,043,138	14	Cairns	Qld	150,041
	5	Adelaide	SA	1,333,927	15	Darwin	NT	145,916
	6	Gold Coast–Tweed Heads	Qld/NSW	646,983	16	Toowoomba	Qld	114,024
	7	Newcastle–Maitland	NSW	436,171	17	Ballarat	Vic	101,588
	8	Canberra–Queanbeyan	ACT/NSW	435,019	18	Bendigo	Vic	95,587
	9	Sunshine Coast	Qld	317,404	19	Albury-Wodonga	NSW/Vic	90,576
	10	Wollongong	NSW	295,669	20	Launceston	Tas	86,335

Population density

The population density in Australia was last reported as 2.91/km² (7.5/sq mi). The density was 2.8/km² (7.3/sq mi) in 2008 and 2.86/km² (7.4/sq mi) in 2009. That made Australia the 3rd least densely populated country in the world, after Namibia and Mongolia.

Life expectancy at birth from 1921 to 2015

Sources: Our World In Data and the United Nations.

1921-1950

Years	1921	1922	1923	1924	1925	1926	1927	1928	1929	1930[13]
Life expectancy in Australia	61.0	62.9	61.7	62.5	63.2	62.9	62.8	62.9	63.1	64.9

Years	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939	1940[13]
Life expectancy in Australia	65.3	65.6	65.4	64.8	65.1	65.2	65.8	65.8	65.8	66.2

Years	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947	1948	1949	1950[13]
Life expectancy in Australia	66.1	65.9	66.4	68.0	68.5	68.0	68.6	68.5	69.1	69.0

1950-2015

Period	Life expectancy in Years	Period	Life expectancy in Years
1950–1955	69.4	1985–1990	76.2
1955–1960	70.4	1990–1995	77.7
1960–1965	70.9	1995–2000	78.8
1965–1970	70.8	2000–2005	80.3
1970–1975	71.8	2005–2010	81.5
1975–1980	73.6	2010–2015	82.3
1980–1985	75.1

Source: UN World Population Prospects^[14]

Total Fertility Rate from 1850 to 1899

The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period. Sources: Our World In Data and Gapminder Foundation.^[15]

The following figures show the total fertility rates since the first years of the English colonization.

Years	1850	1851	1852	1853	1854	1855	1856	1857	1858	1859	1860[15]
Total Fertility Rate in Australia	4.94	5.01	4.07	5.03	4.86	5.32	5.19	5.63	5.71	5.75	5.71

Years	1861	1862	1863	1864	1865	1866	1867	1868	1869	1870[15]
Total Fertility Rate in Australia	5.67	5.8	5.59	5.75	5.64	5.33	5.41	5.43	5.19	5.19

Years	1871	1872	1873	1874	1875	1876	1877	1878	1879	1880[15]
Total Fertility Rate in Australia	5.09	4.97	5.01	4.93	4.81	4.81	4.69	4.74	4.8	4.73

Years	1881	1882	1883	1884	1885	1886	1887	1888	1889	1890[15]
Total Fertility Rate in Australia	4.73	4.62	4.66	4.77	4.78	4.74	4.77	4.76	4.65	4.69

Years	1891	1892	1893	1894	1895	1896	1897	1898	1899[15]
Total Fertility Rate in Australia	4.62	4.52	4.4	4.13	4.07	3.81	3.78	3.64	3.66

Vital statistics since 1900

Source:^[16]

