Australia’s population has climbed to almost 28 million, with net overseas migration remaining the dominant driver of growth despite continuing to fall from its post-pandemic highs.
New Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released on Thursday show the country’s estimated resident population reached 27,921,150 people at March 31, 2026, an increase of 392,700 people, or 1.4 per cent, over the previous 12 months.
The latest growth rate is lower than the 1.6 per cent recorded a year earlier, when Australia added more than 423,000 people.
ABS Head of Population Statistics Bjorn Jarvis said population growth continued to come from both natural increase and overseas migration.
“Our population was 27.9 million people at 31 March 2026, that’s 392,700 more than the same time in 2025,” Jarvis said.
Natural increase — births minus deaths — contributed 100,600 people, while net overseas migration added 292,100.
That means overseas migration accounted for about 74 per cent of Australia’s total population increase over the year.
The ABS said annual net overseas migration was down 5.6 per cent on the revised figure for the preceding year, while natural increase declined 4.6 per cent.
Births increased by 0.3 per cent over the year, while deaths rose more sharply, by 3.1 per cent.
The figures show population growth remains strong by historical standards but has continued to moderate following the extraordinary migration surge that accompanied Australia’s reopening after the COVID-19 border closures.
Annual population growth was 1.6 per cent in March 2025, compared with 1.4 per cent in the latest figures. The number of additional residents also fell by roughly 30,700 from the previous year.
However, migration remains by far the largest contributor.
“Net overseas migration was the major contributor to population change in all states and territories,” the ABS said.
Western Australia was the fastest-growing jurisdiction, with its population increasing by 2.1 per cent to about 3.10 million.
Victoria and Queensland were next, with both growing by 1.6 per cent.
Victoria’s population reached approximately 7.15 million, after adding 109,500 people during the year — the largest numerical increase of any state.
Queensland added about 90,100 people, taking its population to 5.74 million.
New South Wales remained Australia’s most populous state, reaching 8.67 million, after adding 97,000 residents, equivalent to growth of 1.1 per cent.
South Australia grew by 1 per cent to 1.92 million, while the Australian Capital Territory grew 1.3 per cent to almost 490,000.
The Northern Territory recorded 1.5 per cent growth, reaching approximately 269,000 residents.
Tasmania remained the slowest-growing jurisdiction, with its population increasing just 0.6 per cent to 580,700.
Migration patterns varied substantially between the states.
Victoria recorded 81,732 net overseas migrants during the year, second only to New South Wales, which gained 84,573 people through overseas migration.
Queensland gained 55,217 from overseas migration, while Western Australia received 41,531.
But interstate migration told a very different story.
New South Wales lost a net 20,818 people to other states and territories, the largest interstate population loss in the country.
Queensland gained 14,718 people through interstate migration, while Western Australia gained 10,314.
Victoria was effectively flat on interstate migration, recording a net gain of just 82 people.
The numbers suggest Victoria’s continued population expansion is overwhelmingly being driven by overseas arrivals and natural increase rather than people relocating from other parts of Australia.
Victoria recorded 75,045 births and 47,368 deaths during the year, delivering a natural increase of 27,677 people.
When combined with overseas migration of more than 81,000, those gains outweighed the negligible interstate movement and pushed the state above 7.15 million residents.
Nationally, the March quarter alone added 130,887 people, representing quarterly growth of 0.5 per cent.
Net overseas migration contributed approximately 101,000 people during the quarter, up sharply from the previous three months, while natural increase added 29,900.
The release comes as migration remains one of the most contested issues in Australian politics.
Labor, the Coalition and One Nation have all argued that current net overseas migration is higher than they would like, although they differ substantially over how far and how quickly it should fall.
The Albanese government has said Australia is heading towards net overseas migration of around 225,000, while One Nation has proposed temporarily pushing the figure below zero before imposing a ceiling of 130,000 a year.
The political debate has been driven heavily by concern over whether housing construction, hospitals, schools, transport and other infrastructure can keep pace with population growth.
At the same time, businesses, universities and state governments have warned that excessively sharp migration cuts could create labour shortages and damage sectors heavily dependent on international workers and students.
The new ABS figures provide evidence for both sides of that debate.
Migration is clearly falling from the extraordinary levels recorded after Australia’s borders reopened, and the overall population growth rate has slowed.
But with 292,100 net overseas migrants still accounting for nearly three out of every four additional residents, migration remains the central force shaping Australia’s population.
The latest figures also underline how differently population pressure is being felt around the country.
Western Australia is growing fastest, Victoria is adding the most people in absolute terms, Queensland continues to attract Australians from interstate, and New South Wales is losing tens of thousands of residents to other parts of the country while still expanding through overseas migration.
Australia now sits less than 80,000 people short of the 28 million mark.
At the current rate of growth, that milestone is likely to be reached soon — adding further urgency to the national argument over how large Australia should become, how quickly it should grow and whether housing and infrastructure can keep up.
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
