Australia · state
New South Wales population 2026
New South Wales has 8,670,105 people on the latest official figure, for 31 March 2026, 96,971 more than a year earlier (+1.13%). It is the most populous of Australia’s 8 states and territories, home to 31.1% of Australia’s people.
If last year’s change continues: about 8.7 million by 1 July 2026. That is our arithmetic, not an official figure.
New South Wales in numbers
- Population
- 8.7 million 31 March 2026
- Change in a year
- +1.13% +96,971 people
- Change since 2020
- +5.88% from 8.1 million
- Share of Australia
- 31.1% Largest of 8 states and territories
- Population density
- 11per km² 801,150 km²
That is about as many people as Belarus (8.9 million).
Population of New South Wales by year
› Show the numbers as a table
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 6,446,558 |
| 2001 | 6,530,349 |
| 2002 | 6,580,807 |
| 2003 | 6,620,715 |
| 2004 | 6,650,735 |
| 2005 | 6,693,206 |
| 2006 | 6,742,690 |
| 2007 | 6,834,156 |
| 2008 | 6,943,461 |
| 2009 | 7,053,755 |
| 2010 | 7,144,292 |
| 2011 | 7,218,529 |
| 2012 | 7,304,244 |
| 2013 | 7,404,032 |
| 2014 | 7,508,353 |
| 2015 | 7,616,168 |
| 2016 | 7,732,858 |
| 2017 | 7,855,316 |
| 2018 | 7,954,476 |
| 2019 | 8,046,748 |
| 2020 | 8,110,610 |
| 2021 | 8,097,062 |
| 2022 | 8,182,098 |
| 2023 | 8,356,387 |
| 2024 | 8,492,050 |
| 2025 | 8,587,369 |
| Year | Population | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8,587,369 | +95,319 | +1.12% |
| 2024 | 8,492,050 | +135,663 | +1.62% |
| 2023 | 8,356,387 | +174,289 | +2.13% |
| 2022 | 8,182,098 | +85,036 | +1.05% |
| 2021 | 8,097,062 | −13,548 | −0.17% |
| 2020 | 8,110,610 | +63,862 | +0.79% |
| 2019 | 8,046,748 | +92,272 | +1.16% |
| 2018 | 7,954,476 | +99,160 | +1.26% |
| 2017 | 7,855,316 | +122,458 | +1.58% |
| 2016 | 7,732,858 | +116,690 | +1.53% |
| 2015 | 7,616,168 | +107,815 | +1.44% |
| 2014 | 7,508,353 | +104,321 | +1.41% |
| 2013 | 7,404,032 | +99,788 | +1.37% |
| 2012 | 7,304,244 | +85,715 | +1.19% |
| 2011 | 7,218,529 | +74,237 | +1.04% |
Yearly figures are for 30 June; the headline is the latest quarter, 31 March 2026, compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
New South Wales among Australia’s states and territories
Full ranking →| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New South Wales | 8,670,105 | +1.13% | 31.1% | 11 |
| 2 | Victoria | 7,154,221 | +1.55% | 25.6% | 32 |
| 3 | Queensland | 5,739,461 | +1.59% | 20.6% | 3 |
| 4 | Western Australia | 3,096,222 | +2.12% | 11.1% | 1 |
| 5 | South Australia | 1,916,836 | +0.97% | 6.9% | 2 |
| 6 | Tasmania | 580,691 | +0.59% | 2.1% | 9 |
| 7 | Australian Capital Territory | 489,668 | +1.28% | 1.8% | 208 |
| 8 | Northern Territory | 268,899 | +1.50% | 1.0% | 0 |
Largest cities in New South Wales
City proper, not the wider metro area; latest figure in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), so years differ.
- Sydney5,638,830
- Newcastle508,437
- Central Coast346,596
- Wollongong280,153
- Maitland89,597
- Coffs Harbour78,759
Air quality in New South Wales today
Hourly AQI and a 48-hour forecast.
Questions
What is the population of New South Wales in 2026?
Is New South Wales’s population growing or shrinking?
How does New South Wales rank in Australia?
What is the population density of New South Wales?
What is the largest city in New South Wales?
Source and method
Australian Bureau of Statistics, National, state and territory population. CC BY 4.0. Total area, Wikidata. The ABS updates these estimates every quarter. Ranks, shares and changes are our arithmetic on the published figures. National figures can differ from the UN’s projection for Australia, which uses a different method. The 2026 figure above carries last year’s change forward; it does not come from the source.
Cite this page: New South Wales population, Australian Bureau of Statistics, 31 March 2026. GlobeMetrics, https://globemetrics.org/world-population/australia/new-south-wales/
Australia population by state and territory · Australia population · All countries’ states and regions