	Average population	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1,000)	Crude death rate (per 1,000)	Natural change (per 1,000)	Total fertility rates[A][15]	Net overseas migration[17][18][19]
1900	3,715,000	102,221	44,060	58,161	27.3	11.8	15.5	3.66
1901	3,765,000	102,945	46,330	56,615	27.1	12.2	14.9	3.64
1902	3,824,000	102,776	48,078	54,698	26.7	12.5	14.2	3.39
1903	3,875,000	98,443	47,293	51,150	25.3	12.1	13.2	3.58
1904	3,916,000	104,113	43,572	60,541	26.4	11.0	15.4	3.54
1905	3,974,000	104,941	43,514	61,427	26.2	10.9	15.3	3.51
1906	4,032,000	107,890	44,333	63,557	26.6	10.9	15.7	3.35
1907	4,091,000	110,347	45,305	55,042	26.7	11.0	15.7	3.35
1908	4,161,000	111,545	46,426	55,119	26.6	11.1	15.5	3.35
1909	4,232,000	114,071	44,172	59,899	26.7	10.3	16.4	3.35
1910	4,323,000	116,801	45,590	61,211	26.7	10.4	16.3	3.35
1911	4,425,000	122,193	47,869	74,324	27.2	10.6	16.6	3.51
1912	4,573,000	133,088	52,177	80,911	28.6	11.2	17.4	3.51
1913	4,746,000	135,714	51,789	83,925	28.2	10.7	17.5	3.51
1914	4,893,000	137,983	51,720	86,263	28.0	10.5	17.5	3.51
1915	4,971,000	134,871	52,782	82,089	27.1	10.6	16.5	3.51
1916	4,969,000	131,426	54,197	77,219	26.6	11.0	15.6	3.07
1917	4,917,000	129,965	48,029	81,936	26.3	9.7	16.6	3.35
1918	4,982,000	125,739	50,249	75,490	25.0	10.0	15.0	3.07
1919	5,080,000	122,290	65,930	56,360	23.6	12.7	10.9	3.07
1920	5,303,000	136,406	56,289	80,117	25.5	10.5	15.5	3.07
1921	5,411,000	136,198	54,076	82,122	24.9	9.9	15.0	3.12
1922	5,510,000	137,496	51,311	86,185	24.7	9.2	15.5	3.11
1923	5,637,000	135,222	56,236	78,986	23.7	9.9	13.8	3.02
1924	5,755,000	134,927	54,980	79,953	23.2	9.4	13.8	2.97
1925	5,882,000	135,792	54,658	81,134	22.9	9.2	13.7	2.95
1926	6,000,000	133,162	56,952	76,210	22.0	9.4	12.6	2.85
1927	6,124,000	133,698	58,282	75,716	21.6	9.4	12.2	2.80
1928	6,251,000	134,078	59,378	74,700	21.3	9.4	11.9	2.77
1929	6,355,000	129,480	60,857	68,623	20.2	9.5	10.7	2.64
1930	6,436,000	128,399	55,331	73,068	19.8	8.6	11.2	2.58
1931	6,500,000	118,509	56,560	61,949	18.2	8.7	9.5	2.36
1932	6,552,000	110,933	56,757	54,176	16.9	8.6	8.3	2.19
1933	6,603,000	111,269	59,117	52,152	16.8	8.9	7.9	2.17
1934	6,656,000	109,475	62,229	47,246	16.4	9.3	7.1	2.11
1935	6,707,000	111,325	63,599	47,726	16.5	9.4	7.1	2.12
1936	6,755,000	116,073	63,932	52,141	17.1	9.4	7.7	2.18
1937	6,810,000	119,131	64,496	54,635	17.4	9.4	8.0	2.21
1938	6,871,000	120,415	66,451	53,964	17.4	9.6	7.8	2.21
1939	6,935,000	122,891	69,147	53,744	17.6	9.9	7.7	2.22
1940	7,004,000	126,347	68,384	57,963	17.9	9.7	8.2	2.26
1941	7,077,000	134,525	71,176	63,349	18.9	10.0	8.9	2.36
1942	7,143,000	136,708	75,191	61,517	19.1	10.5	8.6	2.38
1943	7,201,000	149,295	74,486	74,809	20.6	10.3	10.3	2.57
1944	7,269,000	153,344	69,596	83,748	21.0	9.5	11.5	2.63
1945	7,347,000	160,560	70,231	90,229	21.7	9.5	12.2	2.74
1946	7,430,000	176,379	74,661	101,718	23.6	10.0	13.6	2.99
1947	7,517,000	182,384	73,468	108,916	24.1	9.7	14.4	3.08
1948	7,637,000	177,976	76,839	101,137	23.1	10.0	13.1	2.98
1949	7,792,000	181,261	75,260	106,001	22.9	9.5	13.4	2.99
1950	8,045,000	190,591	78,187	112,404	23.3	9.6	13.7	3.01
1951	8,307,000	193,298	81,788	111,510	23.0	9.7	13.3	3.06
1952	8,527,000	201,650	81,597	120,053	23.4	9.5	13.9	3.15
1953	8,739,000	202,235	80,188	122,047	22.9	9.1	13.8	3.23
1954	8,902,000	202,256	81,805	120,451	22.5	9.1	13.4	3.3
1955	9,089,000	207,677	82,036	125,641	22.6	8.9	13.7	3.35
1956	9,311,000	212,633	86,088	126,545	22.5	9.1	13.4	3.39
1957	9,530,000	220,358	84,953	135,405	22.9	8.8	14.1	3.41
1958	9,744,000	222,504	83,723	138,481	22.6	8.5	14.1	3.42
1959	9,947,000	226,976	89,212	137,765	22.6	8.9	13.7	3.41
