Population of Western Australia 2024

WA population 2017

Western Australia also known as WA is Australia’s largest state. The state’s capital city is Perth. Perth has an estimated population of over 2.8 million people. Western Australia is Australia’s largest state. Its total area is 2,529,875 km² which accounts for 33 percent of Australia’s total land mass. With 12,889 km of mainland coast, Western Australia has the longest coastline of all the Australian states and territories.

Based on our research Western Australia population will reach 2.918 million by the end of June of 2024. We use end of June each year due to Australia Bureau of Statistics (ABS) always follow Australia financial year when pushed the data. The calculation is based on the average growth rate of 1.68% 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 Western Australia

Looking back last twelve years of Western Australia’s population, the grow rate is very consistent ranging from 0.77% to 3.70%, adding around 20,000 to 90,000 people each year to the overall population. Also WA has the fastest growth rate in the country. One of the reasons contribute to the fast growth rate is the mining boom in Australia which created a lot of jobs. Last two years, the population growth has slow down. We believe It is also related to the mining industry is slowing down due to the demand from China has come down. People lost their job and moved to the other states.

Year Population Growth rate
2011 2.35 million n/a
2012 2.43 million 3.40%
2013 2.52 million 3.70%
2014 2.57 million 1.98%
2015 2.59 million 0.78%
2016 2.61 million 0.77%
2017 2.64 million 1.15%
2018 2.67 million 1.14%
2019 2.72 million 1.87%
2020 2.76 million 1.81%
2021 2.80 million 1.20%
2022 2.83 million 1.07%
2023 2.87 million 1.41%

 

Demography of Western Australia

According to Australia census, 50.3 percent of Western Australians are male and 49.7 percent are female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders account for 3.1 percent of the Western Australian population. The top five ancestries for people in WA are: English, Australian, Irish, Scottish and Italian.

The top five languages (other than English) spoken in WA are: Italian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Arabic. The top six countries of birth for people in WA are: Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, India and Scotland.

The religious makeup of Western Australia is: 25.5% No religion, 23.6% Catholic, 18.8% Anglican, 9.7% Religious affiliation not stated, 3.3% Uniting Church, 2.8% Christian, 2.2% Presbyterian and Reformed, 2.1% Buddhism, 1.9% Baptist, 1.7% Islam.

Population Density of Western Australia

Western Australia’s density is 0.89 people per kilometer, which is ranking 2nd least populated state in Australia after Northern Territory. WA is one of the least densely populated states in the world.

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

 

Employment, Occupations and Industries           

According to ABS, 60.7% of the people living in Western Australia works full time, 28.1% are working on a part time basis. Western Australia has an unemployment rate of 4.7%.

The main occupations of people living in Western Australia are Professionals, Technicians & trades workers, Clerical & administrative workers,  Managers, Labourers,  Community & personal service workers, Sales workers,  Machinery operators & drivers.

The main industries people from Western Australia work in are Health care and social assistance, Construction, Retail trade, Manufacturing, Education and training, Professional, scientific and technical services, Public administration and safety, Mining, Accommodation and food services.

Facts About Western Australia

  1. Western Australia is home to the Argyle Mine, the world’s largest producer of diamonds.
  2. Western Australia produces around 70% of Gold and other important exports of nickel, salt and other various metals.
  3. Until Dutch explorers came to Western Australia, Europeans did not know Black Swans existed and thought that all swans were white.
  4. The town of Broome has the world’s oldest open air cinema, which has operated since 1916.
  5. The famous Hollywood stars Heath Ledger, Melissa George and Gemma Ward are from Western Australia.
  6. Western Australia is also home to the longest stretch of straight railway in the world..
  7. WA is the second largest state in the world after Russia’s Sakha.
  8. Broome is the world largest producer of pearls.

 

References

The following links provide data for this topic: