Population and Demographics of Australia
An aging population · 17.73% aged 65 or older in 2024
The age balance in Australia spans 17.84% under 15 and 17.73% aged 65 or older, and the current annual rate is +0.99% rather than a static population. The longer record adds perspective: the population changed by +39.6% between 2000 and 2024. By 2050, the medium path points to 32.51 million, equivalent to a +21.7% change from the 2024 estimate.
Population Over Time in Australia
Over the 24 years from 2000 to 2024, Australia added roughly 7.58 million people, leaving the 2024 total at 26.713M. The UN medium projection places 2050 at 32.507M, about 21.7% above the 2024 reference point. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
Australia has a maturing demographic profile in the 2024 broad age data. Broad age shares are 17.84% under 15, 64.43% aged 15 to 64 and 17.73% aged 65 or older. The youngest and oldest broad age groups are relatively close in size.
Population by broad age group
The 2024 World Bank sex-share indicator gives Australia a female share of 50.4% and a male share of 49.6%. Females exceed males by 0.8 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Females made up 50.4% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 49.6% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
The short-run measure for Australia is +0.99% population change in 2024, alongside fertility of 1.6, while the 15-to-64 share is 64.43% and the under-15 share is 17.84%.
Across the historical reference points, Australia moved +39.6% from 2000 to 2024, and the UN medium scenario changes the 2024 total by +21.7% through 2050; neither series alone identifies the separate contributions of births, deaths and migration.
2024 estimate for Australia. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Australia vs. World
Australia's demographic position looks different depending on the measure: annual change is higher than the world rate, fertility is below it, and its population is older than the global median-age profile.
| Indicator | Australia | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +0.99% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.6 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 38 | 30.6 | 2024 |
All three comparison rows use 2024 values from the same harmonized country table. That table attributes its demographic series to UN World Population Prospects 2024, so no different-year values are mixed into this comparison.
Key Takeaways
The 2024 total is 26,713,205 people. Annual change in the same harmonized table is +0.99%.
The 2024 age structure is 17.84% under 15, 64.43% aged 15 to 64 and 17.73% aged 65 or older.
Females make up 50.4% of the 2024 population in the World Bank indicator, with males at 49.6%.
The 2050 medium projection is 32.507M, 21.7% above the 2024 estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Australia?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Australia is 26,713,205 people.
Is the population of Australia growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Australia's population is growing, with annual change of +0.99%.
What percentage of the population of Australia is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 17.73% of Australia's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Australia in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Australia's 2050 population at 32,506,969.
What is the fertility rate in Australia?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Australia is 1.6 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.