3218.0 - Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2016-17 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/04/2018   
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MAIN FEATURES

  • The population estimates in this publication are the first to be prepared using the component method, which enables population change to be broken down into the components of natural increase, net internal and overseas migration. The following commentary relates to total population change, while the Feature Article, 'Understanding the 'Hows and Whys' of Regional Population Growth: What's driving change in our regions', which can be accessed via the left navigation panel of this publication, demonstrates the power and depth of the additional component data.
  • Australia's estimated resident population (ERP) reached 24.6 million at 30 June 2017, increasing by 388,100 people or 1.6% since 30 June 2016.
  • All states and territories experienced population growth between 2016 and 2017. Victoria had the largest growth in terms of absolute numbers (144,400 people), followed by New South Wales (121,800) and Queensland (79,600). The Northern Territory had the smallest growth (370).
  • Victoria also grew fastest (that is, it had the strongest growth rate), increasing by 2.3%, followed by the Australian Capital Territory (1.7%), New South Wales and Queensland (both 1.6%). The Northern Territory had the slowest growth (0.1%), followed by South Australia and Tasmania (both 0.6%), and Western Australia (0.8%).
  • The combined population of Greater Capital Cities increased by 315,700 people (1.9%) between 30 June 2016 and 30 June 2017, accounting for 81% of the country's total population growth.
  • Melbourne had the largest growth of all Greater Capital Cities (125,400), followed by Sydney (101,600) and Brisbane (48,000). This was the first time on record that Sydney had a population increase above 100,000 people. Together, these three cities accounted for over 70% of Australia's population growth in 2016-17.
  • Melbourne also had the fastest growth (2.7%), ahead of Brisbane and Sydney (both 2.0%).

    ESTIMATED RESIDENT POPULATION, States and Territories - Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSAs)

    ERP AT 30 JUNE
    POPULATION CHANGE
    2017p
    2016pr-2017p
    GCCSA
    no.
    no.
    %

    NSW
    Greater Sydney
    5 131 326
    101 558
    2.0
    Rest of NSW
    2 729 742
    20 236
    0.7
    Total
    7 861 068
    121 794
    1.6
    Vic.
    Greater Melbourne
    4 850 740
    125 424
    2.7
    Rest of Vic.
    1 472 866
    18 933
    1.3
    Total
    6 323 606
    144 357
    2.3
    Qld
    Greater Brisbane
    2 408 223
    47 982
    2.0
    Rest of Qld
    2 520 234
    31 598
    1.3
    Total
    4 928 457
    79 580
    1.6
    SA
    Greater Adelaide
    1 333 927
    9 648
    0.7
    Rest of SA
    389 621
    846
    0.2
    Total
    1 723 548
    10 494
    0.6
    WA
    Greater Perth
    2 043 138
    21 094
    1.0
    Rest of WA
    537 216
    309
    0.1
    Total
    2 580 354
    21 403
    0.8
    Tas.
    Greater Hobart
    226 884
    2 422
    1.1
    Rest of Tas.
    293 993
    867
    0.3
    Total
    520 877
    3 289
    0.6
    NT
    Greater Darwin
    146 612
    696
    0.5
    Rest of NT
    99 493
    -331
    -0.3
    Total
    246 105
    365
    0.1
    ACT
    410 301
    6 833
    1.7
    Australia(a)
    Greater Capital City
    16 551 151
    315 657
    1.9
    Rest of Australia
    8 047 782
    72 467
    0.9
    Total
    24 598 933
    388 124
    1.6

(a) Includes Other Territories.

  • Five of the ten Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2s) with the largest population growth in Australia in 2016-17 were located in Greater Melbourne. The SA2 of Cranbourne East in Melbourne's outer south-east had the largest growth (up by 7,300 people), followed by the inner-city SA2 of Melbourne (4,600). Other SA2s to experience large growth included the outer Sydney suburbs of Cobbitty - Leppington (4,100) in the south-west and Riverstone - Marsden Park (3,800) in the north-west.
  • The SA2 of Mickleham - Yuroke, in Melbourne's outer north, had the fastest growth in Australia (35%), followed by Coombs (34%) a recently developed suburb in the ACT, and Pimpama (31%) on Queensland's Gold Coast.

    SA2s WITH LARGEST AND FASTEST POPULATION GROWTH

    ERP AT 30 JUNE
    POPULATION CHANGE
    2017p
    2016pr-2017p
    NATIONAL RANK & SA2(a) GCCSA
    no.
    no.
    %

    LARGEST GROWTH

    1 Cranbourne EastGreater Melbourne
    34 164
    7 338
    27.4
    2 MelbourneGreater Melbourne
    46 104
    4 631
    11.2
    3 Cobbitty - LeppingtonGreater Sydney
    22 559
    4 054
    21.9
    4 Riverstone - Marsden ParkGreater Sydney
    21 668
    3 775
    21.1
    5 TarneitGreater Melbourne
    39 802
    3 270
    9.0
    6 TruganinaGreater Melbourne
    27 952
    2 975
    11.9
    7 PimpamaRest of Qld
    12 586
    2 966
    30.8
    8 Waterloo - BeaconsfieldGreater Sydney
    37 929
    2 606
    7.4
    9 MerndaGreater Melbourne
    19 708
    2 440
    14.1
    10 EllenbrookGreater Perth
    39 520
    2 269
    6.1

    FASTEST GROWTH(b)

    1 Mickleham - YurokeGreater Melbourne
    4 807
    1 253
    35.3
    2 CoombsAustralian Capital Territory
    2 528
    647
    34.4
    3 PimpamaRest of Qld
    12 586
    2 966
    30.8
    4 Rockbank - Mount CottrellGreater Melbourne
    4 080
    897
    28.2
    5 Cranbourne EastGreater Melbourne
    34 164
    7 338
    27.4
    6 Alkimos - EglintonGreater Perth
    10 401
    2 110
    25.4
    7 Palmerston - SouthGreater Darwin
    3 996
    804
    25.2
    8 Cobbitty - LeppingtonGreater Sydney
    22 559
    4 054
    21.9
    9 Riverstone - Marsden ParkGreater Sydney
    21 668
    3 775
    21.1
    10 WollertGreater Melbourne
    11 657
    2 006
    20.8

    (a) National Rank based on population change between June 2016 and June 2017. See paragraphs 41 and 42 of the Explanatory Notes.
    (b) Excludes SA2s with a population of less than 1,000 at June 2016.
  • Whyalla, on the east coast of South Australia's Eyre Peninsula, experienced the largest population decline in 2016-17 (declining by 450 people), followed by the Queensland mining area of Mount Isa (-440) and the mid-west seaport of Geraldton (-400) in Western Australia.
  • Collinsville, in the Bowen Basin region of Queensland, recorded the fastest decline in population, falling by 5.1% in 2016-17. This was followed by the northern remote SA2 of Outback (-4.5%) in South Australia, Meekatharra in Western Australia's mid-west and Bouldercombe in central Queensland (both -3.7%).


POPULATION CHANGE BY SA2, Australia - 2016-17
Image: Map showing Population Change by SA2, Australia, 2016-17