Tasmania also known as TAS has the 3rd smallest population in Australia after Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory. The state’s capital city is Hobart. Hobart has an estimated population of over 500,000 people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 4 percent of Tasmania’s population. Tasmania’s area is 68,401 km², making it Australia’s smallest state. This area accounts for only 0.9 percent of Australia’s total area.
Based on our research, Tasmania population will reach 530,009 by the end of June of 2024. We use end of June each year due to Australia Bureau of Statistics always follow Australia financial year when they published the data. The calculation is based on the average growth rate of 0.29% 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 Tasmania
Looking back last twelve years of Tasmania’s population, the grow rate is fairly low ranging from 0.13% to 1.08%, adding around 666 to 5,500 people each year to the overall population. TAS’s population recorded negative growth in 2012. Of all the states, the growth rate is lower than average in Australia.
| Year | Population | Growth Rate |
| 2011 | 510,500 | n/a |
| 2012 | 507,600 | -0.57% |
| 2013 | 513,100 | 1.08% |
| 2014 | 514,800 | 0.33% |
| 2015 | 516,300 | 0.29% |
| 2016 | 518,500 | 0.43% |
| 2017 | 519,166 | 0.13% |
| 2018 | 520,830 | 0.32% |
| 2019 | 522,327 | 0.29% |
| 2020 | 523,890 | 0.30% |
| 2021 | 525,289 | 0.27% |
| 2022 | 526,940 | 0.31% |
| 2023 | 528,480 | 0.29% |
Demography of Tasmania
According to Australia census, 49 percent of Tasmanians are male and 51 percent are female. The top five ancestries for people in Tasmania are: Australian, English, Irish, Scottish and German.
The top five languages (other than English) spoken in Tasmania are: Mandarin, German, Italian, Greek and Dutch. The top five countries of birth for people in Tasmania are: England, New Zealand, Scotland, Netherlands and Germany.
The religious makeup of Tasmania is: 28.6% No religion, 26.0% Anglican, 17.9% Catholic, 9.0% Religious affiliation not stated, 4.8% Uniting Church, 2.4% Presbyterian and Reformed, 2.4% Christian, 1.7% Baptist, 1.0% Pentecostal, 0.8% Other religious affiliation .
Population Density of Tasmania
Tasmania population density is 7.24 people per kilometer, which is ranking the 4th most populated state in Australia. The TAS’s population density is fairly close to New South Wales, which is a bit of surprise, consider how populated Sydney is.
| Position | State | Population Density |
| 1 | Australian Capital Territory | 151.49 |
| 2 | Victoria | 23.54 |
| 3 | New South Wales | 8.64 |
| 4 | Tasmania | 7.24 |
| 5 | Queensland | 2.50 |
| 6 | South Australia | 1.62 |
| 7 | Western Australia | 0.89 |
| 8 | Northern Territory | 0.16 |
Occupations and Industries
The main occupations of people living in Tasmania are 18.5% Professionals, 14.8% Technicians & trades workers, 13.8% Clerical & administrative workers, 12.4% Managers, 11.3% Labourers, 11.1% Community & personal service workers, 9.7% Sales workers, 6.7% Machinery operators & drivers, 1.5% Occupation inadequately described/ Not stated.
The main industries people from Tasmania work in are 12.0% Health care and social assistance, 11.3% Retail trade, 9.0% Public administration and safety, 9.0% Education and training, 8.7% Manufacturing, 7.6% Construction, 7.3% Accommodation and food services, 4.8% Agriculture, forestry and fishing, 4.7% Professional, scientific and technical services.
Facts About Tasmania
- Tasmania is the only Australian state that is an island.
- Tasmania is often referred to as the ‘Holiday Isle’ or the ‘Apple Isle’.
- Five of Tasmania’s convict sites, including Port Arthur, are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
- 1997 saw Tasmania become the first Australian state to formally apologise to the Aboriginal community for past actions connected with the ‘stolen generation’.
- Tasmania is similar in size to the Republic of Ireland or Sri Lanka.
- Tasmania was the last state in Australia to decriminalise homosexuality. Until 1997, the punishment for homosexuality was jail for up to 25 years.
- Tasmania was originally named Van Diemen’s Land and was settled by the British as a penal colony in 1803. The name was changed to Tasmania when convict transportation stopped in 1853.
- Tasmania’s lower house became the first chamber of an Australian parliament to pass a bill to legalise same-sex marriage.
References
The following links provide data for this topic:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: www.abs.gov.au
- australia.com: www.australia.com
- australia.gov.au: australia.gov.au