Australia population pyramid 2026
Oceania · Australia/New Zealand
27,227,096 people in 2026 (projected). Australia’s pyramid tapers smoothly with few notches; its widest bands are adults aged 30–44, broadened by sustained immigration of young adults.
- 2026 population
- 27.2Mrank 55 of 237
- Median age
- 38.5 yearsoldest rank 81
- Fertility rate
- 1.64births per woman · below replacement
- Structure
- Older18.5% age 65+
Australia population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
Hover over or tap a bar to see exact values.
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Australia age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 17.5% of the population, while 18.5% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 64.0% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Australia’s age structure as older; the guide to constrictive population pyramids explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 56.2: about 56 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (27.4 children and 28.8 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Australia’s population pyramid
From Depression trough to baby boom
The Australia 1950 pyramid records two contrasting episodes. Ages 10–19, born in 1931–40, form a narrow waist, because births fell during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Below them, ages 0–4 are by far the widest band, the first wave of a baby boom that lifted fertility to about 3.5 children per woman around 1960. At the same time, the large postwar migration program launched in 1945 was adding young adults, which helps explain why the 20–39 bands are wider than the Depression cohorts beneath them.
In 2026 the boom generation is aged roughly 60–80, but unlike in Canada or the United States it does not form a distinct bulge. Australia’s boom was followed by a milder bust, and decades of immigration have filled in the younger adult bands, so the shape above age 45 is a smooth, steady taper.
Immigration and a relatively wide base
The widest bands today are ages 30–44, born in 1982–96. Their width reflects not only births in Australia but also net overseas migration, which the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports is concentrated among people in their twenties and early thirties. Many arrive as students or skilled workers and remain, so their numbers accumulate in the bands just above.
The base is relatively broad for a high-income country. Ages 0–4 hold about 5.7% of the population, compared with about 4.7% in Canada. Fertility of about 1.6 children per woman is below replacement but higher than in most of East Asia or Southern Europe, and immigrant families add to the number of young children. The Australia vs Canada comparison shows how two countries with similar migration programs can still differ at the base. Because migration keeps adding people while births remain below replacement, Australia is a useful case for the difference between population growth and fertility.
Under the UN medium scenario Australia keeps growing, to about 32.5 million by 2050, with a median age near 42 and broader bands above 65 than today.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
No five-year band under age 80 is more than 10% larger or smaller than both of its neighbours, so Australia’s 2026 pyramid has a comparatively smooth profile without sharp bulges or notches.
In the UN medium scenario births outnumber deaths in every year through 2100. People aged 65 and older came to outnumber children under 15 between 2023 and 2025.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Australia is projected to record 303,345 births (about 831 births a day) and 187,033 deaths, a natural increase of 116,312. Net migration adds +131,706 people, ranking #25 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 6,946,867 births, 3,633,051 deaths, and cumulative net migration of +4,250,908. Over that period migration moved the total more than the balance of births and deaths did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of +3,755,622 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 86.1 years71.7 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 82.6 years66.5 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 22.2 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 2.5per 1,000 births · 25 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 3.0per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 31.6 yearssex ratio at birth 105.5
Women in Australia are projected to live 3.5 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 25 to 2.5 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #214 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 31.6 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Australia
The median age of 38.5 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 1.64 births per woman is below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 84.3 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 27,227,096 | #55 | Largest first |
| Median age | 38.5 years | #81 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 1.64 | #143 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +0.9% | #103 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 84.3 years | #10 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 18.5% | #57 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Australia
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35–39 | 1,973,992 | 7.3% | 977.3K / 996.7K |
| 2 | 30–34 | 1,939,505 | 7.1% | 977.7K / 961.8K |
| 3 | 40–44 | 1,910,282 | 7.0% | 948.7K / 961.5K |
| 4 | 25–29 | 1,779,870 | 6.5% | 913.3K / 866.6K |
| 5 | 45–49 | 1,685,397 | 6.2% | 832K / 853.4K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Australia has 13,511,184 males and 13,715,912 females. That is 98.5 males per 100 females, ranking #114 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 49.6% of the population and females for 50.4%. There are 204,728 more females than males overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 87.4 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 105.5 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Australia has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 8,176,750 in 1950 to 27,227,096 in 2026, a change of 233%. Over the same span, median age moved from 29.4 to 38.5 years.
