MELBOURNE, Apr 23: Australia’s population is set to touch an estimated 23 million people tonight, according to a report.
Australian Bureau of Statistics has said that the projection is based on last year’s population estimate and takes into account factors such as the country’s birth rate, death rate and international migration.
“With a birth every one minute and 44 seconds, a new migrant arriving every two minutes and 19 seconds and a death every three minutes and 32 seconds, the 23 million mark will be reached just after 10:00pm (local time), ABC report quoted the official data.
With births outnumbering deaths two to one and a 14 per cent increase in migration, Australia’s population is now growing by more than 1,000 people per day.
Around 1,80,000 people move to Australia each year, the report said, adding that ABS estimated that if current migration and birth rates do not change, Australia’s population will be 35 million in 2056 and 44 million in 2101.
“While we would like to think that the 23 millionth Australian would be a beautiful little baby boy, it could also be a British backpacker who’s decided to stay in Australia and work in Australia. It could be an Australian who’s been living overseas coming back to Australia, it could be a New Zealand citizen who’s decided they want to live in Australia for a while,” ABS director of demography Bjorn Davis said.
“The reality is the population clock gives us an answer to the question of how many people there are in Australia now, but it’s based on taking our most recent estimate of the population that we released a few weeks ago for September 2012, and then making some assumptions,” he said. (PTI)
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