Demographics

This report is part of the AHURI Inquiry into Population Growth, Migration and Agglomeration. The aim of the Inquiry is to interrogate Australian and international evidence on the range of costs and benefits associated with agglomeration economies, when these effects may arise, how they might change with city scale, and how they might depend on spatial context

The study finds that macro-scale population projections over the long term largely align with overall population changes. The bulk of Australia’s population growth has been concentrated in major cities, where projections were exceeded on the outer edges and inner-city areas. Regional Australia has shared overall population growth, with only a few areas recording absolute population decline.

This research investigated the potential for Australia’s regional areas to attract and sustain population and economic growth, examining whether particular international strategies and Australian models for supporting development have been effective.