Current population

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) releases estimates of the resident population (ERP) for Australia and the states and territories on a quarterly basis.

The following estimates are based on the results of the most recent Census of Population and Housing, conducted in 2021.

The estimated resident population at 30 September 2023 was 1,860,054 people1, an increase of 7,770 people over the quarter since 30 June 2023.

For the year ended 3 September 2023:

  • South Australia’s population increased by 30,738 at an annual growth rate of 1.68%
  • Australia’s growth rate over the same period was 1.79%
  • net overseas migration (NOM) was the main contributor, with a gain of almost 28,600 persons
  • natural increase (NI) contributed 3,158 persons
  • net interstate migration (NIM) saw a net loss of just over 1,000 persons.

1Australian Bureau of Statistics

South Australia's components of growth, annualised to September 2023

Overview

This chart shows South Australia's components of growth, annualised to June 2020

Values
Component of growthGrowth
Births 18,911
Deaths -13,994
Natural Increase 4,917
Net overseas migration 13,881
Net interstate migration -2,160
Net migration 11,721
Annual population growth to June 2020 16,638

At 30 June 2023, 1.446 million people were living in the Greater Adelaide Capital City region (GCCSA), accounting for 78.1% of South Australia’s population*.

In the 12 months to 30 June 2023, the Greater Adelaide population increased by 28,057 persons at a growth rate of 1.98%. This growth was mainly driven by strong overseas migration flow to South Australia post COVID-19**.

Over the same period, the population of regional SA increased by 3,012 persons to 405,904, at a growth rate of 0.75%.

*As per the latest available Australian Bureau of Statistics’ population estimates for local areas which are updated annually, and ABS population estimates for the state level which are updated quarterly..

**International borders closed in March 2020, and reopened in February 2022. State borders closures ceased in November 2021.

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