Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released on Tuesday revealed that all but one state had a positive population growth rate during the year to 31 December 2021.
Queensland’s population increased last year, while Victoria was the only state in the nation to experience a population decline, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Figures released on Tuesday showed Queensland had the highest growth rate in the country during the year as of December 31, 2021, at 1.4%, totaling more than 73,000 residents.
Western Australia was next (1.1%), followed by Tasmania (0.8%), South Australia (0.5%), Australian Capital Territory (0.4%), New South Wales (0.1%) and the Northern Territory (0.1%). per cent).
The population of Victoria decreased by -0.1%, ie 3,500 inhabitants.
Statistics on population change include natural increase and interstate arrivals minus interstate departures.
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Victoria had a net interstate migration loss of 19,386 residents, just behind NSW (-35,337), while Queensland had a net gain of 50,162 interstate residents, again the highest in the nation.
NSW had the largest natural increase (44,809), followed by Victoria (32,877) and Queensland (30,255).
Victoria also had the highest net loss of migration abroad of -9,566, followed by Queensland (-4,838) and Western Australia (-3,578).
“For the year ending 31 December 2021: natural increase was the main contributor to population change in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Capital Territory Australia, net interstate migration was the main contributor to population change in Queensland and the Northern Territory, net migration abroad was the main contributor to change in Tasmania, “ABS said.
The publication of these population statistics occurred on the same day that the latest census data were revealed.
Teresa Dickinson, senior head of the 2021 census and deputy Australian statistician for ABS, said the country was experiencing “generational change” with Millennials now having baby boomers.
“While Australia is an aging country, the 2021 census has seen the number of millennials, those born between 1981 and 1996, catch up with baby boomers,” he said.
The country’s population since the last night of the 2016 census has grown by more than two million people – or 8.6 percent – to 25,422,788.
There were 812,728 Aboriginal and islanders in the Torres Strait counted on the night of the 2021 census, an increase of 25.2% over 2016, with the number of first- and second-generation Australians also on the rise.
“While the pandemic has affected the flow of people to Australia, the census shows that there were still more than a million migrants arriving in Australia since 2017 and in fact 850,000 of them arrived before the end of 2019. said Dickinson.
India has overtaken China and New Zealand to become the third country of birth, behind Australia and England.
The number of non-religious Australians has increased further, but Christianity remains the most informed religion, followed by Islam.
“The question of religion always attracts significant interest. In 2021 the number of people not declaring any religious affiliation continued to grow and now it is almost 40 per cent of the answers,” Ms Dickinson said.
“This is an 8 percentage point increase since 2016. Christianity remains the most informed religion in Australia, with over 40% of answers to this question nominating as Christians or providing a Christian denomination as an answer.”