Australia's fastest-growing cities and regions

The eight greater capital cities grew 1.8 per cent in 2024-25, compared with 1.1 per cent across regional Australia, and accounted for 77.4 per cent of the nation's growth.

The eight greater capital cities added 324,679 people in 2024-25, a growth rate of 1.8 per cent, while regional Australia added 94,689 at 1.1 per cent¹. Australia's population reached 27,613,654 at 30 June 2025, an increase of 419,368 over the year. The capitals accounted for 77.4 per cent of that increase, derived by dividing their 324,679 gain by the national 419,368².

The regional split varied by state and territory. Regional Queensland added the most people of any rest-of-state area in 2024-25, at 39,651, and recorded the highest rest-of-state growth rate, at 1.4 per cent. Regional Western Australia's rate rounds to the same 1.4 per cent, from 8,147 people added. Regional New South Wales added the second-largest number, 25,244, at 0.9 per cent, and regional Tasmania grew 0.3 per cent².

National context comes from the ABS National, state and territory population quarterly series, which estimated Australia's population at 27,801,023 at 31 December 2025, with annual growth of 412,500 people, or 1.5 per cent³. Australia's population centre, a point around 30 kilometres east of the Ivanhoe township in western New South Wales, moved 2.0 kilometres west in 2024-25. The shift was attributed to strong population growth in Western Australia¹.

What this growth means for housing demand is covered in the population growth versus housing supply article.

Melton, in Melbourne's outer west, grew 5.8 per cent in 2024-25, the fastest growth rate of any local government area with at least 5,000 residents. The City of Brisbane added the most people, at 21,464.

Melton's population rose from 218,894 to 231,567, an increase of 12,673 and the second-largest population increase of any council area⁴. Only the City of Brisbane added more people, with its population rising by 21,464, to 1,375,301 residents.

The fastest-growing council areas are concentrated in outer metropolitan areas. Kwinana at 4.6 per cent, Serpentine-Jarrahdale at 4.5 per cent and Swan at 4.0 per cent are on Perth's fringes, and Mitchell at 4.2 per cent is on Melbourne's northern edge. Playford at 3.9 per cent is in Adelaide's north, and Murray and Chittering, both among the ten fastest-growing councils, are on the outer edges of the Perth commuting area⁴. The minimum population threshold excludes very small areas where small increases can produce high percentage growth. Without it, the highest rate belongs to the Darwin Waterfront Precinct, an ABS-listed area that is not a local government area, at 9.3 per cent, an increase of 30 people on a base of 322.

The finer statistical areas show a similar concentration of high growth in outer metropolitan areas. The largest increases were recorded in Rockbank - Mount Cottrell, up 4,600 people, Fraser Rise - Plumpton, up 4,100, both in Melbourne's outer west, and Mickleham - Yuroke in the outer north, also up 4,100. Excluding areas with fewer than 1,000 people at 30 June 2024, the highest rates were Port Melbourne Industrial at 23 per cent, Berrimah east of Darwin at 22 per cent and Fraser Rise - Plumpton at 20 per cent. Outside the capitals, Caloundra West - Baringa on Queensland's Sunshine Coast had the largest growth, at 2,000 people, and Googong, just outside the Australian Capital Territory, had the highest rate, at 9.7 per cent¹.

Sydney remained larger than Melbourne on the greater capital city boundary, although its lead has narrowed since 2001. On the significant urban area boundary, which measures the built-up urban area, Melbourne was larger.

The gap narrowed by about two-thirds over the 24 years to 30 June 2025. Greater Sydney's lead over Greater Melbourne fell from 602,331 people at 30 June 2001 to 203,240 at 30 June 2025, derived from the two cities' estimates at each date². Melbourne added 1,935,341 people between 2001 and 2025 compared with Sydney's 1,536,250. Melbourne's growth rate exceeded Sydney's in every year of the series except 2020-21, the year both cities recorded their only population falls. In 2024-25, the gap narrowed by 29,800 people, the difference between Melbourne's 105,030 increase and Sydney's 75,230.

Which city is larger depends on the boundary used. Using the significant urban area boundary, Melbourne had 5,328,274 residents and Sydney had 5,219,674 at 30 June 2025. The difference partly reflects the Central Coast, whose 354,189 residents are counted as a separate urban area rather than as part of Sydney⁴. On the greater capital city boundary used elsewhere on this page, Sydney remained larger.

Melbourne's growth story in full is covered in the Melbourne population article.