Australia Population

Australia's population growth is driven heavily by immigration, with one of the highest foreign-born shares of any major country. Domestic fertility sits below the replacement level, so migration is what keeps the population young and expanding. The country's demographic debates centre on the pace of that intake and its effect on housing in a handful of coastal cities.

With roughly 27.1 million people as of 2026, Australia ranks 55th in the world by population. A country of Australia/New Zealand, its trajectory to 2100 is governed by how births, deaths and migration play out. It packs in roughly 4 people per square kilometre.

Unlike much of the world, Australia keeps growing right through 2100. The population climbs from roughly 26.6 million now to about 32.4 million by 2050 and 43.0 million by 2100, a gain of +61.9%.

With fertility near 1.64, just under the 2.1 replacement mark, natural increase is fading. Net inward migration adds to the population each year and partly offsets the low birth rate.

The median age is set to climb from about 38 today to roughly 45 by 2100, while life expectancy, near 84 years, keeps rising. A rising median age means fewer working-age people supporting each retiree over time.

The trajectory above is the UN's medium scenario. Wars, policy shifts, economic change and migration can all move the numbers, but the broad shape, growth followed by an eventual peak, is robust across the main variants.