Perth is Western Australia’s state capital city. Perth has an estimated population of over 2.5 million people, which account for 8.58% of the national population. Perth is Australia 4th largest city in population size. Perth is part of the South West Land Division of Western Australia, with the majority of the metropolitan area of Perth located on the Swan Coastal Plain.
Based on our research Perth population will reach 2.89 million by the end of June 2024. We use end of June each year due to Australia Bureau of Statistics always follow Australia financial year when pushed the data. The calculation is based on the average growth rate of 4.33% over last 12 years since 2011. We believe using the recent years’ figures (see the table in next section) will make the estimation more accurate.
Population Growth of Perth
Looking back last twelve years of Perth’s population, the grow rate is very strong ranging from 0.99% (2015) to 9.58% (2012), adding around 20,000 to 160,000 people each year to the overall population. Also Perth has the fastest growth rate in the country. One of the reasons contribute to the fast growth rate is the mining boom in Western Australia which created a lot of jobs. Last two years, the population growth has slowed down. We believe it is also related to the mining industry that is slowing down due to the demand from China has come down. As a result, people lost their job and moved to the other states.
| Year | Population | Growth rate |
| 2011 | 1.67 million | n/a |
| 2012 | 1.83 million | 9.58% |
| 2013 | 1.97 million | 7.65% |
| 2014 | 2.02 million | 2.54% |
| 2015 | 2.04 million | 0.99% |
| 2016 | 2.14 million | 4.90% |
| 2017 | 2.20 million | 2.80% |
| 2018 | 2.28 million | 3.64% |
| 2019 | 2.385 million | 4.61% |
| 2020 | 2.47 million | 3.56% |
| 2021 | 2.58 million | 4.45% |
| 2022 | 2.68 million | 3.88% |
| 2023 | 2.77 million | 3.36% |
Demography of Perth
According to census, approximately 50.4% of the Perth population is females and 49.6% is males. 48.5% of people are married, 35.5% have never married and 8.3% are divorced and 2.9% are separated. There are 64533 widowed people living in Perth.
The top five ancestries for people in Perth are: English, Australian, Irish, Scottish and Italian. The top five languages (other than English) spoken in Perth are: Italian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Arabic. The top six countries of birth for people in Perth are: Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, India and Scotland.
Population Density of Perth
Perth’s population density is 317.7 people per square kilometer, which is ranking 4th most populated state capital city in Australia. But it is still one of the least populated developed cities in the World.
| Position | City | Population Density |
| 1 | Melbourne | 453/km2 |
| 2 | Adelaide | 404.205/km2 |
| 3 | Sydney | 400/km2 |
| 4 | Perth | 317.736/km2 |
| 5 | Canberra | 173.3/km² |
| 6 | Brisbane | 145/km2 |
| 7 | Hobart | 124.8/km2 |
| 8 | Darwin | 44.976/km2 |
Employment, Occupations and Industries
According to 2011 census, the main occupations of people living in Perth are 22.0% Professionals, 16.0% Technicians & trades workers, 15.2% Clerical & administrative workers, 11.4% Managers, 9.7% Community & personal service workers, 9.0% Sales workers, 8.8% Labourers, 6.5% Machinery operators & drivers, 1.4% Occupation inadequately described/ Not stated.
An analysis of the jobs held by the workforce in City of Perth in 2013/14 shows the three largest industries were:
- Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (46,554 people or 24.4%)
- Public Administration and Safety (29,361 people or 15.4%)
- Mining (21,001 people or 11.0%)
In combination these three industries accounted for 96,915 people in total or 50.8% of the workforce.
Facts About Perth
- There are many Millionaires in Perth and that is due to the fact of the booming mining industry.
- Perth is not just the most isolated capital city in the globe but also the sunniest. The city enjoys around 8 hours of sunshine on an average per day.
- Medium age of Perth is 32 compared medium age of Australia is 37.
- Perth is the most isolated city in the world, with its closest city being Adelaide and that’s over 2,200 km away. Like we said, huge.
- It boasts over 12,500 km of coastline, which means, you’re never going to be stepping on anyone’s towel at the beach.
- The jetty at Busselton is the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere.
- Perth is the only city in the world where you could fly your own airplane and land it smack dab in the middle of the central business district.
- King’s Park in Perth is the biggest city park in the world.
References
The following links provide data for this topic:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: www.abs.gov.au
- australia.gov.au: australia.gov.au
- Tourism Western Australia: www.westernaustralia.com