Here you can view useful data published by third parties on issues affecting the NT
CommSec State of the States ed 62 – January 2025
CommSec, the digital broking arm of Australia’s largest bank, assesses the performance of each state and territory on a quarterly basis using eight key indicators. Those indicators include economic growth, household spending, equipment investment, unemployment, construction work done, population growth, housing finance and dwelling commencements. Just as the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) uses long-term averages to determine the level of ‘normal’ interest rates, CommSec compares the key indicators to decade averages; that is, against ‘normal’ performance. CommSec also compares annual growth rates for eight key indicators for all states and territories, in addition to Australia as a whole, enabling a comparison of economic momentum.
CommSec State of the States ed 63 – April 2025
CommSec, the digital broking arm of Australia’s largest bank, assesses the performance of each state and territory on a quarterly basis using eight key indicators. Those indicators include economic growth, household spending, equipment investment, unemployment, construction work done, population growth, housing finance and dwelling commencements. Just as the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) uses long-term averages to determine the level of ‘normal’ interest rates, CommSec compares the key indicators to decade averages; that is, against ‘normal’ performance. CommSec also compares annual growth rates for eight key indicators for all states and territories, in addition to Australia as a whole, enabling a comparison of economic momentum.
CommSec State of the States ed 59 – April 2024
CommSec, the digital broking arm of Australia’s largest bank, assesses the performance of each state and territory on a quarterly basis using eight key indicators. Those indicators include economic growth, household spending, equipment investment, unemployment, construction work done, population growth, housing finance and dwelling commencements. Just as the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) uses long-term averages to determine the level of ‘normal’ interest rates, CommSec compares the key indicators to decade averages; that is, against ‘normal’ performance. CommSec also compares annual growth rates for eight key indicators for all states and territories, in addition to Australia as a whole, enabling a comparison of economic momentum.
CommSec State of the States ed 60 – July 2024
CommSec, the digital broking arm of Australia’s largest bank, assesses the performance of each state and territory on a quarterly basis using eight key indicators. Those indicators include economic growth, household spending, equipment investment, unemployment, construction work done, population growth, housing finance and dwelling commencements. Just as the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) uses long-term averages to determine the level of ‘normal’ interest rates, CommSec compares the key indicators to decade averages; that is, against ‘normal’ performance. CommSec also compares annual growth rates for eight key indicators for all states and territories, in addition to Australia as a whole, enabling a comparison of economic momentum.
Regional Population, 2024–25
- Australia’s population grew by 1.5 per cent in 2024–25, slightly below the pre-pandemic average of 1.6 per cent, but this picture varied at the regional level.
- Capital city combined population growth fell to 1.8 per cent (325,000 people) in 2024–25 in line with the growth rate observed prior to the pandemic.
- This was down from 2.3 per cent in the previous year, reflecting the slowing net inflow of overseas migrants to capital cities (258,000 in 2024–25, down from 368,000 in 2023–24). Darwin was the only capital that grew faster (1.7 per cent) than the previous year (1.5 per cent).
- Perth (2.4 per cent) was the fastest growing capital city in 2024–25, while Hobart (0.2 per cent) was the only capital city with a growth rate below 1 per cent.
- Around 85 per cent of net overseas migration (NOM) went to capital cities in 2024–25, similar to the previous year and the three years prior to the pandemic.
- Net internal migration outflow from capital cities to rest-of-state areas was approximately 30,000 in 2024–25, lower than the 2023-24 high of 34,000.
- Combined rest-of-state areas growth aligned with the pre-pandemic trend (1.1 per cent or 95,000 people), slightly lower than 2023-24 (1.3 per cent).
- Although net overseas migration had fallen compared to 2023-24 levels, it remained the primary driver of rest-of-state growth (47,000).
- Many rest-of-state areas experienced natural decrease (more deaths than births), due to their older age structure.3 In most cases this was offset by net internal and overseas migration (e.g. Mid North Coast of New South Wales and Wide Bay of Queensland). However, some regions (such as Launceston) experienced population decline that primarily reflected net internal migration outflows.
National, State and Territory Population, September 2025
Australia's population reached 27.7 million in the September 2025 quarter. Population growth has moderated to the pre-pandemic decade average of 1.6 per cent, following the strong rebound post-pandemic. Over the year to September 2025, the population increased by 424,000 people. Of this, natural increase (births minus deaths) added 113,000, while net overseas migration added 311,000. Although annual natural increase is near its highest level since 2022, there are still fewer births and more deaths than prior to the pandemic. Annual net overseas migration increased for the first time in September 2025 since peaking in September 2023, but remains well below that peak.
National, State and Territory Population, June 2025
Australia's population reached 27.6 million in the June 2025 quarter. Population growth continues to slow after the strong rebound that followed the pandemic. Growth has fallen to 1.5 per cent in the year to June 2025 and is slightly below the pre-pandemic decade average. This reflects slowing net overseas migration. Over the year to June 2025, the population increased by 420,000 people. Of this, natural increase (births minus deaths) added 115,000, while net overseas migration added 306,000. Although annual natural increase reached its highest level since 2022, there are still fewer births and more deaths than prior to the pandemic. Net overseas migration has fallen but is still higher than the years before the pandemic.
