Population · Queensland · 2026

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Queensland's population: size, growth and where people live

A wide view over a Queensland suburban neighbourhood showing rows of single‑storey houses, streets and surrounding low hills under a clear sky.

Queensland had 5,739,461 residents at 31 March 2026, making it Australia's third most populous state and accounting for 20.6 per cent of Australia's 27,921,150 people. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) quarterly population series, the state added 92,927 people or 1.65 per cent in 2025 and recorded the largest net interstate migration gain of any state or territory. At 30 June 2025, Greater Brisbane held 50.0 per cent of the 5,669,764 people living across Greater Brisbane and the rest of Queensland.

Updated

Queensland population
5,739,461
At 31 March 2026, the third largest of any state or territory
Annual growth
+92,927
1.65% in the year to 31 December 2025, the third largest increase of any state or territory
Net interstate migration
+16,528
In 2025, the largest net gain of any state or territory; a net gain in all 44 years of the series
Living in Greater Brisbane
50.0%
2,833,524 of 5,669,764 people in the state's two regions at 30 June 2025
Where interstate migrants goWhere interstate migrants goQueensland gained a net 16,528 people from the other states and territories in 2025, the largest gain of any jurisdiction, in the 44th consecutive year of net gains in the series. The interstate migration article covers the flows between all eight states and territories, and how they shifted from 2020 onwards.The national picture in fullThe national picture in fullQueensland held about a fifth of Australia's people at 31 December 2025. The national population article covers the 27.8 million total, how fast it is changing, and the births, deaths and migration behind it.

Section 01 · The headline number

How many people live in Queensland?

Queensland had an estimated resident population of 5,739,461 at 31 March 2026, the most recent quarter in the ABS series1.

That represented 20.6 per cent of Australia's 27,921,150 people. It was the third largest population of any state or territory, behind New South Wales at 8,670,105 and Victoria at 7,154,2211.

The ABS updates the estimate each quarter. The next release, covering the June quarter 2026, is due on 17 December 20261.

Section 02 · The pace

How fast is Queensland's population growing?

Queensland added 92,927 people, or 1.65 per cent, in the year to 31 December 2025. These are the revised estimates from the ABS March 2026 release1. That was the third largest increase of the eight states and territories, behind Victoria's 112,206 and New South Wales's 96,523, and the third fastest rate, behind Western Australia's 2.15 per cent and the Northern Territory's 1.68 per cent.

The slowest growth rate was 1.06 per cent in 2020, when the state added 54,588 people, while the smallest annual increase was 43,793 people in 1984. The fastest rate was 2.99 per cent in 1989, when the state added 83,138 people, while the largest increase was 139,798 people in 2023, when the population grew by 2.60 per cent2.

Queensland population growth rate by calendar year, 1982 to 2025Growth in the estimated resident population over each calendar year, per cent, derived from theDecember-to-December changes in the quarterly series.ABS National, state and territory population, March 2026, Table 4 (released 17 September 2026)1%2%3%Annual growth rate2.99% in 1989198219851988199119941997200020032006200920122015201820212024Calendar year
Each year's rate is the change in the estimated resident population between 31 December of the previous year and 31 December of that year, divided by the earlier value. Queensland recorded population growth in every calendar year shown.

Section 03 · The drivers

What drives population growth in Queensland?

Queensland's population growth came from three components in the year to 31 December 2025. Net overseas migration added 56,022 people, natural increase, the difference between births and deaths, added 20,377, and net interstate migration added 16,5281. Together, the three components added 92,927 people.

Queensland recorded the largest net interstate migration gain in the country in 2025. A total of 97,433 people arrived from other states and territories and 80,905 left, resulting in a net gain of 16,528. Western Australia, with a net gain of 10,419, was the only other jurisdiction to gain; the other six recorded net losses2. Queensland's net gain was its smallest since 2016 and declined from 39,206 in 2021 to 34,986 in 2022, 30,725 in 2023, 26,181 in 2024 and 16,528 in 2025.

Queensland recorded a net interstate gain in every one of the 44 calendar years from 1982 to 2025, derived from calendar-year sums of the quarterly arrivals and departures series, and was the only state or territory to do so. New South Wales recorded a net loss in every year over the same period2. The largest annual gains were 48,972 in 1989 and 48,816 in 1993, while the smallest was 5,384 in 2010, and the 2021 gain of 39,206 was the largest since 1994.

The national birth and death series behind natural increase is covered in the births and deaths article.

Queensland population growth components, year to 31 December 2025
ComponentPeopleDerivation
Net overseas migration+56,022107,444 arrivals minus 51,422 departures
Natural increase+20,37758,769 births minus 38,392 deaths
Net interstate migration+16,52897,433 arrivals minus 80,905 departures
Total growth+92,927Derived sum; equal to the change in estimated resident population over 2025

Source · ABS National, state and territory population, March 2026, data cube 1, Tables 10, 11, 13 and 14.

