Australia’s population is predicted to grow by a further four million people over the next ten years.

The federal government’s Centre for Population, which has produced this latest statement, predicts the current Australian population of 27.5 million will grow to 31.5 million by the end of 2035.

And despite falling migration from overseas, coupled with a slowing birth rate, the Centre for Population estimates that this figure is likely to exceed 40 million by 2065.

Net overseas migration is continuing to ease after reaching record highs in recent years, according to the report. It is expected to total 260,000 people in 2025-26, well below the peak of 556,000 recorded in the 12 months to September 2023.

The decline has been driven largely by fewer arrivals of temporary migrants, particularly those holding visitor and student visas.

While two-child families remain the most common family size in Australia, smaller families are becoming more prevalent, while larger family sizes continue to decline.

The country’s total fertility rate is projected to fall to 1.42 in 2025-26, remaining well below the ‘replacement level’ of 2.1 children per female.

So why is Australia’s population continuing to spiral upwards?

Australia continues to rank amongst the countries with the highest life expectancy. By 2035-36, average life expectancy is expected to reach 87.1 years for women and 83.4 years for men.

The number of very elderly Australians is projected to grow rapidly according to the latest report. By 2065-66, the Centre for Population predicts that there will be 1.9 million people aged 85 and over – more than triple the current figure.

The median age of Australians is also expected to rise by 1.8 years to 40.2 years by 2035-36, about half the rate of ageing experienced during the 1990s.

Population growth and ageing patterns differ significantly across Australia.

Western Australia is projected to record the highest population growth rate at 1.8 per cent in 2025–26. And major cities are projected to grow nearly twice as fast as regional areas, with Sydney and Melbourne both expected to surpass 8 million residents in the 2050s.

At the time of writing, the population of Australia sits at approximately 27.5 million, a 44 per cent increase since 2000. The fertility rate (average number of births per mother) is currently at 1.64.

The Message is the ground-breaking debut novel by Yan Vana, a thought-provoking and critically acclaimed book that will change the way you think about the human population and the near future of earth.

“What a book! Such an eye opening perspective, utterly true… compelling and extremely accurate. Heaven help us.”