3311.2 - Demography, Victoria, 1998
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 16/12/1999
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MEDIA RELEASE
Interstate migration gains reverse 20 year trend for Victoria For the first time in over twenty years interstate migration has contributed to Victoria's population growth, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today. This population gain came from both overseas migration (26,402 people) and interstate migration (2,848 people), making Victoria's population at the end of 1998 an estimated 4,683,800. This reflects a growth rate of 1.2%, just below the national growth rate of 1.3%. Population projections to 2051 for Australia envisage that Queensland will overtake Victoria as the second most populous State sometime after 2020. In 1998, there were 60,466 births registered to mothers whose usual residence was in Victoria. On average Victorian mothers are older than mothers in other States and Territories and this is reflected in the median age of mothers, which was 30.2 years compared to the national average of 29.5 years. Age-specific birth rates show that the fertility of older women is increasing more rapidly in Victoria than in Australia generally. The peak age of fertility for Victoria was 30-34 years in both 1997 and 1998, whereas the national peak age of fertility was 25-29 years. The proportion of ex-nuptial births increased by 4.1% (560 births) from 1997 and now represents nearly one quarter (23.3%) of all births, compared to 14.8% in 1988. However, there is an increasing propensity for ex-nuptial births to be recognised by the father with paternity-acknowledged births reaching 92.0% of ex-nuptial births in 1998, compared to 76.5% in 1988. Malignant neoplasms (cancer) and heart disease accounted for over half of all deaths (27% and 28% respectively) in Victoria in 1998. The median age at death was 75.0 years for males and 81.7 years for females, compared to the 1988 figures of 72.3 and 78.7 years, respectively. Victorian females recorded the second highest median age at death across all Australian States and Territories. The number of marriages registered in Victoria rose by 3.6% when compared to 1997 figures (26,372 marriages registered). The crude marriage rate of 5.7 per 1,000 population was the first increase recorded since 1988. However, it was also the second-lowest rate recorded since 1931, during the Great Depression. Nearly half (47.7%) of all marriages in Victoria in 1998 were performed by civil celebrants, compared to 38.8% in 1988, with the median age at marriage in 1998 standing at 29.8 years for the bridegroom and 27.8 years for the bride. This has been increasing steadily for several years for both men and women. There were 12,307 divorces granted in Victoria during 1998, a 1.3% decrease from 1997. Further details can be obtained from the publication Demography Victoria, 1998 (cat. no. 3311.2) available at the ABS bookshop. A summary of findings can be found on this site. The ABS encourages media with online services to link to the summaries. If you need assistance to do this please phone us. If you wish to purchase a copy of this publication telephone 02 6252 6249. Document Selection These documents will be presented in a new window.
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