Australia's population grew by 1.4 per cent in cent in the 12 months to March 2026, according to the latest figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Bjorn Jarvis, Head of Population Statistics, said: “Our population was 27.9 million people at 31 March 2026, that's 392,700 more than the same time in 2025.
“Natural increase, that is the number of people born minus those who died, added 100,600 people to the population. Births and deaths both up, 0.3 per cent and 3.1 per cent respectively.
“We saw 292,100 people added to our population from net overseas migration from March 2025 to March 2026. This compares with 309,500 people in the previous 12 months.
“Western Australia had the fastest growing population, up 2.1 per cent, Victoria was the second highest with growth of 1.6 per cent.”
Tasmania saw the slowest growth over the 12-month period, with a 0.6 per cent rise in population.
Annual population change by state and territory
| Population at 31 March 2026 ('000) | Change over previous year ('000) | Change over previous year (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 8670.1 | 97.0 | 1.1 |
| Victoria | 7154.2 | 109.5 | 1.6 |
| Queensland | 5739.5 | 90.1 | 1.6 |
| South Australia | 1916.8 | 18.4 | 1.0 |
| Western Australia | 3096.2 | 64.2 | 2.1 |
| Tasmania | 580.7 | 3.4 | 0.6 |
| Northern Territory | 268.9 | 4.0 | 1.5 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 489.7 | 6.2 | 1.3 |
| Australia (a) | 27921.2 | 392.7 | 1.4 |
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