Society & PopulationAustralia edition
Australia's population growth slowed again in 2025
Australia's population grew by 1.53% in 2025, down from 1.98% in 2024 and 2.43% in 2023, close to the pace seen before 2020.
- 20181.5%
- 20191.48%
- 20201.23%
- 20210.14%
- 20221.29%
- 20232.43%
- 20241.98%
- 20251.53%
What the latest figure shows
Australia's population kept growing in 2025, but more slowly than in the two years before. Annual population growth was 1.53% in 2025.
Sources for this paragraph (1)
- F8 Australia · Population growth · 1.53% · 2025 · World Bank
That is lower than the 1.98% recorded in 2024. It is the second year in a row that the growth rate has fallen.
Sources for this paragraph (2)
- F7 Australia · Population growth · 1.98% · 2024 · World Bank
- F8 Australia · Population growth · 1.53% · 2025 · World Bank
Eight years of annual growth rates
The figures are annual percentage changes in total population, one value per calendar year. Before the pandemic, growth was steady: 1.5% in 2018 and 1.48% in 2019.
Sources for this paragraph (2)
- F1 Australia · Population growth · 1.5% · 2018 · World Bank
- F2 Australia · Population growth · 1.48% · 2019 · World Bank
Growth then slowed sharply. It was 1.23% in 2020 and just 0.14% in 2021, the lowest rate in this series.
Sources for this paragraph (2)
- F3 Australia · Population growth · 1.23% · 2020 · World Bank
- F4 Australia · Population growth · 0.14% · 2021 · World Bank
It picked up to 1.29% in 2022 and reached 2.43% in 2023, the highest rate in these eight years.
Sources for this paragraph (2)
- F5 Australia · Population growth · 1.29% · 2022 · World Bank
- F6 Australia · Population growth · 2.43% · 2023 · World Bank
Since that peak, the rate has eased each year, to 1.98% in 2024 and 1.53% in 2025.
Sources for this paragraph (2)
- F7 Australia · Population growth · 1.98% · 2024 · World Bank
- F8 Australia · Population growth · 1.53% · 2025 · World Bank
How 2025 compares with earlier years
The 2025 rate of 1.53% sits just above the 1.5% of 2018 and the 1.48% of 2019. In other words, growth has come back to roughly its pre-pandemic pace after the swings of 2021 and 2023.
Sources for this paragraph (3)
- F1 Australia · Population growth · 1.5% · 2018 · World Bank
- F2 Australia · Population growth · 1.48% · 2019 · World Bank
- F8 Australia · Population growth · 1.53% · 2025 · World Bank
It remains well below the 2023 peak of 2.43% and well above the 2021 low of 0.14%.
Sources for this paragraph (3)
- F4 Australia · Population growth · 0.14% · 2021 · World Bank
- F6 Australia · Population growth · 2.43% · 2023 · World Bank
- F8 Australia · Population growth · 1.53% · 2025 · World Bank
What it means for people in Australia
For households, the main point is that the population is still getting bigger each year, but the annual increase in 2025 was smaller than in 2023 or 2024.
Sources for this paragraph (3)
- F6 Australia · Population growth · 2.43% · 2023 · World Bank
- F7 Australia · Population growth · 1.98% · 2024 · World Bank
- F8 Australia · Population growth · 1.53% · 2025 · World Bank
The population is also older than many people might assume. In 2025, 18.09% of Australians were aged 65 and over.
Sources for this paragraph (1)
- C9 Australia · Share of population aged 65+ · 18.09% · 2025 · World Bank
Births are one part of the picture. The fertility rate was 1.48 births per woman in 2024. That is a different measure from the growth rate, so the two numbers should not be compared directly.
Sources for this paragraph (1)
- C8 Australia · Fertility rate · 1.48 · 2024 · World Bank
Cost-of-living figures are measured separately. In September 2026, rents were 3.6% higher than 12 months earlier and consumer prices overall were 4.3% higher. These figures do not show whether population growth caused these changes.
