For the latest flood and weather warnings, search on ABC Emergency
Within a decade, Australia's population is expected to be smaller and older than what was predicted before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Centre for Population's 2022 Population Statement reveals the pandemic has had a substantial impact on the country's population, which has mostly been caused by a limit to overseas migration from border closures.
That statement reveals how Australia's population growth will change over the coming 10 years.
Here are the key takeaways:
The estimated resident population in Australia is expected to go from 25.7 million on June 30, 2021, to 29.9 million by June 30, 2033.
This means there will be a slight recovery from the pandemic, but it won't be a full one.
Annual population growth is expected to:
The median age is also projected to increase, from 38.4 years in 2020-21 to 40.1 years by 2032-33.
It may surprise some, but according to the statement, COVID-19 did not significantly impact fertility rates.
Over the past 60 years, fertility rates have been declining slowly and the trend is likely to continue.
The total fertility rate is projected to decline from 1.66 babies per woman in 2021–22 to 1.62 babies by 2030–31.
Australia's two largest cities often clash when talking about which one is the best but, by 2031-32, Melbourne is predicted to take out the prize for the largest city in the country, overtaking Sydney.
Meanwhile, South Australia and Tasmania will continue to have older populations than the rest of the states and territories.
Take a look at how your state or territory's population growth is projected to unfold, as overseas migration begins to bolster Australia's population growth once again.
States and territories are projected to return to their pre-pandemic patterns of population growth as migration continues to return, so population growth will remain steady.
Overseas migration has returned to Australia quickly since borders opened, but the recovery is not expected to fully offset the lost population growth during the pandemic.
During the pandemic, there was a net outflow of migrants for the first time since World War II.
So far, Australia has not seen as large an impact on deaths caused by COVID-19 as many other developed countries.
However, as infection numbers and death rates rose last year, deaths from COVID-19 and other causes have increased, resulting in a short-term fall in life expectancy from 2021-23.
After this, it's expected to improve at the same rate as what was predicted before the pandemic.
See our full coverage of coronavirus
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
