Australia · official figures · 31 March 2026
Australia population by state and territory, 2026
Australia has 27,916,103 people on the latest official figures (31 March 2026). New South Wales is the largest state, with 8.7 million, followed by Victoria with 7.2 million; Northern Territory is the smallest, with 269 thousand.
All 8 states and territories, largest first
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New South Wales | 8,670,105 | +1.13% | +5.88% | 31.1% | 11 |
| 2 | Victoria | 7,154,221 | +1.55% | +6.79% | 25.6% | 32 |
| 3 | Queensland | 5,739,461 | +1.59% | +9.77% | 20.6% | 3 |
| 4 | Western Australia | 3,096,222 | +2.12% | +12.24% | 11.1% | 1 |
| 5 | South Australia | 1,916,836 | +0.97% | +6.22% | 6.9% | 2 |
| 6 | Tasmania | 580,691 | +0.59% | +3.63% | 2.1% | 9 |
| 7 | Australian Capital Territory | 489,668 | +1.28% | +8.94% | 1.8% | 208 |
| 8 | Northern Territory | 268,899 | +1.50% | +7.50% | 1.0% | 0 |
Total area, Wikidata. “In 5 years” compares the latest yearly figures.
Questions
Which state of Australia has the most people?
New South Wales, with 8,670,105 people (31 March 2026), 31.1% of Australia. Then Victoria, with 7,154,221.
Which has the fewest people?
Northern Territory, with 268,899 (31 March 2026).
Which is growing fastest?
Western Australia, up +2.12% in the latest year. None of them shrank.
What share of Australia’s people live in the three largest?
77.2%: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland.
How current are these figures, and who publishes them?
They are for 31 March 2026, from Australian Bureau of Statistics, National, state and territory population. The ABS updates these estimates every quarter.
Source and method
Australian Bureau of Statistics, National, state and territory population. CC BY 4.0. The ABS updates these estimates every quarter. These national figures can differ from the UN’s projection for Australia, which uses one method for every country.
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