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Australia's population will reach 25 million for the first time on Tuesday, according to official estimates.

The milestone, driven significantly by migration, has magnified debate about the merits of a "big or little" Australia, and congestion in cities.

The most contentious aspect has been migration: is it growing too fast, or will it continue to benefit the nation?

As urban sprawl worsens in Sydney and Melbourne, the government wants people to look at alternative places to live.

Where do Australians live?

Australia's population is concentrated around its coast - Sydney and Melbourne alone account for about two-fifths of people.

A majority (67%) live in state and territory capital cities, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The only exceptions are Hobart (44% of Tasmanians) and Brisbane (49% of Queenslanders).

Despite much of Australia being uninhabitable - officially 20% is classified as desert - the government says it has a "distribution problem".

"There are other regions in Australia which are crying out for more people," Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge said on Tuesday.

What is behind the growth?

Australia grew by 388,000 people, or by 1.6%, in the last annual measurement. Of those, 62% were migrants and 38% was a natural increase (births minus deaths).

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Should migrants to Australia face an English test?

In this century, the largest number of migrants have come from India, China, Britain, Philippines and South Africa.

Melbourne and Sydney remain the top destinations for migrants.

How does it compare globally?

Australia's population growth rate is above the 1.1% global average but ranks 77th globally, according to the World Bank.

Its growth is high among OECD nations, however, with only Luxembourg, New Zealand, Israel and Turkey expanding faster.

Australia in a global context 53rd largest nation by population size 13th biggest economy

6th biggest by landmass, after Russia, Canada, US, China and Brazil

Three – the rough number of Australians per sq km. In Monaco, the most densely populated nation, it is 19,348 Australian Bureau of Statistics, IMF, World Bank

Despite a recent peak of 2.1% in 2009, Australia has averaged its current rate - 1.6% - since 1947, according to demographer Dr Liz Allen.

"If you compare Australia to other similar countries, we are concentrated along the east coast. We're not maximising all of the landmass," she told the BBC.

"We seem to grow out rather than up, and that has caused some concern and pressure on infrastructure. There has not been a lot of planning for cities and the future."

Should migration be cut?

This is a call that has grown louder from some prominent commentators - and some government MPs - in recent months.

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, for one, has said Australia should cut its annual intake by about 80,000.

"Just at the moment we have got stagnant wages, unaffordable housing, clogged infrastructure and there is no doubt the rate of immigration impacts on all of these things," Mr Abbott told Sydney's 2GB radio station earlier this year.

But opponents have disputed such assertions, pointing to OECD studies that found migrants had little effect on issues such house prices and wages.

Australia's treasurer, Scott Morrison, has said that cutting migration would hurt the economy.

Dr Allen said research had shown that between 160,000 and 210,000 annual migrants was the "sweet spot" for Australia.

"That optimal range will have the best impacts on GDP per capita," she said. "Migration is breathing life into this nation."</s>Australia's population is due to reach 25 million shortly after 11pm (AEST) tonight according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) population clock.

ABS Director of Demography, Anthony Grubb, said: 'From our average age, to how long people live and where we live, Australia's population has experienced major changes.

25 million - how did we get here?

'Australia's population has increased more than sixfold since 1901 when it was 3.8 million.

'By 1918 it had grown to 5 million, it had doubled to 10 million by 1959 and reached 20 million in October 2004. It has been just over 2.5 years since we reached 24 million in January 2016.'

The overall total population increase is estimated to be one person every 1 minute and 23 seconds. Within this there is estimated to be:
• one birth every 1 minute and 42 seconds;
• one death every 3 minutes and 16 seconds;
• one person arriving to live in Australia every 1 minute and 1 second; and
• one Australian resident leaving to live overseas every 1 minute and 51 seconds.

It is not possible to identify who the 25 millionth person will be. It could be a newborn baby, a new migrant to Australia, or an Australian citizen returning home after living overseas.

Where do we live?

In 1901, 36 per cent of Australians lived in capital cities and 64 per cent in other urban and rural areas in Australia. In 2017, this has reversed with 67 per cent of us living in capital cities and 33 per cent in other urban and rural areas.

Percentage of state/territory population living in capital cities in 1901 and 2017

What does 25 million look like?

 The structure of Australia's population has changed significantly since the turn of the 20th century.

The median age in 2017 was 37, compared with 22.5 years in 1901. Australians are also living longer, with almost 4,000 centenarians in 2017.

Percentage of population under 20/85 and over in 1901 and 2017

Currently women make up the majority of the population, with 98 males per 100 females. In contrast in 1901, there were 110 males to 100 females.

How does Australia's population compare with other countries?

 The world's population is approximately 7.6 billion. Populations among some of Australia's nearest neighbours include Indonesia's 264 million and New Zealand 4.8 million. Meanwhile, 66 million people live in the UK, 36.7 million in Canada and 328 million live in the US.

When will Australia reach 26 million?

 Over the past three years, Australia's population has grown by around 400,000 people per year. If this trend continues, the country's population would be expected to reach 26 million in about three years' time.

