Population increases by 1.6 per cent

(Weyne Yew/Unsplash)

Australia’s population grew by 1.6 per cent in the 12 months to September 30, 2022, according to the latest figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

ABS demography head Beidar Cho said the data showed an increase of 418,500 people over the year.

“Our population at September 30, 2022 is 26.1 million people,” she said.

“That’s 1.6 per cent growth, which is similar to what we saw in the years before the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“Migrant arrivals have returned to similar levels to those prior to the pandemic but departures remain lower – mainly because there are fewer recently arrived temporary migrants, like international students, who are due to leave.”

The data showed there were 536,900 overseas migration arrivals and 233,200 departures, resulting in Australia’s population growing by 303,700 people from overseas migration.