WA the fastest growing state or territory in Australia, as population tips over 3 million
Western Australia's population grew to 3,008,697 people by the end of 2024, the ABS says. (ABC News: Benjamin Gubana)
In short:
Western Australia's population has surpassed 3 million people for the first time.
The state had the fastest growth rate of any Australian jurisdiction last year, with all states and territories recording a population increase.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics found overseas migration was the top contributor to the increase across Australia.
The population of Western Australia has officially tipped over 3 million people, with the state having the fastest growth rate of anywhere in the country last year.
It's in stark comparison to Tasmania, which is bleeding population to elsewhere and New South Wales which saw more than 112,000 people move interstate.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has put Australia's population at 27.4 million as of the end of 2024, with 445,900 people added to the tally in the year.
Perth, seen from space in 2024, has one of the longest urban sprawls in the world. (Supplied: NASA)
The ABS releases population data about six months behind, with the latest set of numbers across the nation showing the annual natural increase — considering births and deaths — was 105,200 and net overseas migration was 340,800.
There were a total of 292,400 births in Australia in 2024, an increase of 2.6 per cent on the previous year.
That was offset by 187,300 deaths, an increase of 3 per cent on 2023.
The ABS said all states and territories had positive population growth over 2024.
WA had the fastest rate of growth at 2.4 per cent and recorded a major milestone, with 3,008,697 people now living in the west.
Tasmania posted the slowest growth rate, although it still recorded an incremental uptick in population.
The island state added just 1,600 people to its population, mainly through net overseas migration, while 2,447 moved away from Tasmania to elsewhere.
All states and territories had population growth last year. (ABC News: Keana Naughton)
The ABS noted net overseas migration was the "major contributor" to change in all states and territories, with most people moving to New South Wales (106,730) and Victoria (100,503).
There was also a significant amount of internal migration between the states and territories, with Queensland adding another 25,940 people via net interstate movements.
More people moved away from New South Wales in 2024 than anywhere else, with the state losing 28,118 people to other places.
The data estimates resident population based on all people who usually live in Australia, regardless of nationality, citizenship or visa status.
WA had the fastest growth rate of any state or territory in the country last year. (ABC News: Andrew O'Connor)
In an ABC panel discussion on Wednesday, WA minister Anne Aly defended the federal government's record on immigration, and its impact on housing.
"I do want to just have a very cautionary point here about blaming migrants for housing, blaming migrants for congestion, blaming those pesky migrants for ... we don't have enough houses or anything like that," she said.
Dr Anne Aly spoke on the ABC Radio Perth panel regarding immigration and the pressures it was placing on housing. (ABC News: Jake Sturmer)
"The fact that there are not enough houses is because we do not build enough houses," she said.
"The long-term fix to housing is to build more housing and that is why our government has an ambitious plan to build 1.2 million houses.
"That is why we have the Housing Australia Future Fund, because we recognise that the fix for housing is to build more houses, to supply more houses."
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