Find out more

 Further information is available in Australian Demographic Statistics, Dec 2017 (cat. no. 3101.0) and Australian Historical Population Statistics, 2014 (cat. no. 3105.0.65.001).

For population estimates at the regional level, please see Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2016-17 (cat. no. 3218.0) and Population by Age and Sex, Regions of Australia, 2016 (cat. no. 3235.0), available for free download from www.abs.gov.au.
• Please ensure when reporting on ABS data that you attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.
• A 25 Million Population Milestone factsheet is available on the ABS website.
• Media requests and interviews - contact the ABS Media on 1300 175 070.
• Please note that ABS spokespeople will be available for interviews today until 5.30pm and from 7am Tuesday morning.
• In recent weeks the ABS has been releasing a series of facts related to Australia's population. Visit ABS Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts to see them.</s>Australia's population will increase to 25 million Tuesday, according to the country's Bureau of Statistics.

It is expected the new population milestone will be reached after 11 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (1 pm GMT), the bureau (ABS) said in a news release.</s>Canberra, Aug 7 (IANS) Australia's population is set to hit the 25 million mark, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), with the 25 millionth Aussie expected to be an immigrant from India or China rather than a newborn.

According to ABS, Australia's population is increasing by one person every 83 seconds and the new population record is likely to be set late on Tuesday night, ABC News reported.

"We won't know for sure who the 25 millionth Aussie will be. But it is more likely to be an overseas migrant than a newborn," author and political commentator George Megalogenis was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

"The two biggest migrant groups in Australia are Chinese and Indians since the turn of the 21st century," he told The World programme.

"So we're getting an extraordinary number of Chinese and Indians from two countries that are actually rising. Since about 2005, we're receiving more people from overseas than have been added to our population through natural increase, so more migrants than babies," Megalogenis said.

Net overseas migration -- the number of arrivals minus departures -- currently accounts for 62 per cent of Australia's growth. Natural increase makes up 38 per cent.

"Last time that happened was in the gold rushes of the 1850s," Megalogenis said.

The milestone, driven significantly by migration, has magnified debate about the merits of a "big or little" Australia and congestion in cities, according to the BBC.

As urban sprawl worsens in Sydney and Melbourne, the government wants people to look at alternative places to live.

Australia's population is concentrated around its coast as Sydney and Melbourne alone account for about two-fifths of people. The Oceanian country has grown by six times since 1901 when its population was 3.8 million.

Australia is one of the world's largest countries by land area, ranked seventh out of 257 nations, according to the 2017 CIA World Factbook.

However, its population density is among the world's lowest, at 3.1 people per square kilometre, with most Australians living in the country's southeast, and vast regions of the interior being sparsely populated, the ABS said in 2016.</s>The 25th million resident could be a new migrant to the country, a newborn baby or an Australian returning home after living abroad, says the ABC news report

Australia's population is set to hit the 25 million mark, according to official estimates by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), a milestone reached in record time as net migration continues to outpace births. According to ABS, Australia's population was increasing by one person every 83 seconds and the new population record was likely to be set late on Tuesday night, ABC News reported. The 25th million resident could be a new migrant to the country, a newborn baby or an Australian returning home after living abroad.

"We won't know for sure who the 25 millionth Aussie will be. But it is more likely to be an overseas migrant than a newborn," author and political commentator George Megalogenis was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

"The two biggest migrant groups in Australia are Chinese and Indians since the turn of the 21st century," he told The World programme. "So we're getting an extraordinary number of Chinese and Indians from two countries that are actually rising. Since about 2005, we're receiving more people from overseas that have been added to our population through natural increase, so more migrants than babies," he said.

Net overseas migration -- the number of arrivals minus departures -- currently accounts for 62 percent of Australia's growth. The natural increase makes up 38 percent. "Last time that happened was in the gold rushes of the 1850s," Megalogenis said.

The milestone, driven significantly by migration, has magnified debate about the merits of a "big or little" Australia and congestion in cities, according to the BBC. As urban sprawl worsens in Sydney and Melbourne, the government wants people to look at alternative places to live.

Australia's population is concentrated around its coast -- Sydney and Melbourne alone account for about two-fifths of people. The Oceanian country has grown by six times since 1901 when its population was 3.8 million.

Australia is one of the world's largest countries by land area, ranked seventh out of 257 nations, according to the 2017 CIA World Factbook.

However, its population density is among the world's lowest, at 3.1 people per square kilometre, with most Australians living in the country's southeast, and vast regions of the interior being sparsely populated, the ABS said in 2016.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever</s>SYDNEY, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Australia's population will hit a record 25 million on Tuesday, almost a decade earlier than projected, as it attracts hundreds of thousands of migrants each year, latest government data shows.

Every minute, one person arrives to live in Australia, the data shows, underpinning demand for everything from homes to cars, schools and hospitals, and boosting the country's economic fortunes.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates the country's population will reach 26 million in three years' time, based on current trends.

The rapid increase in migrant numbers has sparked a debate on the economic and social impact of migration given inadequate infrastructure has resulted in clogged cities while an expanding labour market has capped wage growth.

