Australia Yearbook - 2001

Chapter 5—Population 133
Million milestones
Australia’s population was estimated to have
reached 19 million during August 1999—five
times the population of 1901 (3.8 million). From
European settlement in 1788 it took 70 years for
the population of Australia to reach one million.
An additonal million people were added by
1877. Subsequent millions were added in
progressively shorter time intervals, with the six
million mark reached in 1925. The Great
Depression and WWII slowed the population
growth to the seventh and eighth million as
fertility and migration declined. Following
WWII, the baby boom and post-war migration
program increased population growth. Since
1949, when the population reached 8 million,
each successive million has been added in
around 4 to 5 years. The seventeenth million
reached in 1990 was the fastest million added,
being attained in just 3 years and nine months.
In mid 2004 the population is projected to
reach the 20 million mark—4 years and nine
months after the 19 million milestone in 1999.
The interval between following millions is
projected to increase in the 21st century as
population growth slows from the ageing
population and sustained lower fertility.
5.5 AUSTRALIAN POPULATION GROWTH—Time
Between Successive Millions(a)(b)
Years/months from
Year
Millions previous million
1858 1 70/0
1877 2 19/0
1889 3 12/0
1905 4 16/0
1918 5 13/0
1925 6 7/0
1939 7 14/0
1949 8 10/11
1954 9 4/9
1959 10 4/7
1963 11 4/7
1968 12 4/8
1972 13 4/9
1976 14 5/0
1981 15 5/7
1986 16 4/8
1990 17 3/9
1995 18 5/0
1999 19 4/5
2004 20 4/9
2009 21 5/5
2015 22 5/10
2021 23 6/4
2029 24 7/3
2040 25 11/8
(a) Aboriginal people were not included in population
estimates prior to 1961. (b) Years after 1999 are based on
Population Projections, series II.
Source: Official Year Book of the Commonwealth of
Australia 1901–1910; Australian Demographic Trends
(3102.0); Australian Demographic Statistics (3101.0);
Population projections 1999–2101 (3222.0).
5.6 COMPONENTS OF POPULATION GROWTH
Rate(a)
Natural increase
20
Net overseas migration
15
–5
1901 1915 1929 1943 1957 1971 1985 1999
(a) Rate per 1,000 population.
Source: Australian Demographic Statistics (3101.0); Australian Demographic Trends (3102.0).
10
5
0