Sources for this paragraph (2)
- C4 Australia · Rent inflation · 3.6% · 2026-09 · Australian Bureau of Statistics
- C1 Australia · Consumer price inflation · 4.3% · 2026-09 · Australian Bureau of Statistics
What the data does not tell us
The series gives one growth rate per year and stops at 2025. It does not show what has happened in 2026.
Sources for this paragraph (1)
- F8 Australia · Population growth · 1.53% · 2025 · World Bank
The figures do not split growth into births, deaths and migration. So they cannot explain why growth fell in 2021, peaked in 2023 or slowed in 2024 and 2025.
Sources for this paragraph (4)
- F4 Australia · Population growth · 0.14% · 2021 · World Bank
- F6 Australia · Population growth · 2.43% · 2023 · World Bank
- F7 Australia · Population growth · 1.98% · 2024 · World Bank
- F8 Australia · Population growth · 1.53% · 2025 · World Bank
The data also does not show where in Australia people were added, or how growth differed between cities and regions.
Sources for this paragraph (1)
- F8 Australia · Population growth · 1.53% · 2025 · World Bank
Scenarios to watch
- Scenario, not a forecast If the easing seen in 2024 and 2025 continues, the next annual figure would come in below 1.53%, moving under the pre-pandemic rates of 2018 and 2019.
- Scenario, not a forecast If the factors behind the slowdown fade, growth could hold near the 2025 rate, keeping Australia close to its pre-pandemic pace.
- Scenario, not a forecast If growth picks up again, the 2025 figure would mark a low point rather than a new normal, similar to the rebound after 2021.
What to check next
- The next annual population growth figure, to see whether the rate falls below 1.53% for a third straight decline
- A breakdown of growth into natural increase and net migration, which this series does not provide
- The next fertility rate figure after the 2024 value of 1.48 births per woman
- The share of the population aged 65 and over after the 2025 value of 18.09%
- Rent and consumer price figures after September 2026, read alongside, not as proof of, population trends
Verified data used in this report
| Indicator | Value | Period | Sources | Accessed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Australia · Population growth | 1.5% | 2018 | World Bank | |
| F2 | Australia · Population growth | 1.48% | 2019 | World Bank | |
| F3 | Australia · Population growth | 1.23% | 2020 | World Bank | |
| F4 | Australia · Population growth | 0.14% | 2021 | World Bank | |
| F5 | Australia · Population growth | 1.29% | 2022 | World Bank | |
| F6 | Australia · Population growth | 2.43% | 2023 | World Bank | |
| F7 | Australia · Population growth | 1.98% | 2024 | World Bank | |
| F8 | Australia · Population growth | 1.53% | 2025 | World Bank | |
| C1 | Australia · Consumer price inflation | 4.3% | 2026-09 | Australian Bureau of Statistics | |
| C2 | Australia · Electricity price inflation | 12.8% | 2026-09 | Australian Bureau of Statistics | |
| C3 | Australia · Food price inflation | 3.2% | 2026-09 | Australian Bureau of Statistics | |
| C4 | Australia · Rent inflation | 3.6% | 2026-09 | Australian Bureau of Statistics | |
| C5 | Australia · Unemployment rate | 4.72% | 2026-09 | Australian Bureau of Statistics | |
| C6 | Australia · GDP growth | 1.35% | 2025 | World Bank | |
| C7 | Australia · Unemployment rate | 4.09% | 2025 | World Bank | |
| C8 | Australia · Fertility rate | 1.48 | 2024 | World Bank | |
| C9 | Australia · Share of population aged 65+ | 18.09% | 2025 | World Bank |
Sources
How this report was checked
- Data: the newest reference period cited is 2026-09.
- Figures were collected from the source on
- Written by an AI model (claude-opus-5-5) using only the official figures listed in this report.
- Automatic checks passed: every number matches a cited figure, every paragraph names its evidence, and there is no investment advice or copied source text.
- A separate quality-check model raised concerns, and the report was rewritten once to address them.
- No person reviewed this report before publication. Automatic checks confirm the numbers, not every interpretation.
Update history
- 2026-10-29 21:00 UTC — created
- 2026-10-29 21:00 UTC — approved+published