The under-15 share changed from 26.6% to 17.5%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 8.2% to 18.5%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately. See the Australia population pyramid in 1950 for the full starting shape.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Australia’s population is projected to grow by about 19%, reaching 32,506,969 in 2050. The median age changes from 38.5 to 42.0 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 5.4 percentage points to 23.9%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 15.7%. The Australia population pyramid for 2050 shows the projected shape in detail. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The population is still rising at the end of the UN medium projection in 2100, when it reaches 43,143,685. The page therefore does not assign a peak year beyond the available horizon.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 8,176,750 | 29.4 | 3.06 | 69.0 | 188,769 | 77,951 | +144,875 | +3.1% |
| 1960 | 10,280,813 | 28.6 | 3.45 | 70.9 | 227,483 | 87,553 | +85,707 | +2.2% |
| 1970 | 12,599,411 | 26.5 | 2.86 | 70.7 | 257,096 | 111,711 | +256,295 | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 14,721,347 | 28.4 | 1.90 | 74.6 | 225,831 | 107,574 | +89,189 | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 17,126,298 | 31.1 | 1.91 | 77.0 | 263,218 | 118,986 | +100,093 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 19,132,471 | 34.4 | 1.76 | 79.6 | 249,532 | 129,227 | +111,186 | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 22,141,580 | 36.0 | 1.95 | 82.0 | 301,517 | 143,711 | +166,752 | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 25,743,791 | 36.9 | 1.59 | 83.7 | 295,156 | 163,847 | +44,447 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 26,451,124 | 37.8 | 1.64 | 83.9 | 304,340 | 183,924 | +140,232 | +1.0% |
| 2024* | 26,713,205 | 38.0 | 1.64 | 84.1 | 304,984 | 179,981 | +138,510 | +1.0% |
| 2026* | 27,227,096 | 38.5 | 1.64 | 84.3 | 303,345 | 187,033 | +131,706 | +0.9% |
| 2030* | 28,188,539 | 39.5 | 1.64 | 84.9 | 299,017 | 203,343 | +135,595 | +0.8% |
| 2040* | 30,357,450 | 41.5 | 1.64 | 86.1 | 313,546 | 253,597 | +151,056 | +0.7% |
| 2050* | 32,506,969 | 42.0 | 1.64 | 87.2 | 332,401 | 292,027 | +169,597 | +0.7% |
| 2060* | 34,562,683 | 42.9 | 1.63 | 88.4 | 341,291 | 315,781 | +174,385 | +0.6% |
| 2070* | 36,635,122 | 43.6 | 1.63 | 89.4 | 356,610 | 336,943 | +188,251 | +0.6% |
| 2080* | 38,700,844 | 43.9 | 1.64 | 90.5 | 378,258 | 365,332 | +194,755 | +0.5% |
| 2090* | 40,876,704 | 44.1 | 1.64 | 91.6 | 394,379 | 370,594 | +210,305 | +0.6% |
| 2100* | 43,143,685 | 44.8 | 1.63 | 92.6 | 408,076 | 380,411 | +189,462 | +0.5% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 798,052 | 757,520 | 1,555,572 | 5.7% |
| 5–9 | 804,722 | 761,992 | 1,566,714 | 5.8% |
| 10–14 | 846,713 | 800,892 | 1,647,605 | 6.1% |
| 15–19 | 863,278 | 818,358 | 1,681,636 | 6.2% |
| 20–24 | 848,590 | 807,235 | 1,655,825 | 6.1% |
| 25–29 | 913,314 | 866,556 | 1,779,870 | 6.5% |
| 30–34 | 977,689 | 961,816 | 1,939,505 | 7.1% |
| 35–39 | 977,326 | 996,666 | 1,973,992 | 7.3% |
| 40–44 | 948,736 | 961,546 | 1,910,282 | 7.0% |
| 45–49 | 831,988 | 853,409 | 1,685,397 | 6.2% |
| 50–54 | 821,640 | 841,798 | 1,663,438 | 6.1% |
| 55–59 | 789,246 | 820,755 | 1,610,001 | 5.9% |
| 60–64 | 745,306 | 784,244 | 1,529,550 | 5.6% |
| 65–69 | 683,326 | 741,955 | 1,425,281 | 5.2% |
| 70–74 | 586,708 | 644,639 | 1,231,347 | 4.5% |
| 75–79 | 496,091 | 549,261 | 1,045,352 | 3.8% |
| 80–84 | 322,950 | 372,606 | 695,556 | 2.6% |
| 85–89 | 171,487 | 224,999 | 396,486 | 1.5% |
| 90–94 | 66,400 | 109,853 | 176,253 | 0.6% |
| 95–99 | 15,996 | 34,729 | 50,725 | 0.2% |
| 100+ | 1,627 | 5,083 | 6,710 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Australia’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- New Zealand98% overlap · median age 38.0
- Gibraltar98% overlap · median age 38.8
- United States97% overlap · median age 38.7
- Norway97% overlap · median age 40.1
- United Kingdom97% overlap · median age 40.2
- Iceland97% overlap · median age 36.6
Compare Australia with other countries
Side-by-side pages put two pyramids on the same percentage scale, with a full indicator table and the projected change to 2050.
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Australia.
Use this chart in your work
Charts and tables may be reused with attribution. Please link to this page and credit the United Nations as the data source.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Australia Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/australia/
MLA
“Australia Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/australia/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Australia Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/australia/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Australia in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Australia's population in 2026 is projected at 27,227,096.
What is the median age in Australia?
The projected median age in Australia in 2026 is 38.5 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Australia?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 1.64 births per woman, below the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Australia's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 19%, from 27.2M to 32.5M.
What share of Australia is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 18.5% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 23.9%.
How many babies are born in Australia each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 303,345 births and 187,033 deaths in 2026, about 831 births a day. Births exceed deaths by 116,312.
What is life expectancy in Australia for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 86.1 years for women and 82.6 years for men, a gap of 3.5 years in favour of women.
Does Australia have more immigrants or emigrants?
Australia is projected to gain about 131,706 more people through migration than it loses in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of +4,250,908.
What is the sex ratio in Australia?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 98.5 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.