Queensland net interstate migration by calendar year, 1982 to 2025Net gain from moves between Queensland and the other states and territories each calendar year, persons, derivedby summing the four quarters of the arrivals and departures series.ABS National, state and territory population, March 2026, Tables 16A and 16B (released 17 September2026)10K20K30K40K50KNet interstate migration+48,972 in 1989198219851988199119941997200020032006200920122015201820212024Calendar year
Every value in the series is a net gain; the line never crosses zero. Net overseas migration and natural increase are not shown.

Section 04 · Brisbane and the regions

How much of Queensland's population lives in Brisbane?

Queensland's population was split almost evenly between the capital and the rest of the state at 30 June 2025. Greater Brisbane had 2,833,524 people and the rest of Queensland had 2,836,240, so the capital accounted for 50.0 per cent of the 5,669,764 people across the two regions, derived by division; the rest of the state's population was 2,716 larger3. Brisbane's share was the lowest of the five mainland state capitals at 30 June 2025, on the same boundaries: Perth held 80.6 per cent of its two-region total, Adelaide 78.4, Melbourne 76.8 and Sydney 65.6. Among the six states only Hobart's 44.3 per cent was lower. Queensland and Tasmania were the only states in which more people lived outside the capital than in it.

Brisbane's share rose from 47.4 per cent of the two-region total at 30 June 2001 to 50.0 per cent at 30 June 2025. The rest of the state's population exceeded the capital's by 184,357 people at 30 June 2001. The gap widened to 195,097 by 30 June 2008, before narrowing in every year except 2021, to 2,716 at 30 June 20253.

Greater Brisbane grew faster than the rest of the state over 2024-25. The capital grew by 58,223 people (2.1 per cent) and the rest of the state by 39,651 people (1.4 per cent)3. The ABS rounds these increases to 58,200 and 39,700 respectively4. It reports Greater Brisbane's 2024-25 growth, rounded to the nearest hundred, as net overseas migration of 33,900 people, natural increase of 13,200 and a net internal migration gain of 11,100. Brisbane and Perth were the only capital cities to record net internal migration gains.

The largest population increases in the state in 2024-25 were in areas around Brisbane and on the Sunshine Coast. Ripley, in Ipswich, grew by 3,100 people, Caloundra West - Baringa on the Sunshine Coast by 2,000 and Chambers Flat - Logan Reserve, in Logan, by 1,800. The highest growth rates were recorded in Ripley and in Morayfield, in Moreton Bay, both at 15 per cent4.

The capital's own long-run series is covered in the Brisbane population article.

Population of Greater Brisbane and the rest of Queensland at 30 June, 2001to 2025Estimated resident population of the state's two regions at 30 June each year, persons, on Greater Capital CityStatistical Area boundaries.Greater BrisbaneRest of QueenslandABS Regional population, 2024-25, Population estimates by SA2 and above data cube (released 31March 2026)1M2M3M2,716 apart at 30 June 20252001200320052007200920112013201520172019202120232025Year at 30 June
The gap between the two regions narrowed from 184,357 people at 30 June 2001 to 2,716 at 30 June 2025. The 30 June reference date differs from the 31 December figures elsewhere on this page.
Changes and growth rates derived from the 30 June 2024 values in the same cube; shares derived by division. Both shares round to 50.0 per cent at one decimal place; the rest of the state's population was 2,716 larger. The 30 June reference date differs from the 31 December figures elsewhere on this page.
Greater Capital City Statistical Area boundaries, at 30 June 2025
RegionPopulationChange over 2024-25Growth rate %Share of two-region total %
Greater Brisbane2,833,524+58,2232.150.0
Rest of Queensland2,836,240+39,6511.450.0
Two regions combined5,669,764+97,8741.8100.0

Source · ABS Regional population, 2024-25, Population estimates by SA2 and above data cube.

Section 05 · The national picture

How does Queensland compare with other states and territories?

Queensland was the third most populous of the eight states and territories at 31 March 2026, with 1,414,760 fewer people than Victoria and 2,643,239 more than Western Australia. Queensland has remained the third most populous jurisdiction throughout the ABS quarterly series, covering 180 quarters from June 1981 to March 20261.

Queensland's 1.65 per cent growth rate in 2025 ranked third, behind Western Australia's 2.15 per cent and the Northern Territory's 1.68 per cent, with Victoria next at 1.60 per cent. Its population increase of 92,927 people also ranked third, behind Victoria's 112,206 and New South Wales's 96,5231. On net interstate migration Queensland ranked first, recording a 16,528 gain in 20252.

Net overseas migration was the major contributor to population change in all states and territories in the year ending 31 December 20252.

