Queensland hits 5 million

Queensland’s population has topped the five-million mark as the state’s lifestyle attracts more newcomers from around the country and across the world.

Milestone reached in record time

When the colony of Queensland was created in 1859, the population was at 23,520 people and it took 79 years to reach one million in 1938. It then took just 35 years to reach two million and the pace continues to accelerate, with just 12 years between the four million mark in 2006 and yesterday’s five-million mark.

On current projections, the population will reach six million by 2029, eight million by 2048 and today’s population is expected to double to 10 million by the early to mid-2060s. However, those figures are likely to be eclipsed as the growth has been running 20 years ahead of previous official projections.

Cultural diversity is increasing

The past decade or so has brought a big switch, with overseas migrants replacing those coming from interstate as the main factor in population increase.

Between 1992 and 2006, net migration from other states generated 41 per cent of the extra million people, and just under a quarter came from overseas. But since 2006, foreign arrivals have accounted for 45 per cent of additional residents while and newcomers from other states made up just 14 per cent.

Mark McCrindle said, “Cultural diversity is increasing quickly”. “The proportion of the state’s population born overseas has grown from 700,000 to 1.1 million from 2006 to now.”

Mr McCrindle said the state’s decentralised nature made it easier to successfully absorb population booms.