CommSec State of the States ed 65 – October 2025
CommSec, the digital broking arm of Australia’s largest bank, assesses the performance of each state and territory on a quarterly basis using eight key indicators. Those indicators include economic growth, household spending, equipment investment, unemployment, construction work done, population growth, housing finance and dwelling commencements. Just as the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) uses long-term averages to determine the level of ‘normal’ interest rates, CommSec compares the key indicators to decade averages; that is, against ‘normal’ performance. CommSec also compares annual growth rates for eight key indicators for all states and territories, in addition to Australia as a whole, enabling a comparison of economic momentum.
National, State and Territory Population, March 2025
Australia's population reached 27.5 million in the March 2025 quarter. Population growth continues to slow after the strong rebound that followed the pandemic. Growth fell to 1.6 per cent in the year to March 2025, nearing the pre-pandemic decade average. This reflects slowing net overseas migration. Over the year to March 2025, the population increased by 423,000 people. Of this, natural increase (births minus deaths) added 107,000, while net overseas migration added 316,000. Although natural increase reached its highest level since 2022, there are still fewer births and more deaths than pre-pandemic. Net overseas migration has fallen but is still higher than before the pandemic.
CommSec State of the States ed 64 – July 2025
CommSec, the digital broking arm of Australia’s largest bank, assesses the performance of each state and territory on a quarterly basis using eight key indicators. Those indicators include economic growth, household spending, equipment investment, unemployment, construction work done, population growth, housing finance and dwelling commencements. Just as the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) uses long-term averages to determine the level of ‘normal’ interest rates, CommSec compares the key indicators to decade averages; that is, against ‘normal’ performance. CommSec also compares annual growth rates for eight key indicators for all states and territories, in addition to Australia as a whole, enabling a comparison of economic momentum.
National, State and Territory Population, December 2024
Australia’s population has reached 27.4 million, as population growth continues to slow following the post-pandemic rebound. Population growth has fallen from its peak of 2.5 per cent in the year to the September quarter 2023 to be 1.7 per cent in the year to the December quarter 2024. This result was driven by a decline in net overseas migration. For the year ending December quarter 2024, the population grew by 445,900 people, with natural increase contributing 105,200 and net overseas migration contributing 340,800. Natural increase remains subdued with low births and elevated deaths post-pandemic. NOM remains elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels, largely due to lower departures, which have now begun to pick up. This reflects the relatively recent arrival of many temporary migrants, with some people seeking to extend their stay by applying for further visas. The ABS has implemented methodology changes, leading to revised estimates of state population growth rates since 2021. The changes have led to higher population estimates for the Northern Territory (up 1.8 per cent as at June 2024), the Australian Capital Territory (1.0 per cent), and Western Australia (0.4 per cent), with a downgrade to Victoria’s estimated population (0.4 per cent lower).
Regional Population, 2023–24
- Australia’s population grew by 2.0 per cent in 2023–24, but this picture varies widely at the regional level.
- Capital city population growth fell to 2.4 per cent (428,000 people) in 2023–24, down from 3.0 per cent in the previous year (Chart 1). Nonetheless, growth remains above the pre-pandemic decade average of 1.8 per cent.
- Perth (3.1 per cent), Melbourne (2.7 per cent) and Brisbane (2.7 per cent) were the fastest growing capital cities in 2023–24, while Hobart (0.4 per cent) and Darwin (0.9 per cent) were the only capital cities with a growth rate below 1 per cent.
- Softening capital city growth reflects the slowing net inflow of overseas migrants to capital cities (373,000 in 2023–24, down from 461,000 in 2022–23).
- Around 86 per cent of national net overseas migration (NOM) went to capital cities in 2023–24, similar to the previous year and the three years prior to the pandemic.
- Sydney and Melbourne received the majority of national NOM in 2023–24 (56 per cent). A further 22 per cent of NOM went to Brisbane and Perth.
- The inner city (SA4s) of these four cities accounted for around 15 per cent of national NOM, despite having just 5.9 per cent of the national population.
- The net internal migration outflow from capital cities to regional areas increased to 35,000 in 2023–24. Outside of the pandemic affected years (when the net outflow reached 49,000 in 2020–21), this is the largest outflow since the beginning of the sub-state internal migration data in 2000–01.
- Combined regional area growth remained near decade highs (1.3 per cent or 114,000 people).1 Falling net overseas migration was partly offset by the increased internal migration. However, net overseas migration remained the primary driver of regional growth (68,000).
- At the SA3 level, many regional areas are experiencing natural decrease (more deaths than births), reflecting their older age structure.2 In most cases this is offset by net internal and overseas migration. However, some regions are experiencing population decline, reflecting net internal migration outflows.
