Statistics about the population and components of change (births, deaths, migration) for Australia's capital cities and regions
Any reference to population refers to Estimated Resident Population (ERP).
Any reference to capital city refers to Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA), and any reference to area refers to Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2).
Statistics in this release are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
| ERP at 30 June 2020 | 2019-20 (no.) | 2019-20 (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 5,367,206 | 57,107 | 1.1 |
| Melbourne | 5,159,211 | 80,088 | 1.6 |
| Brisbane | 2,560,720 | 46,914 | 1.9 |
| Adelaide | 1,376,601 | 16,127 | 1.2 |
| Perth | 2,125,114 | 37,559 | 1.8 |
| Hobart | 238,834 | 2,610 | 1.1 |
| Darwin | 147,231 | -184 | -0.1 |
| Canberra | 431,380 | 5,095 | 1.2 |
| Total capital cities | 17,406,297 | 245,316 | 1.4 |
Population change at the regional level has three main components: natural increase, overseas migration and internal migration.
The areas with the largest growth were:
The areas with the highest growth rates were:
Outside of the capital cities:
| SA2 | SA4 | ERP at 30 June 2020 | 2019-20 (no.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverstone - Marsden Park | Sydney - Blacktown | 40,713 | 8,856 |
| Cranbourne East | Melbourne - South East | 55,510 | 6,292 |
| Cobbitty - Leppington | Sydney - South West | 37,043 | 4,897 |
| Rouse Hill - Beaumont Hills | Sydney - Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury | 36,078 | 4,403 |
| Mickleham - Yuroke | Melbourne - North West | 14,921 | 3,688 |
| SA2(a) | SA4 | ERP at 30 June 2020 | 2019-20 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mickleham - Yuroke | Melbourne - North West | 14,921 | 32.8 |
| Rockbank - Mount Cottrell | Melbourne - West | 11,379 | 29.1 |
| Riverstone - Marsden Park | Sydney - Blacktown | 40,713 | 27.8 |
| Wollert | Melbourne - North East | 19,354 | 20.3 |
| Ripley | Ipswich | 9,759 | 20.3 |
Australia's centre of population:
Australia's population density at June 2020 was 3.3 people per square kilometre (sq km).
The most densely populated areas were:
Population density can also be explored at a finer level by breaking Australia up into 1 km² grid cells.
Grid cells can be grouped into population density classes, ranging from no population to very high.
| No population | Very low | Low | Medium | High | Very High | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (0)* | (Less than 500)* | (500-2000)* | (2000-5000)* | (5000-8000)* | (More than 8000)* | |
| Sydney | 6,636 | 3,887 | 800 | 848 | 135 | 58 |
| Melbourne | 2,005 | 5,896 | 952 | 1,074 | 60 | 17 |
| Brisbane | 5,011 | 9,612 | 784 | 428 | 14 | 1 |
| Adelaide | 192 | 2,368 | 396 | 294 | 0 | 0 |
| Perth | 2,490 | 2,798 | 717 | 409 | 1 | 0 |
| Hobart | 473 | 1,089 | 114 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Darwin | 2,160 | 941 | 53 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Canberra | 1,778 | 324 | 201 | 56 | 1 | 0 |
* people per square kilometre
Greater Sydney increased by 57,100 people (1.1%), the rest of the state increased by 23,000 (0.8%).
The areas with the largest growth were:
The areas with the highest growth rates were:
The centre for New South Wales:
The centre for Sydney:
The areas with the highest density at June 2020 all surrounded Sydney's central business district:
Greater Melbourne increased by 80,100 people (1.6%), the rest of the state increased by 19,700 (1.3%).
The areas with the largest growth were:
The areas with the highest growth rates were:
The centre for Victoria:
The centre for Melbourne:
The areas with the highest density at June 2020 were:
Greater Brisbane increased by 46,900 people (1.9%), the rest of the state increased by 35,400 (1.4%).
The areas with the largest growth were:
The areas with the highest growth rates were:
The centre for Queensland:
The centre for Brisbane:
The areas with the highest density at June 2020 were all inner Brisbane suburbs:
Greater Adelaide increased by 16,100 people (1.2%), the rest of the state increased by 1,600 (0.4%).
The areas with the largest growth were:
The areas with the highest growth rates were:
The centre for South Australia:
The centre for Adelaide:
The areas with the highest density at June 2020 were:
Greater Perth increased by 37,600 people (1.8%), the rest of the state increased by 2,700 (0.5%).
The areas with the largest growth were:
The areas with the highest growth rates were:
North Coogee (7.1%) in Perth's south-west
The centre for Western Australia:
The centre for Perth:
The areas with the highest density at June 2020 were:
Greater Hobart increased by 2,600 people (1.1%), the rest of the state increased by 3,600 (1.2%).
The areas with the largest growth were:
The areas with the highest growth rates were:
The centre for Tasmania:
The centre for Hobart:
The areas with the highest density at June 2020 were all close to Hobart's central business district:
Greater Darwin declined by 180 people (-0.1%), the rest of the territory increased by 180 (0.2%).
The areas with the largest growth were:
The areas with the highest growth rates were:
The centre for the Northern Territory:
The centre for Darwin:
The areas with the highest density at June 2020 were:
The number of people living in the Australian Capital Territory increased by 5,100 (1.2%).
The areas with the largest growth were all new suburbs on Canberra's northern outskirts:
The areas with the highest growth rates were:
The centre for the Australian Capital Territory:
The areas with the highest density at June 2020 were:
Includes population estimates for Significant Urban Areas, Remoteness Areas and electoral divisions.
Population estimates for 2021 Commonwealth Electoral Divisions were added on 29 November 2021.
13/04/2021 - As advertised in this publication on 31 March 2021, this additional release contains interactive maps of population change 2019-20 and the population grid 2020.
29/11/2021 - Population estimates for 2021 Commonwealth Electoral Division boundaries were added to the Population estimates by selected Non-ABS Structures, 2010 to 2020 data cube in Table 5.
This release previously used catalogue number 3218.0.