The demand for Australia’s homes has been boosted by a 14-year high jump in population, new data shows.
Figures released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveal that Australia’s population grew by 1.9% in 2022, the highest rate of growth seen since 2008.
At 31 December 2022 the population was 26.3 million people, following an increase of 496,800 people over the year.
There were 619,600 overseas migration arrivals and 232,600 departures, resulting in Australia’s population growing by 387,000 people from overseas migration.
ABS head of Demography Beidar Cho noted that international student arrivals is driving net overseas migration to historic highs, while departures are lagging behind levels typically seen over the past decade.
“This pattern is expected to continue as international students return following the reopening of international borders, however there are fewer students ready to depart because very few arrived during the pandemic”, Ms Cho said.
Natural increase was 109,800 people, a decrease of 23.4% from the previous year. There were 300,700 births and 190,900 deaths registered during this time, with deaths increasing 11.1% and births decreasing 4.6%. COVID-19 mortality was the main contributor to an increased number of deaths and lower natural increase in 2022.
