Australia's population grows due to jump in migrant activity

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Created on Monday, 13 January 2014 15:13

Written by Editorial staff

The number of people aged 65 years and older in Australia is growing rapidly, according to the latest facts and figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

A report published by the ABS in December shows the growth rate for this "older age group" was 3.7 per cent, which is considerably larger than the growth rate of 1.4 per cent recorded for the "working age group" (people aged between 15 and 64) and 1.7 per cent recorded for children.

Bjorn Jarvis, spokesperson for the ABS, said in 1993 the "older age group" made up 11.6 per cent of the population (2.1 million people). In the present day, people aged 65 years and older constitute 14.4 per cent of the population (3.3 million).

However, it's not just the number of older Australians that's on the rise. The ABS also revealed the overall population of Down Under has risen dramatically in the past year.

In the year to June 2013, 407,000 people were added to the population of Australia, taking it to 23.1 million. This equates to a growth rate of 1.8 per cent.

While "natural increase" was responsible for 162,700 of these (2.4 per cent more than were recorded the previous year), it was ultimately overseas migration that contributed the most new people to our country.

A whopping 244,400 people came to Australia on migration visas in the year to June 2013 - a number that constitutes 60 per cent of our country's population growth during that time.

This quantity is also much larger than the previous year, when a lesser (but still impressive) 225,100 people arrived in Australia on migration visas and made our country their new home.

Western Australia, stated Mr Jarvis, boasts the fastest-growing population in the entire country. Its population increased by 81,000 people (3.3 per cent) in the year to June 2013, which means the state is now home more than 2.5 million people.

It seems New South Wales and Victoria are also popular among migrants, as both recorded the "largest annual increases in almost four years" in 2013, reveals the ABS report.

If you're interested in making Australia your new home in 2014, migration agents across the country can provide you with the practical advice and support you need to make it happen.