Australia Yearbook - 2001

Chapter 5—Population 139
5.14 POPULATION, Summary Indicators—–1901–2101
Indicator 1901 1947 1971 1999 2021(a) 2051(a) 2101(a)
Total population (’000) 3 773.8 7 579.4 13 067.3 18 966.8 22 926.4 25 408.5 25 254.1
Proportion of population aged
0–14 years (%) 35.1 25.1 28.7 20.7 16.1 14.4 14.4
15–64 years (%) 60.8 66.8 63.0 67.1 65.5 59.6 58.6
65–84 Years (%) 3.9 7.7 7.8 11.0 16.3 21.0 21.3
85+ Years (%) 0.1 0.4 0.5 1.3 2.1 5.1 5.7
Males per 100 females 110.1 100.4 101.1 99.1 99.2 98.8 99.4
Median age (years) 22.5 30.7 27.5 34.9 41.2 46.0 46.1
Proportion living in capital cities (%) 36.8 51.2 63.2 63.8 65.4 67.5 n.a.
(a) Series II population projections.
Source: Census of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1911; Australian Demographic Bulletin, 1947; Australian Demographic
Statistics (3101.0); Population Projections 1999 to 2101 (3222.0).
Population distribution
Most of Australia’s population is concentrated in
two widely separated coastal regions. By far the
largest of these, in terms of area and population,
lies in the south-east and east. The smaller of the
two regions is in the south-west of the continent.
In both coastal regions the population is
concentrated in urban centres, particularly the
State and Territory capital cities. Half the area
of the continent contains only 0.3% of the
population, and the most densely populated
1% of the continent contains 84% of the
population. The distribution of Australia’s
population is shown in map 5.15.
While New South Wales remains the most
populous State, with 6.4 million people at
June 1999, the fastest growth has occurred in the
Northern Territory and Queensland, with
increases of 11.3% and 10.2% respectively in the
five years to 1999. In contrast, the population of
South Australia grew by just 1.8% over the same
period and Tasmania declined by 0.6% (see
table 5.16).
The main factor changing the distribution of
Australia’s population is internal migration.
During 1998–99, 358,400 people moved from one
State or Territory to another, a similar level to the
previous financial year. In 1998–99 only Victoria,
Queensland and Western Australia recorded net
interstate migration gains. Tasmania’s population
declined by about 1,400 people, as natural
increase in the State was offset by continued net
interstate loss (see table 5.17).
Table 5.18 sets out the estimated resident
population in the major population centres at
June 1994 and 1999. About 70% of Australia’s
population growth between 1994 and 1999
occurred in the capital cities, the most significant
increases being on the outskirts of these
metropolitan regions. Of all the capital cities,
Sydney and Melbourne had the largest growth in
the five years to 1999, with increases of 272,000
and 204,000 people respectively. The fastest
capital city population growth over the 1994–99
period occurred in Darwin, by an average of 2.2%
per year. Brisbane and Perth had the next fastest
growth rates, with average annual growth rates of
1.9% and 1.8% respectively. While much of the
capital city growth has tended to occur on the
urban fringes of the capitals, spectacular growth
rates in the inner city areas have been a dramatic
feature within Australia’s two largest capitals.
From 1994 to1999 the inner city Local
Government Area (LGA) of Sydney grew by an
average of 19% per year (population of 22,800 in
1999) while the LGA of Melbourne (population of
47,500 in 1999) had annual average growth of
5.9%.
Other major population centres experiencing
significant population increases between 1994
and 1999 were the Sunshine Coast and the Gold
Coast–Tweed (each experiencing average annual
growth of 4.0%), while Cairns and
Kalgoorlie–Boulder increased by an average 3.1%
and 2.8% per year respectively. Rapid population
growth was also recorded in most LGAs
elsewhere along the Queensland and New South
Wales coastline and in some LGAs in the
south-west corner of Western Australia.
Some areas of Australia have experienced
significant population decline in recent years.
While some of the population declines have
occurred in established suburbs within capital
cities and major urban centres, the fastest
population decline has occurred in rural areas.
Most of this decline has been caused by net
migration loss. Such population loss is associated
with technological, social and economic changes
in rural areas, and industry restructuring in local
economies.