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Australian demographics and recent changes
by Voula Messimeri, FECCA, April 2006
In the year ended 30 June 2005, Australia's population increased by 237,100 persons or 1.18 per cent to 20,328,600. Australia's population growth rate was about the same as the world's population growth rate in 2004-05. Natural increase has usually been the main contributor to population growth. Natural increase has not varied greatly over the past 30 years, although it is projected to decline steadily over the next 30 years. In contrast, net overseas migration has fluctuated markedly.
Australia's population at the 2001 Census was 18.8 million, up 5.7 per cent from the figure of 17.8 million in 1996. There was a slightly higher proportion of the population born overseas, up to 23.1 per cent from 22.8 per cent, 43 per cent of Australians have either one or both parents born overseas. We come from over 150 nations around the world and at home we speak over 200 languages.
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