Australian population clock strikes 23 million people

The Australian Bureau of Statistics have recorded that Australia is experiencing ‘world-beating’ growth with one birth every one minute and forty-four seconds, one migrant arriving every two minutes and nineteen seconds and one death every three minutes and thirty-two seconds.

These statistics are based on Australia’s population, birth date, death rate and international migration for 2012.

Social researcher and demographer, Mark McDrindle describes Australia’s growth levels as way ahead of other developed nations.

“We can say that Australia has world-beating population growth right now. The world is growing 1.1 per cent per annum and Australia [at] 1.7 per cent is really out in front.”

With a 14 per cent increase in migration and the number of births doubling the number of deaths, more than 1,000 people per day are calling Australia home.

The ABS state that if these figures stay the same, the population of Australia will be 35 million in 2056 and 44 million in 2101.

With 180,000 people moving to Australia each year, McDrindle says the population growth is largely due to net migration and predicts Australia will reach 40 million people by 2050.

ABS Director of Demography, Bjorn Davis, says the 23 millionth person could be anyone from a new born baby to a British backpacker living and working in Australia.

“We certainly don’t have people standing by with clipboards at the hospital watching the babies being born or people standing by at the airports with a bean counter counting how many people are crossing the border.”