Australia's population reaches 27.9 million after 1.4 per cent growth, with Western Australia fastest

17 September 2026

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Australia's population reached 27.9 million people at 31 March 2026. The population grew 1.4 per cent over the preceding twelve months. Net overseas migration added 292,100 people and natural increase added 100,600 people. Western Australia was the fastest-growing state, up 2.1 per cent. The figures come from the ABS release National, state and territory population. Bjorn Jarvis, the ABS head of population statistics, presented the result. Net overseas migration is the difference between people arriving to stay and people leaving for a long period.