1960	10,160,000	230,326	88,464	141,862	22.4	8.6	13.8	3.39
1961	10,391,000	239,986	88,961	151,025	22.8	8.5	14.3	3.35
1962	10,642,000	237,081	93,163	143,918	22.1	8.7	13.4	3.3
1963	10,846,000	235,689	94,894	140,795	21.5	8.7	12.8	3.24
1964	11,055,000	229,149	100,594	128,555	20.5	8.7	11.8	3.17
1965	11,280,000	222,854	99,715	123,139	19.6	8.8	10.8	2.97
1966	11,505,000	223,731	103,929	119,802	19.3	9.0	10.3	2.89
1967	11,704,000	229,796	102,703	127,093	19.4	8.7	10.7	2.85
1968	11,912,000	240,906	109,547	131,359	20.0	9.1	10.9	2.89
1969	12,145,000	250,175	106,496	143,681	20.4	8.7	11.7	2.93
1970	12,407,000	257,516	113,048	144,468	20.5	9.0	10.5	2.94
1971	12,663,000	276,361	110,650	165,711	21.5	8.6	12.9	2.98
1972	13,067,000	271,960	110,191	161,769	20.6	8.4	12.2	2.74
1973	13,303,000	255,848	111,336	144,512	19.1	8.3	10.8	2.49
1974	13,504,000	243,658	110,179	133,479	17.9	8.1	9.8	2.32
1975	13,722,000	239,794	114,501	125,293	17.4	8.3	9.1	2.15
1976	13,892,000	231,135	110,610	120,525	16.6	7.9	8.7	2.06
1977	14,033,000	226,954	111,490	115,464	16.1	7.9	8.2	2.01
1978	14,192,000	226,359	108,059	118,300	15.9	7.6	8.3	1.95
1979	14,359,000	223,370	108,315	115,055	15.5	7.5	8.0	1.91
1980	14,515,000	223,664	106,654	117,010	15.3	7.3	8.0	1.89
1981	14,695,000	230,920	109,429	121,491	15.6	7.4	8.2	1.94
1982	14,923,000	237,076	110,990	116,086	15.7	7.4	8.3	1.93	128,100
1983	15,184,000	241,764	112,918	128,846	15.8	7.4	8.4	1.92	73,300
1984	15,393,000	240,544	110,887	129,657	15.5	7.2	8.3	1.84	49,100
1985	15,579,000	241,814	114,197	127,617	15.4	7.3	8.1	1.92	73,800
1986	15,788,000	239,115	116,069	123,046	15.0	7.3	7.7	1.87	100,500
1987	16,018,000	242,977	116,139	126,838	15.0	7.2	7.8	1.85	125,800
1988	16,263,000	246,200	120,463	125,737	15.0	7.3	7.7	1.83	149,400
1989	16,532,000	250,155	118,767	131,388	15.1	7.1	8.0	1.84	157,500
1990	16,814,000	257,521	125,112	132,409	15.3	7.4	7.9	1.90	124,700
1991	17,065,000	261,158	119,572	141,586	15.2	7.0	8.2	1.85	86,500
1992	17,284,000	259,186	120,836	138,350	14.9	6.9	8.0	1.89	68,600
1993	17,494,000	259,959	121,338	138,621	14.8	6.9	7.9	1.86	30,100
1994	17,667,000	258,314	123,496	134,818	14.5	7.0	7.5	1.84	46,600
1995	17,854,000	258,210	126,232	131,978	14.4	7.0	7.4	1.82	80,200
1996	18,071,000	250,438	126,400	124,038	13.8	6.9	6.9	1.80	104,000
1997	18,310,000	253,660	127,298	126,362	13.7	6.9	6.8	1.78	87,200
1998	18,517,000	249,105	129,255	119,850	13.4	6.9	6.5	1.75	79,100
1999	18,711,000	249,965	128,278	121,487	13.3	6.8	6.5	1.75	96,500
2000	18,925,000	249,310	128,392	120,918	13.1	6.7	6.4	1.75	107,200
2001	19,153,000	247,500	128,913	118,587	12.8	6.7	6.1	1.73	135,700
2002	19,413,000	250,988	133,707	117,281	12.9	6.9	6.0	1.77	110,600
2003	19,651,000	246,663	132,239	114,424	12.5	6.7	5.8	1.75	116,500
2004	19,895,000	249,082	133,231	115,851	12.4	6.7	5.7	1.76	100,000
2005	20,127,000	255,934	131,354	124,580	12.6	6.5	6.1	1.79	123,800
2006	20,394,000	263,540	134,041	129,499	12.8	6.5	6.3	1.82	146,700
2007	20,697,000	274,330	134,785	139,545	13.2	6.4	6.8	1.87	232,700
2008	21,015,000	302,272	143,946	158,326	14.4	6.8	7.6	2.02	277,400
2009	21,262,000	295,700	140,760	154,940	13.9	6.6	7.3	1.90	299,800
2010	22,183,000	297,900	143,473	154,427	13.4	6.4	7.0	1.89	172,038
2011	22,340,000	301,617	146,932	156,050	13.5	6.6	6.9	1.92	205,679
2012	22,723,000	309,582	147,098	161,782	13.6	6.5	7.1	1.91	241,151
2013	23,162,000	308,065	147,708	160,357	13.3	6.4	6.9	1.88	235,797
2014	23,413,000	299,697	153,400	146,300	12.8	6.5	6.3	1.8	179,000
2015	23,858,000	305,377	159,052	146,325	12.8	6.7	6.1	1.81	181,000
2016[20]		311,104	158,504	152,600	12.8	6.5	6.3	1.789	243,800
2017	24,770,700[21]	308,500	160,900	147,600				1.77	240,400

