Australia's population grows by more than 390,000 people in 12 months
New data shows Australia's population has grown by 1.4 per cent over the past year.
According to the Australia Bureau of Statistics, Australia's population grew by over 392,000 people in the past 12 months, reaching a total of 27.9 million people as of March 2026. Overseas migration accounted for nearly three-quarters of the annual increase, with net migration adding 292,100 people to the population. The natural increase - births minus deaths - contributed an additional 100,600 people.
Overall, the population saw a 1.4% annual growth rate, marking a return to pre-pandemic levels after a decline in 2020. Western Australia experienced the fastest growth at 2.1%, while Tasmania had the slowest at 0.6%. The majority of immigrants settled in New South Wales, with Tasmania and the Northern Territory receiving the fewest overseas migrants.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
