New population data reveals Victorians continue to leave the state

More than 100,000 people left Victoria in the past 12 months, sparking concerns of a “generational shift away from living and working in Melbourne”.

Victorians are continuing to leave the state but overseas arrivals are driving growth in our overall population.

New figures released on Thursday show that more than 85,000 people moved to Victoria from other states in the year to June.

But almost 103,000 people left, resulting in a net loss of 17,233, adding to the exodus that kicked off during the Covid pandemic.

Experts fear it could take years to reverse the trend, pointing to an increased emphasis on liveability and flexible working arrangements.

The population figures reveal a net loss of 17,233 people. Picture: James Gourley

Victoria first started losing locals in the three months to June 2020 and although that trend has stayed, it is easing.

Prior to the pandemic, the state had not lost more people interstate than it had gained in more than a decade, or the June quarter in 2008.

Queensland had the highest net interstate migration, luring 55,400 people from other states, with Western Australia also attracting 10,000.

Social researcher Mark McCrindle said Queensland was more affordable than Victoria and people were chasing lifestyle changes.

Mr McCrindle said there had been a generational shift away from living and working in Melbourne, with people now prioritising small capital cities and regions.

“There’s not that same gravitas and allure from the CBDs,” he said.

“That will take some time to come back.”

Many Victorians are chasing lifestyle changes interstate. Picture: AAP

Mr McCrindle said the big growth factor for Victoria was overseas arrivals and even that had slowed down.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data reveals more than 55,000 people migrated to Victoria from overseas.

When combined with a natural increase of almost 30,000, this led to a population boost of 1 per cent.

Victoria’s population was 6.6 million people at June 30, following New South Wales at 8.1 million.

However, both states are at risk of losing a seat at the next federal redistribution due to the population declines during the pandemic.

This comes after Victoria gained a new seat, Hawke, prior to May federal election.

The state could lose up to two seats if population numbers are too low.

Australian Bureau of Statistics demography director Beidar Cho said the national population also rose 1.1 per cent to 25.9 million people, following an increase of 290,900 people.

“There were 395,000 overseas migration arrivals and 224,100 departures during the year ending 30 June 2022, resulting in net overseas migration of 170,900 people,” Ms Cho said.

Meanwhile, Melbourne continues to trend as a top global destination on Airbnb next year, moving up two spots from last year to number three.

The city follows Málaga, Spain at the top of the list, while Sydney was ranked second out of the top three searches on Airbnb.