In 2012, the total fertility rate of Australian-born women was 1.94, while for overseas-born women, it was 1.81,^[22] while in 2013, it was 1.91 and 1.79 respectively.^[23]

States and territories

State/territory	Population (2016 census)	Land area		Population density		% of population in capital	Notes
		km2	mi2	per km2	per mi2
New South Wales	7,797,800	800,642	309,130	8.64	3	63%	[24]
Victoria	6,244,200	227,416	87,806	23.54	9	71%	[25]
Queensland	4,883,700	1,730,648	668,207	2.50	1	46%	[26]
Western Australia	2,567,800	2,239,170	864,548	0.89	0	73.4%	[27]
South Australia	1,717,000	983,482	379,725	1.62	1	73.5%	[28]
Tasmania	519,100	68,401	26,410	7.24	3	41%	[29]
Australian Capital Territory	406,400	2,358	910	151.49	58	100%	[30]
Northern Territory	245,000	1,349,129	520,902	0.16	0	54%	[31]

Other general demographic statistics

As of December 2017, the population growth rate was 0.9%.^[32] This rate was based on estimates of:^[1]

• one birth every 1 minute and 42 seconds,


• one death every 3 minutes and 16 seconds,


• one migrant person arriving to live in Australia every 1 minute and 1 second,


• one Australian resident leaving Australia to live overseas every 1 minute and 51 seconds, leading to


• an overall total population increase of one person every 1 minute and 23 seconds.

Much of the data that follows has been derived from the CIA World Factbook^[19] and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, through censuses.

Population

The following figures are ABS estimates for the resident population of Australia, based on the 2001 and 2006 Censuses and other data.

25,200,000 (as of 27 December 2018)^[1]

23,232,413 (July 2017 est.)

