Demographics & population — Australia
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Demographics & population at a glance
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators. Key figure for Australia: 26,768,598
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Population overview
- Population
26,768,598
- Population Growth Rate
1.13%
- Population Distribution
- population is primarily located on the periphery, with the highest concentration of people residing in the east and southeast
- a secondary population center is located in and around Perth in the west
- of the States and Territories, New South Wales has, by far, the largest population
- the interior, or "outback", has a very sparse population
- Urban Population
- urban population: 86.6%
- of total population rate of urbanization: 1.27%
- annual rate of change note: data include Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island
- Population in Major Urban Areas
5.235 million Melbourne, 5.121 million Sydney, 2.505 million Brisbane, 2.118 million Perth, 1.367 million Adelaide, 472,000 CANBERRA (capital)
- Population: Male/Female
- male: 13,305,110
- female: 13,463,488
Age & family
- Age Structure
- years: 18.3% (male 2,526,772/female 2,369,425) 15-64
- years: 64.7% (male 8,688,023/female 8,640,671) 65
- years and over: 17% (male 2,090,315/female 2,453,392)
- Median Age
- total: 38.1
- years male: 36.9
- years female: 39.2 years
- Birth Rate - births/1,000 population
12
- Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population
6.8
- Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman
1.73
- Gross reproduction rate
1
- Contraceptive Prevalance Rate - female 12-49
66.9%
- Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 12-49
66.9%
- Currently married women (ages 15-49)
55.9%
- Mean Age for Mother's First Birth (age 25-49)
28.7
- Mother's mean age at first birth
28.7
- Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female
- at birth: 1.06
- male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.07
- male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01
- male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85
- male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female
Migration
- Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population
5.9
Ethnicity & language
- Ethnic Groups
English 33%, Australian 29.9%, Irish 9.5%, Scottish 8.6%, Chinese 5.5%, Italian 4.4%, German 4%, Indian 3.1%, Australian Aboriginal 2.9%, Greek 1.7%, unspecified 4.7%
- Language Note
English 72%, Mandarin 2.7%, Arabic 1.4%, Vietnamese 1.3%, Cantonese 1.2%, other 15.7%, unspecified 5.7%
- Nationality Noun
- Australian(s) adjective: Australian
Education
- Literacy Definition
Age 15 and over can read and write
- Education Expenditures - percent of GDP
6.1%
- Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)
- total: 21
- years male: 20
- years female: 22 years
Health & living conditions
- Life Expectancy at Birth
- total population: 83.5
- years male: 81.3
- years female: 85.7 years
- Infant Mortality Rate
- total: 2.9 deaths/1,000
- live births male: 3.2 deaths/1,000
- live births female: 2.7 deaths/1,000 live births
- Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births
- total: 2.9 deaths/1,000
- live births male: 3.2 deaths/1,000
- live births female: 2.7 deaths/1,000 live births
- Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births
3
- Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population
4.13
- Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population
3.8
- Health Expenditures - percent of GDP
10.7%
- Obesity - adult prevalence rate
29%
- Tobacco Use
- total: 13.6%
- male: 15.6%
- female: 11.5%
- Alcohol consumption per capita
- total: 9.51
- liters of pure alcohol beer: 3.71
- liters of pure alcohol wine: 3.67
- liters of pure alcohol spirits: 1.32
- liters of pure alcohol other alcohols: 0.81 liters of pure alcohol
- Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved
- urban: 100%
- of population rural: 100%
- of population total: 100% of population
- Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved
improved: 100% of population
- Underweight - percent of children under five years
0.2%
