Victoria’s population fastest growing in Australia new study finds

VICTORIA has once again led the nation in population growth with Melbourne set to overtake Sydney as Australia’s biggest city sooner than you might think.

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MELBOURNE’S population could hit nine million by mid-century with continuing high immigration levels, says a new report.

Victoria again led the nation in population growth last year, adding 127,500 people in the year to 30 September 2016 to reach 6.1 million, said the Australian Bureau of Statistics report.

Only New South Wales, with 109,600 extra people, came anywhere close to our boom.

Victoria surged on the back of a 13 per cent rise in net overseas migration to 65,000, while it had a net gain of 17,200 people moving here from other states.

We also welcomed 82,315 newborns over the period — 7400 more than the previous year.

The great bulk of Victoria’s growth was focused on Melbourne, with demographers estimating that an astonishing 40 per cent of residents now are foreign-born.

Victoria again led the nation in population growth last year. Picture: File

This compares with only 29 per cent for New York, 22 per cent for Paris and two per cent for Tokyo.

Given continuing high migration, fertility and life expectancy rates, Melbourne’s population could almost double to 7.95 million by 2046 and top nine million by 2056, according to an ABS projection.

According to this scenario, Melbourne would overtake Sydney as the nation’s biggest city by 2036.

Lithuanian migrant Laura Buividas said her family initially came to Melbourne for career reasons and fell in love with the place.

“There are great opportunities here for education, health care and leisure activities, I was expecting another baby and it seemed the right place to raise kids,” she said.

“We don’t see a better place anywhere else in the world yet.”

Melbourne’s population could hit nine million by mid-century Photo: iStock.

The report Australian Demographic Statistics September Quarter 2016 revealed that the nation’s population grew by 348,700 to reach 24.2 million over the 12-month period.

Net overseas migration accounted for 55 per cent of total growth adding 193,200 people, while natural increase — births minus deaths — added 155,500 people.

Victoria had a 2.1 per cent annual growth rate to reach 6.1 million, followed by NSW with 1.4 per cent to reach 7.76 million, Queensland (1.4 per cent and 4.86 million), WA (one per cent and 2.62 million), South Australia (0.6 per cent and 1.71 million) and Tasmania (0.5 per cent and 520,000).

@JMasanauskas