21,262,641 (July 2009 – CIA World Factbook)

Age structure

0–14 years: 17.8% (male 2,122,139/female 2,012,670)

15–24 years: 12.79% (male 1,524,368/female 1,446,663)

25–54 years: 41.45% (male 4,903,130/female 4,725,976)

55–64 years: 11.83% (male 1,363,331/female 1,384,036)

65 years and over: 16.14% (male 1,736,951/female 2,013,149) (2017 est.)

Median age

total: 38.7 years Country comparison to the world: 58th

male: 37.9 years

female: 39.5 years (2017 est.)

Total: 36.9 years^[34]

Male: 36.6 years

Female: 38.1 years (2009 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

28.7 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.77 children born/woman (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 156th

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 82.3 years Country comparison to the world: 14th

male: 79.8 years

female: 84.9 years (2017 est.)

Birth rate

12.1 births/1,000 population (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 165th

12.47 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) (Rank 164)

Death rate

7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

Net migration rate

5.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 21st

6.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population. (2009 est.) (Rank 15)

Population growth rate

1.03% (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 110th

Mortality rate

6.68 deaths/1,000 population (2009 est.) (Rank 146)

Languages (spoken at home)

English 72.7%, Mandarin 2.5%, Italian 1.2%, Arabic 1.4%, Greek 1.2%, Cantonese 1.2%, Vietnamese 1.2%, other 19.8% (2016 est.)^[35]

Religions

Protestant 23.1% (Anglican 13.3%, Uniting Church 3.7%, Presbyterian and Reformed 2.3%, Baptist 1.5%, Pentecostal 1.1%, Lutheran .7%, other Protestant .5%), Roman Catholic 22.6%, other Christian 4.2%, Muslim 2.6%, Buddhist 2.4%, Orthodox 2.3% (Eastern Orthodox 2.1%, Oriental Orthodox .2%), Hindu 1.9%, other 1.3%, none 30.1%, unspecified 9.6% (2016 est.)

At the time of Australian Federation in 1901, the rate of natural increase was 14.9 persons per 1,000 population. The rate increased to a peak of 17.4 per thousand population in the years 1912, 1913 and 1914. During the Great Depression, the rate declined to a low of 7.1 per thousand population in 1934 and 1935. Immediately after World War II, the rate increased sharply as a result of the start of the post–World War II baby boom and the immigration of many young people who then had children in Australia. A rate plateau of over 13.0 persons per 1,000 population occurred for every year from 1946 to 1962.

There has been a fall in the rate of natural increase since 1962 due to falling fertility. In 1971, the rate of natural increase was 12.7 persons per 1,000 population; a decade later it had fallen to 8.5. In 1996 the rate of natural increase fell below seven for the first time, with the downward trend continuing in the late 1990s. Population projections by the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicate that continued low fertility, combined with the increase in deaths from an ageing population, will result in natural increase falling below zero sometime in the mid-2030s. However, in 2006 the fertility rate rose to 1.81, one of the highest rates in the OECD.

Since 1901, the crude death rate has fallen from about 12.2 deaths per 1,000 population, to 6.4 deaths per 1,000 population in 2006.^[36]

Urbanisation

Urbanisation population: 89% of total population (2008)

Rate of urbanisation: 1.2% annual rate of change (2005–2010)

Sex ratio

At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15–64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female

Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2009)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 51.1

youth dependency ratio: 28.5

elderly dependency ratio: 22.6

potential support ratio: 4.4 (2015 est.)

HIV/AIDS

Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2007 est.)

People living with HIV/AIDS: 18,000 (2007 est.)

Deaths: fewer than 200 (2003 est.)^[37]

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 20 years

male: 20 years

female: 21 years (2014)

Incarceration and punishment

In June 2018, there was 42,855 adults imprisoned in Australia, which was an incarceration rate of 222 prisoners per 100,000 adult population.^[38], or 172 per 100,000 total population.^[39] Additionally, there was 69,397 people in community corrections (various non-custodial punishments such as parole, bail, probation and community service).^[40]

In June 2017, there was 964 minors imprisoned in Australia.^[41]

Country of birth

In 2016, 28.6% of the Australian resident population, or 6,912,100 people, were born overseas.^[42]

The Australian resident population consists of people who were born in the following countries:

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2016)[44]
Place of birth	Estimated resident population[B]
Australia	15,615,531
England[C]	1,002,100
New Zealand	568,200
Mainland China[D]	557,700
India	489,400
Philippines	252,700
Vietnam	243,200
Italy	195,800
South Africa	180,500
Malaysia	152,900
Scotland[E]	137,800
Sri Lanka	124,500
Germany	116,700
Greece	113,400
South Korea	111,600
United States	105,700

For more information about immigration see Immigration to Australia.

