Victoria has ranked as the country’s fastest growing state by population for the first time in seven years thanks to net overseas migration, the Australian Bureau of Statistics says.
In the year to March Victoria added 114,900 people, pushing the state’s population to 6 million. That puts Victoria at a growth rate of 1.9 percent, faster than the national average of 1.4 percent.
More than half of the people added, 62,800, were overseas migrants.
POPULATION GROWTH RATES
- Australia’s population grew by 1.4 per cent during the year ending March 21, 2016.
- Natural increase and net overseas migration contributed 44.8 per cent and 55.2 per cent respectively to total population growth for the year ending March 21, 2016.
- All states and territories recorded positive population growth in the year ended March 31, 2016.
- Victoria recorded the highest growth rate of all states and territories at 1.9 per cent.
- The Northern Territory recorded the lowest growth rate at 0.4 per cent.
“The last time Victoria was growing this fast, back in 2009, the breakdown of Victoria’s growth was different, with net overseas migration at 84,200, natural increase 34,600 and a net interstate migration inflow of just 500 people,” ABS acting Director of Demography Phil Browning said in a statement.
New South Wales was the next fastest state, increasing by 1.4 percent. Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory were not far behind, with both growing at 1.3 percent
The Victorian population is projected to reach 7 million in 2024.
Overall, Australia’s population grew by 327,600 people, or 1.4 percent, to reach 24 million by the end of March 2016.
Net overseas migration added 180,800 people to the population, which was 2 percent higher than the previous year and accounted for 55 percent of Australia’s total population growth.
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