21410 – Population Growth & Distribution

Population Growth & Distribution (21410) measures how fast Australia’s population is growing: growth over the year in estimated resident population, in per cent. Higher readings mean faster growth, and more people to house. It is a component of the APN Aggregate Demographic Index™ (21400), at a weight of 0.25.

Primary metric: Node Z-Score (Z₂₁₄₁₀)

Metric typology: single-series Z-score of a growth rate.

Tier-1 sovereign statistical releases (ABS). No commercial data provider dependency exists within this node.

The chart shows the node’s reading in every quarter, measured against the 2011–2025 baseline.

At −0.1883σ (Q1 2026), the population grew 1.43% in the year to March 2026, slightly below its 2011–2025 average of 1.52%. Position. 49.4, ranked against 175 quarters since September 1982: close to the middle of the record.

Growth fell to 0.10% in the year to March 2021, while the international border was closed, and rose to 2.53% in the year to September 2023 as overseas migration resumed, the fastest since the record began in 1982. It has eased in each of the past two quarters.

The other components of the APN Aggregate Demographic Index™ (21400), and the series’ companion node.