Ancestry of Australian population

The earliest accepted timeline for the first arrivals of indigenous Australians to the continent of Australia places this human migration to at least 65,000 years ago,^[45] most probably from the islands of Indonesia and New Guinea.^[7]

Captain James Cook claimed the east coast for Great Britain in 1770, the west coast was later settled by Britain also. At that time, the indigenous population was estimated to have been between 315,000 and 750,000,^[8] divided into as many as 500 tribes speaking many different languages.

For generations, the vast majority of both colonial-era settlers and post-Federation immigrants came from the British Isles, although the gold rushes also drew migrants from other countries, notably from China. Since the end of World War II, Australia's population more than doubled, spurred by large-scale European immigration during the immediate post-war decades. At this time, the White Australia policy discouraged non-European immigration.

Abolition of the White Australia Policy in the mid-1970s led to a significant increase in non-European immigration, mostly from Asia.

Until the Second World War, the vast majority of settlers and immigrants came from the British Isles, and a majority of Australians have some British or Irish ancestry. These Australians form an ethnic group known as Anglo-Celtic Australians. In the 2016 Australian census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were:^[46]

• 
  English (36.1%)


• 
  Australian (33.5%)^[47]
  


• 
  Irish (11.0%)


• 
  Scottish (9.3%)


• 
  Chinese (5.6%)


• 
  Italian (4.6%)


• 
  German (4.5%)


• 
  Indian (2.8%)


• 
  Greek (1.8%)


• 
  Dutch (1.6%).

At the 2016 census, 47.3% of people had both parents born in Australia and 34.4% of people had both parents born overseas.^[48]

Religion

Australia was, historically, a majority Protestant nation.^[49][50] This is no longer the case. Australia has become a religiously diverse country with 22% being Catholic, 30% having no religion and there are significant numbers of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and others. While Australia has no official religion, the various governments of Australia refer to the Christian God in their ceremonies, as do the various Australian Courts.

In an optional question on the 2016 Census, 52.1% of the Australian population declared some variety of Christianity. Historically the percentage has been far higher and the religious landscape of Australia is changing and diversifying.^[51] Also in 2016, 30.1% of Australians stated "no religion" and a further 9.6% chose not to answer the question.^[51] The remaining population is a diverse group which includes Muslims (2.6%), Buddhists (2.4%), Hindus (1.9%), Sikhs (0.5%), and Jews (0.4%).^[51][52]

The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2001 Census Dictionary statement on religious affiliation states the purpose for gathering such information:

Data on religious affiliation are used for such purposes as planning educational facilities, aged persons' care and other social services provided by religion-based organisations; the location of church buildings; the assigning of chaplains to hospitals, prisons, armed services and universities; the allocation of time on public radio and other media; and sociological research.

As in many Western countries, the level of active participation in religious services is lower than would be indicated by the proportion of the population identifying themselves as affiliated with a religion; weekly attendance at Christian church services is about 1.5 million, or about 7.5% of the population.^[53] Christian charitable organisations, hospitals and schools play a prominent role in welfare and education services. The Catholic education system is the second biggest sector after government schools, with more than 650,000 students (and around 21 per cent of all secondary school enrolments).

Languages

Although Australia has no official language, English has always been entrenched as the de facto national language.^[54]Australian English is a major variety of the language with a distinctive accent and lexicon,^[55] and differs slightly from other varieties of English in grammar and spelling.^[56]General Australian serves as the standard dialect.

According to the 2016 census, English is the only language spoken in the home for close to 72.7% of the population. The next most common languages spoken at home are:^[57]

• 
  Mandarin (2.5%)


• 
  Arabic (1.4%)


• 
  Cantonese (1.2%)


• 
  Vietnamese (1.2%)


• 
  Italian (1.2%).

A considerable proportion of first- and second-generation migrants are bilingual.

