Capital city growth was the highest on record last year, according to new data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The figures show that the population of Australia’s capital cities grew by a record 517,200 people in the year ending June 2023, with the growth largely driven by net overseas migration.
Melbourne (up 167,500) and Sydney (up 146,700) had the biggest increase in 2022-23, with Perth and Brisbane each also adding over 80,000 people. Along with Adelaide (28,100), these five cities had their largest annual population growth since the start of the series in 1971.
The growth rate for the combined capitals was 3.0 per cent, more than double the growth rate for regional Australia (1.4 per cent).
Perth had the highest growth rate (3.6 per cent), followed by Melbourne (3.3 per cent) and Brisbane (3.1 per cent).