Population growth rate by state and territory, Australia, 2025Growth in the estimated resident population over the 2025 calendar year, per cent, derived from the exact quarterlyseries and ranked highest to lowest. Values are shown to two decimal places.ABS National, state and territory population, March 2026, Table 4Western Australia2.1%Northern Territory1.7%Queensland1.6%Victoria1.6%Australian Capital Territory1.3%New South Wales1.1%South Australia1%Tasmania0.5%Annual growth rate
Rates derived by dividing each jurisdiction's change in estimated resident population over 2025 by its 31 December 2024 value, using the March 2026 release, which revised the September 2024 to December 2025 quarters.
Exact estimated resident population from the quarterly series, as revised in the March 2026 release; changes and growth rates derived from the 31 December 2024 values. The Australia row includes the other territories of Jervis Bay, Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Norfolk Island, so the state and territory rows do not sum exactly to it.
Population by state and territory, Australia, as at 31 December 2025
State or territoryPopulationChange over 2025Growth rate %
New South Wales8,635,200+96,5231.13
Victoria7,116,016+112,2061.60
Queensland5,713,326+92,9271.65
Western Australia3,075,864+64,6672.15
South Australia1,910,780+19,5561.03
Tasmania579,085+2,8140.49
Australian Capital Territory487,259+6,0011.25
Northern Territory267,703+4,4201.68
Australia27,790,263+399,1381.46

Source · ABS National, state and territory population, March 2026, Table 4.

Section 06 · The long run

How has Queensland's population grown since 1981?

Queensland's population grew from 2,387,943 at 31 December 1981 to 5,713,326 at 31 December 2025, an increase of 3,325,383 people1.

Queensland first exceeded 3 million people in the March quarter of 1992, 4 million in the June quarter of 2006 and 5 million in the June quarter of 20182. The gap between reaching 3 million and 4 million was 14 years and three months, while the gap from 4 million to 5 million was 12 years.

The annual population increase fell from 83,307 people in 2019 to 54,588 in 2020, then rose to 65,343 in 2021, to 127,006 in 2022 and to 139,798 in 20232.

Queensland estimated resident population at 31 December, 1981 to 2025Estimated resident population at the December quarter of each year, persons.ABS National, state and territory population, March 2026, Table 42M4M6M5 million: June 2018198119841987199019931996199920022005200820112014201720202023YearEstimated resident population at 31 December
December-quarter values from the quarterly series; the intervening quarters sit between these points. The 5 million milestone was crossed at the June quarter 2018, between the plotted 2017 and 2018 points.
Derived milestones: the first quarter in which the quarterly estimated resident population series shows Queensland at or above each threshold. The series begins at the June quarter 1981, with the state at 2,345,208.
Queensland population milestones, 1992 to 2018
MilestoneFirst quarter at or abovePopulation that quarter
3 millionMarch quarter 19923,010,322
4 millionJune quarter 20064,007,992
5 millionJune quarter 20185,006,623

Source · ABS National, state and territory population, March 2026, Table 4.

Section 07 · Common questions

Queensland population: quick answers

What is the population of Queensland?

Queensland had an estimated resident population of 5,739,461 at 31 March 2026, the most recent quarter in the ABS series, released 17 September 2026. That was 20.6 per cent of Australia's 27,921,150 people and the third largest population of any state or territory, behind New South Wales and Victoria. The next update, covering the June quarter 2026, is due on 17 December 2026.

How fast is the Queensland population growing?

Queensland added 92,927 people, or 1.65 per cent, in the year to 31 December 2025, according to the ABS's revised estimates. That was the third largest increase and the third fastest growth rate among the eight states and territories. Queensland's population has increased in every calendar year from 1982 to 2025.

How many people move to Queensland from other states?

Queensland recorded a net interstate migration gain of 16,528 people in 2025, with 97,433 arrivals from other states and territories and 80,905 departures. That was the largest net interstate migration gain of any state or territory; Western Australia, at 10,419, was the only other jurisdiction to gain. Queensland recorded a net interstate migration gain in all 44 calendar years from 1982 to 2025.

How much of the Queensland population lives in Brisbane?

Greater Brisbane had 2,833,524 of the 5,669,764 people living across Brisbane and the rest of Queensland at 30 June 2025, which was 50.0 per cent. The rest of Queensland had slightly more people, at 2,836,240. The capital's share was 47.4 per cent at 30 June 2001 on the same boundaries.

When did Queensland pass 5 million people?

Queensland first exceeded 5 million people in the June quarter of 2018, when the ABS quarterly series shows 5,006,623 residents. The state first exceeded 3 million in the March quarter of 1992 and 4 million in the June quarter of 2006.

Australia population statistics

References

  1. ABS, National, state and territory population, March 2026 · Australian Bureau of Statistics ↑ b c d e f g h
  2. ABS National, State and Territory Population, December 2025 · Australian Bureau of Statistics ↑ b c d e f g
  3. ABS Regional population, 2024-25: population estimates by SA2 and above, 2001 to 2025 (datacube 32180DS0003) · Australian Bureau of Statistics ↑ b c
  4. ABS Regional population, 2024-25 · Australian Bureau of Statistics ↑ b
  5. ABS, National, state and territory population methodology, December 2025 · Australian Bureau of Statistics
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