According to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Sydney’s population stood at 5.37 million on 30 June 2020, up 1.1 per cent from a year earlier, and just 207,995 above Melbourne’s 5.16 million figure.
Surprisingly, and despite a growing sea-change/tree-change trend, Melbourne had the largest population increase, growing by more than 80,000 people.
Although Melbourne’s toughest and longest lockdown kicked in after the ABS figures were compiled, the city is well and truly closing in on Sydney, which took over as the country’s biggest city in 1902.
But the latter months of COVID are expected to put Sydney at a slight advantage, as a number of Melburnians are tipped to have packed their bags in protest against the state government in the September quarter.
As for Australia’s other capital cities, it was Brisbane and Perth that saw the highest growth rates in the year to June 2020.
Brisbane's population grew by 1.9 per cent during 2019-20, while Perth added 1.8 per cent.
In fact, only Darwin experienced a decrease in population during 2019-20, with 180 fewer people calling the Northern Territory capital home at 30 June 2020 compared to the previous year.
|
|
2019-20 (no.) |
2019-20 (%) |
|
|
Sydney |
5,367,206 |
57,107 |
1.1 |
|
Melbourne |
5,159,211 |
80,088 |
1.6 |
|
Brisbane |
2,560,720 |
46,914 |
1.9 |
|
Adelaide |
1,376,601 |
16,127 |
1.2 |
|
Perth |
2,125,114 |
37,559 |
1.8 |
|
Hobart |
238,834 |
2,610 |
1.1 |
|
Darwin |
147,231 |
-184 |
-0.1 |
|
Canberra |
431,380 |
5,095 |
1.2 |
|
Total capital cities |
17,406,297 |
245,316 |
1.4 |
ABS data also reveals the population growth hotspots within the capitals and the rest of the country.
Mickleham - Yuroke in Melbourne’s outer north had the highest growth rate (33 per cent) in Australia in 2019-20, while Riverstone - Marsden Park in Sydney's outer north-west had the largest growth (up by 8,900 people).
|
State/Territory |
Largest growth 2019-20 |
Highest growth rate 2019-20(a) |
||
|
Area |
Number |
Area |
Per cent |
|
|
Victoria |
Cranbourne East |
6,300 |
Mickleham - Yuroke |
32.8 |
|
New South Wales |
Riverstone - Marsden Park |
8,900 |
Riverstone - Marsden Park |
27.8 |
|
Queensland |
Pimpama |
2,700 |
Ripley |
20.3 |
|
Northern Territory |
Palmerston - South |
830 |
Palmerston - South |
14.6 |
|
Australian Capital Territory |
Throsby |
550 |
Moncrieff |
14.3 |
|
Western Australia |
Ellenbrook |
2,400 |
Alkimos - Eglinton |
10.2 |
|
South Australia |
Munno Para West - Angle Vale |
970 |
Munno Para West - Angle Vale |
6.6 |
|
Tasmania |
Newnham - Mayfield |
290 |
Rokeby |
4.0 |
