Honestly, if you'd asked me five years ago where our population was heading, I wouldn't have guessed we’d be hitting the numbers we are seeing today. Australia is changing. Fast. As of January 2026, the big question of how many people is in australia has a very specific answer: we have officially surged past the 28 million mark.
Specifically, the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the 2025 Population Statement released just days ago suggests we are sitting at approximately 28,253,100 people.
It’s a massive jump.
Think about it this way: we’ve added millions of people in a window of time that felt, to most of us, like it was standing still during the pandemic. But since the borders swung back open, the floodgates didn't just leak; they burst. However, 2026 is actually the year the "burst" starts to settle into something a bit more manageable.
The 2026 Shift: Why the Growth is Finally Cooling
For the last two years, you couldn't look at a news site without seeing headlines about "record migration." And yeah, it was record-breaking. In 2023, we saw over 500,000 people (net) move here. That’s like adding two Hobart-sized cities in twelve months.
But right now, in 2026, the government is tapping the breaks. Hard.
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Net overseas migration is forecast to drop to about 260,000 this year. That is basically half of what it was during the post-COVID peak. Why? Well, it’s a mix of things. The "pent-up demand" from people waiting to move here during lockdowns has finally dried up. Plus, the government introduced the "Genuine Student" test and hiked up English-language requirements for visas.
If you're wondering how many people is in australia right now, you have to look at who is leaving too. For the first time in over a decade, departures are expected to top 500,000. International students who finished their degrees during the boom are now heading home or moving on, mostly because the cost of living in Sydney and Melbourne has become, frankly, a bit ridiculous.
Where Everyone is Actually Living
Australia is a huge continent, but we are notoriously bad at spreading out. Most of us are still huddled together on the coast.
- New South Wales: Still the heavyweight champ with over 8.7 million people. Sydney is dense, expensive, and still the first stop for most new arrivals.
- Victoria: Just cleared the 7 million hurdle. Melbourne is still on track to eventually overtake Sydney as the biggest city, though the race is tighter than it used to be.
- Queensland: The big winner of internal migration. People from NSW and Victoria are still fleeing north for the sun and (slightly) cheaper housing. Queensland's population is pushing toward 5.7 million.
- Western Australia: The "boom state" surpassed 3 million residents recently. It’s actually the fastest-growing state by percentage right now, thanks to the mining sector and a surprisingly strong birth rate compared to the east coast.
The Northern Territory remains the outlier. It’s got roughly 264,000 people. To put that in perspective, there are more people living in the suburb of Logan City in Queensland than in the entire Northern Territory. It’s a wild disparity.
The Birth Rate Crisis Nobody Talked About
While migration gets all the front-page real estate, there is a quieter trend happening in Australian bedrooms. We aren't having many babies.
In 2025-26, Australia’s total fertility rate is expected to hit an all-time low of 1.42 children per woman.
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To keep a population stable without any migration at all, you need a rate of 2.1. We haven't hit that since the 1970s. People are waiting longer—the median age for a first-time mum is now over 32—and many are deciding that one kid is plenty, or that the "DINK" (Double Income, No Kids) lifestyle is the only way to ever afford a mortgage in this climate.
A Snapshot of Modern Australia
If you walked down a busy street in Brisbane or Perth today, what does the "average" Australian look like?
Data shows we are more diverse than almost any other Western nation. About 31% of the people currently in Australia were born overseas. That is a higher proportion than the US, the UK, or Canada. If you include people who have at least one parent born overseas, you're looking at nearly half the population.
The "typical" Aussie is also getting older. The median age is creeping toward 39. We have a "silver tsunami" coming, with more people aged 65+ than ever before, which is exactly why the government is so hesitant to cut migration too deep—we need younger workers to pay the taxes that fund the pensions and healthcare for the aging demographic.
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What This Means for You
Understanding how many people is in australia isn't just a trivia fact; it dictates why your rent is high, why the M1 motorway is a parking lot at 5 PM, and why it's so hard to find a GP who bulks bills.
The infrastructure is playing catch-up. The 2025 Population Statement makes it clear: we are heading for 30 million by 2029.
If you’re looking for actionable takeaways from these numbers, keep an eye on "Regional Australia." The government is pushing hard to get people out of the big cities. States like South Australia are issuing more skilled-migration invitations (over 300 in just the first week of 2026) specifically for regional areas. If you're a renter or a first-home buyer, the "Big Three" cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) are likely to remain high-pressure zones regardless of the migration dip.
Next Steps for Staying Informed
- Monitor the ABS Population Clock: This tool provides a real-time "best guess" based on birth, death, and migration intervals.
- Track Regional Incentives: If you are looking to move or invest, look at the 2026 state-specific migration lists (especially for WA and SA) to see where the government is pouring infrastructure money.
- Budget for Inflation: While population growth is slowing to 1.3%, the demand for services in "high-growth" pockets like South-East Queensland will keep prices sticky.
Australia is no longer the "small" country it was in the 90s. We are a mid-sized global player with 28 million people and a very complex social fabric. Whether we have the houses and hospitals to support the next 2 million is the conversation we'll be having for the rest of the decade.
Source References:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Estimated Resident Population, 2025-2026.
- Centre for Population, 2025 Population Statement (Released Jan 9, 2026).
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Demographic Snapshots 2024-2025.