Australia's population has now reached an estimated 28 million, an increase of almost 500,000 in the last 12 months, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The milestone was recorded on the official Australian Population Clock at 5.52am AEST on Tuesday.
The ABS continuously models population change using data on births, deaths, and migration, including arrivals and departures. Based on current estimates, a person arrives to live in Australia every 59 seconds, and the overall population increases by one person every one minute and 15 seconds.
Population Projections
According to the ABS model, Australia's population is projected to reach 29 million sometime in 2028 and could rise to 30 million by 2031. In 2025, the projected population was 27,594,464, compared to 28,086,207 in 2026, an increase of 491,743.
The model also estimates that in 2026, the average age of the country is 39.72 years, with the female population being 1.8 per cent higher than the male population.
Births and Deaths
There is one birth every two minutes and 16 seconds, and one death every three minutes and 33 seconds, according to the ABS.
Immigration Policy Debate
Last month, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor announced the Coalition's new immigration policy, which would slash migrant arrivals by at least 70 per cent. The proposal ties immigration levels to housing supply, aiming to end what Taylor called "mass migration."
Under the plan, the government could not bring in more people than the country could accommodate based on housing construction. Taylor told Sky News that the policy would result in a reduction of at least 70 per cent from Labor's peak immigration numbers.
"Right now, we know that it would be at least a 70 per cent reduction from Labor's peak immigration numbers," Taylor said. "It would be well below 200,000. I'm not going to declare that number until we know how many houses are being built."
Based on peak immigration of about 500,000, the cut would put immigration levels at roughly 150,000 per year. Taylor criticized Labor for setting immigration targets without regard for housing, services, and infrastructure.
"Labor has set its immigration targets without regard for the housing that is being constructed in this country, the housing, the services, and the infrastructure," Taylor said. "This must change, and what we're proposing here is that each year the housing minister would say we've built this many houses, and so the immigration number, the net overseas migration number, can be X."