Over 250 Indigenous Australian languages are thought to have existed at the time of first European contact, of which less than 20 are still in daily use by all age groups.^[58][59] About 110 others are spoken exclusively by older people.^[59] At the time of the 2006 census, 52,000 Indigenous Australians, representing 12% of the Indigenous population, reported that they spoke an Indigenous language at home.^[60] Australia has a sign language known as Auslan, which is the main language of about 5,500 deaf people.^[61]

Literacy

Definition: aged 15 years and over can read and write

Total population: 99%

Male: 99%

Female: 99% (2003 est.)

Education expenditure

4.9% of GDP (2013)

country comparison to the world: 55

Nationality

Australian nationality law determines who is and who is not an Australian citizen. The status of Australian nationality or Australian citizenship was created by the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 (in 1973 renamed the Australian Citizenship Act 1948) which came into force on 26 January 1949. The 1948 Act was amended many times, notably in 1973, 1984, 1986 and 2002. The Australian Citizenship Act 2007 replaced the 1948 Act, commencing on 1 July 2007. Australian citizenship law is administered by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection which can issue certificates of citizenship on naturalisation or on request provide other proof or evidence of Australian citizenship. Australian passports are issued to Australian citizens by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

In Australia, the terms "nationality" and "citizenship" can be used interchangeably, but the term "citizenship" (or citizen) is more commonly used, while "nationality" is more commonly used on official documents and forms. A person may acquire citizenship automatically, "by operation of law", or by application after a period of residence in Australia. The process of acquiring citizenship by application is referred to as "naturalisation".

Historical population

Note that population estimates in the table below do not include the Aboriginal population before 1961. Estimates of Aboriginal population prior to European settlement range from 300,000 to one million, with archaeological finds indicating a sustainable population of around 750,000.^[62] Where available, actual population figures from census years are included.

Historic population (estimated)
Pre-1788 Year Indigenous population ±% pre 1788 300,000 to 1,000,000 —     Source: [63]	Settlement – Federation Year Non-indigenous population ±% p.a. 1788 859 —     1798 4,588 +18.24% 1808 10,263 +8.38% 1818 25,859 +9.68% 1828 58,197 +8.45% 1838 151,868 +10.07% 1848 332,328 +8.15% 1858 1,050,828 +12.20% 1868 1,539,552 +3.89% 1878 2,092,164 +3.11% 1888 2,981,677 +3.61% 1898 3,664,715 +2.08% Source: [64]	Post-Federation Year Total population ±% 1901 3,788,123 —     1906 4,059,083 +7.2% 1911 4,489,545 +10.6% 1916 4,943,173 +10.1% 1921 5,455,136 +10.4% 1926 6,056,360 +11.0% 1931 6,526,485 +7.8% 1936 6,778,372 +3.9% 1941 7,109,898 +4.9% 1946 7,465,157 +5.0% 1951 8,421,775 +12.8% 1956 9,425,563 +11.9% 1961 10,548,267 +11.9% 1966 11,599,498 +10.0% 1971 13,067,265 +12.7% 1976 14,033,083 +7.4% 1981 14,923,260 +6.3% 1986 16,018,350 +7.3% 1991 17,284,036 +7.9% 1996 18,224,767 +5.4% 2001 18,769,249 +3.0% 2006 19,855,288 +5.8% 2011 21,507,717 +8.3% 2016 23,401,892 +8.8% Note: Estimated populations prior to 1961 do not include the Indigenous population. Source: [65][66][67][68][69]

See also

Notes

References

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Further reading

• Jupp, James. The Australian People: An Encyclopedia of the Nation, its People and their Origins (2002)


• O'Farrell, Patrick. The Irish in Australia: 1798 to the Present Day (3rd ed. Cork University Press, 2001)


• Wells, Andrew, and Theresa Martinez, eds. Australia's Diverse Peoples: A Reference Sourcebook (ABC-CLIO, 2004)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Demographics of Australia.

• Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Year Book Australia, 2009–10
  


• Australian population: ethnic origins (DOC)


• Build Australian population graph 1960 – 2013 (World Bank data)


• Build Australian population projection graph till 2100 (United Nation data)


• Build Australian life expectancy at birth graph 1950 – 2013 (United Nation data)