National, State and Territory Population, September 2024
Australia’s population was 27.3 million on 30 September 2024, 1.8 per cent higher than a year earlier. Population growth has slowed from the peak of 2.5 per cent recorded in the September 2023 quarter, primarily due to declining net overseas migration (NOM). NOM was 380,000 over the year to September 2024, and 90,000 in the September 2024 quarter. Due to declining migrant arrivals, annual NOM has eased since its peak of 556,000 in the year ending September 2023. However, NOM remains elevated compared with pre-pandemic levels. The peak of temporary migrant arrivals is yet to be reflected in higher departures. This is due to both the relatively recent arrival of many temporary migrants and some seeking to extend their stay by applying for further visas. Natural increase (births minus deaths) remained low at 104,000 over the year to September 2024, down 3,200 from one year earlier. The decrease was driven by more deaths over the year, offset by slightly higher births.
National, State and Territory Population, June 2024
Australia’s population was 27.2 million on 30 June 2024, 2.1 per cent higher than a year earlier. Population growth has slowed from the peak of 2.5 per cent recorded in the September 2023 quarter, with declining net overseas migration (NOM). NOM was 446,000 in 2023–24, and 63,000 in the June 2024 quarter. Annual NOM has continued to decline since its peak at the end of the September 2023 quarter (Chart 2). Annual NOM remains elevated compared with prepandemic levels. Departures have been low due to both the relatively recent arrival of many temporary migrants and some seeking to extend their stay by applying for further visas. Natural increase (births minus deaths) was 106,000 in 2023–24, increasing by 3,500 from the previous year but remaining low overall. The small increase was driven by a decline in deaths over the year, partially offset by a slight fall in births. The total fertility rate fell to a record low of 1.49 babies per woman in 2023–24, following the previous record low of 1.55 in 2022–23.
CommSec State of the States ed 61 – October 2024
CommSec, the digital broking arm of Australia’s largest bank, assesses the performance of each state and territory on a quarterly basis using eight key indicators. Those indicators include economic growth, household spending, equipment investment, unemployment, construction work done, population growth, housing finance and dwelling commencements. Just as the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) uses long-term averages to determine the level of ‘normal’ interest rates, CommSec compares the key indicators to decade averages; that is, against ‘normal’ performance. CommSec also compares annual growth rates for eight key indicators for all states and territories, in addition to Australia as a whole, enabling a comparison of economic momentum.
National, State and Territory Population, March 2024
Australia’s population was 27.1 million on 31 March 2024, 2.3 per cent higher than a year earlier. Population growth has slowed from the peak of 2.6 per cent recorded in the September 2023 quarter, with declining net overseas migration (NOM). NOM was 510,000 over the year to March 2024, and 134,000 in the March quarter. NOM has continued to decline (Chart 2), reflecting fewer arrivals in the March 2024 quarter compared to a year earlier. Nonetheless, NOM remains elevated, with arrivals still high despite some recent moderation, and departures remaining low. Low departures are due to both the relatively recent arrival of many temporary migrants and many onshore migrants seeking to extend their stay by applying for further visas. Natural increase (births minus deaths) remained low at 106,000 over the year to March 2024, the same level compared to a year earlier. A fall in births over this period was offset by declining deaths post-pandemic. The total fertility rate for 2022-23 was a record low of 1.55 babies per woman (down from 1.58 in the previous release). Since the recent peak in annual NOM in September 2023, population growth has been softening in all states and territories. Western Australia grew faster than any other jurisdiction over the year to March 2024 (3.1 per cent), followed by Victoria (2.7 per cent) and Queensland (2.5 per cent). Tasmania (0.4 per cent) and the Northern Territory (0.8 per cent) were the slowest growing jurisdictions.
National, State and Territory Population, December 2023
Australia’s population was 26.97 million at 31 December 2023, which was 2.5 per cent higher than a year earlier. This growth rate was lower than the 70-year high of 2.6 per cent recorded in the September quarter. Growth was driven by net overseas migration (NOM) of 547,000 over the year to December 2023, including 107,000 in the December quarter. Elevated NOM has been driven by arrivals of temporary migrants, particularly students, while departures remain low due to the relatively recent arrival of many temporary migrants. NOM over the year has declined for the first time since the borders reopened (Chart 2), mostly reflecting fewer arrivals in the December 2023 quarter compared to a year earlier. Natural increase (births minus deaths) remained low, falling to 104,000 over the year to December 2023. This was a decrease of 6.4 per cent from 2022. Fewer births drove this decline, partially offset by fewer deaths. Western Australia grew faster than any other jurisdiction over the year to December 2023 (3.3 per cent), followed by Victoria (2.8 per cent) and Queensland (2.6 per cent). Tasmania (0.4 per cent) and the Northern Territory (0.9 per cent) were the slowest growing jurisdictions.
CommSec State of the States ed 58 – January 2024
CommSec, the digital broking arm of Australia’s largest bank, assesses the performance of each state and territory on a quarterly basis using eight key indicators. Those indicators include economic growth, household spending, equipment investment, unemployment, construction work done, population growth, housing finance and dwelling commencements. Just as the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) uses long-term averages to determine the level of ‘normal’ interest rates, CommSec compares the key indicators to decade averages; that is, against ‘normal’ performance. CommSec also compares annual growth rates for eight key indicators for all states and territories, in addition to Australia as a whole, enabling a comparison of economic momentum.