Shillong, June 15: Australia’s population reached approximately 26.3 million by the end of December 2022, indicating a growth of 496,800 individuals compared to the previous year, according to official data released on Thursday. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported that the annual population growth rate of 1.9% was the highest since 2008, primarily driven by migration.
The ABS data revealed that the population increased by 387,000 people through net overseas migration. The country welcomed 619,600 individuals from overseas, while 232,600 people departed during the same period. Beidar Cho, the ABS Head of Demography, stated that the recovery of international student arrivals played a significant role in driving net overseas migration to historic highs, while departures remained lower than the levels seen in the past decade.
In terms of natural increase, which is calculated by subtracting deaths from births, the figure stood at 109,800 people in 2022. This reflected a decrease of nearly a quarter compared to 2021, with deaths showing an 11.1% increase. The ABS attributed this decline to the impact of Covid-19 mortality, which contributed to both a higher number of deaths and a lower natural increase in 2022.
