Population Hits 27million

Australia's population has hit 27 million people – years earlier than it was predicted to reach the milestone.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics says its Population Clock reached 27 million on Wednesday January 24, driven by record annual growth in the past 12 months.

The increase equates to an additional 624,100 people in 2023. Forecasts in the early 2000s had Australia reaching the 27 million mark well past 2042.

The Population Clock is an automated clock which uses the estimated resident population, as of June 30, 2023 and factors in one birth every 1 minute and 42 seconds and one death every two minutes and 52 seconds as well as migration figures.

Although birth and death rates have remained fairly steady in the past 12 months it was the record overseas arrivals which attributed to hitting the milestone this week.

Demographer, Mark McCrindle, says if the growth rate continues Australia could hit 28 million people by August 2025.