"Coping means continuing to invest in infrastructure," Treasurer Scott Morrison said on 3AW Radio on Tuesday, when asked if Australia can cope with 25 million people.

"That's why we've got a A$75 billion infrastructure plan. There has to be to support that growth that we're seeing in our population."

Australia's economic success is built on migration with more than a third of the population born overseas, according to the latest census data which shows England, China, New Zealand and India as the top countries where migrants come from.

A separate ABS study released in June shows net overseas migration now accounts for 62 percent of total population growth. Natural increase makes up 38 percent.

But immigration has become a political hot potato as the ruling centre-right coalition government and the opposition Labor party start campaigning for the New South Wales state election due next March followed by national elections in May.

Far right politician Pauline Hanson has blamed the rising migrant numbers for growing inequality in Australia, while Senator Dean Smith became the first member of the government earlier this year to call for a review into population growth.

Smith has argued the rapid intake has put a huge strain on the infrastructure of the country's largest cities - Sydney and Melbourne - home to the vast majority of newcomers.

"The 25 million milestone is a perfect opportunity to engage in a broad public discussion about what future population growth should look like for Australia and how that can be balanced with preserving high living standards and quality of life," Smith told Reuters. ($1 = 1.3526 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Swati Pandey; Editing by Michael Perry)</s>Sydney: Australia’s population was due to hit 25 million on Tuesday, renewing debate about overcrowding and infrastructure pressures in major cities as the government explores ways to encourage migrants into regional areas.

 The Australian Bureau of Statistics projects that the population is growing by one person every 83 seconds and was due to reach the milestone figure at 1300 GMT. It will mark a doubling of the number of people since 1970 who call Australia home.

 The population rose by 388,000 last year and about 60 per cent of this was due to immigration by people with special skills or family visas.

 Despite Australia’s huge size, about 90 per cent of new arrivals settle in Melbourne and Sydney, the government said, prompting a fresh debate on its approach to migration as cities fill up.

 “There are some areas that are feeling population pressures but there’s other regions in Australia that are actually crying out for more people,” Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge told broadcaster ABC.

 “We need a better distribution of migration across Australia because nearly all the migration is going to Melbourne and Sydney at the moment.”

 Tudge wants migrants to look outside the country’s two largest cities to state capitals and regional hubs where he said there were better chances of finding jobs.

 The minister added the government was considering levers in its visa allocation to promote regional migration, but did not go into detail.

 “We do have an ability to provide additional encouragement, indeed conditions, on people as to where they go,” he said.

 “So that is what we are exploring, and that is why we are having discussions with the South Australian premier and elsewhere.” — AFP</s>Australia's population hit 25 million, newest resident likely to be young, female and Chinese

Australia's population has hit the 25 million mark according to projections from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), a milestone reached in record time as net migration continues to outpace births.

The ABS population clock estimates Australia's population is increasing by one person every 83 seconds, and the new population record was set at about 11:00pm.

While we cannot know for certain who the 25 millionth person was, author and political commentator George Megalogenis said they were most likely a young, female Chinese student or skilled worker.

"The two biggest migrant groups in Australia are Chinese and Indians since the turn of the 21st century," he told The World program.

"So we're getting an extraordinary number of Chinese and Indians from two countries that are actually rising.

"Since about 2005, we're receiving more people from overseas than have been added to our population through natural increase, so more migrants than babies.

Net overseas migration — the number of arrivals minus departures — currently accounts for 62 per cent of Australia's growth. Natural increase makes up 38 per cent.

"Last time that happened was in the gold rushes of the 1850s," Megalogenis said.

If you look at arrival figures, as opposed to net overseas migration, people born in China emerge as the largest group of migrants accounting for 15.8 per cent of total arrivals.

Divided by visa category, international students are the largest group of arrivals, and China is the most common country of birth for international students in Australia.

University of Melbourne student Jinghua Liang, 20, said she was attracted to Australia's multicultural society and lifestyle.

"I think the first thing when I think about Australian schools is fresh air, blue sky, good food — and my mum told me [about] emus, kangaroos, that's a pretty attractive thing," Ms Liang said.

The journalism student said she was surprised to hear that the 25 millionth Australian was likely to be a Chinese woman.

"Many of my friends speak good English with pretty awesome Aussie accents, but many of them don't want to stay here," she said, adding that many students had cultural reasons for choosing to return home.

"I'd prefer to stay … I feel like it's a pretty multicultural environment, it's good for me to be a writer or a journalist because I've got much more freedom, and more good stories here."

If Ms Liang does remain, she would join a growing population of single, well-educated Chinese women who have decided to stay in Australia permanently.

"Every time I read this stat, my jaw drops — the Chinese-born population in Australia is overwhelmingly female, and in fact it has one of the greatest gender skews towards women of any migrant group," Megalogenis said.

"And given that they're a young and very well-educated group, the question is where are the guys going to come from?"

Megalogenis predicts marriages between Chinese-born and Indian-born migrants, who have a heavy gender skew towards men, will become increasingly common in coming decades and continue a long-standing trend in Australian history.

"A greatest mixed marriage in the 19th century — which sort of creates an idea of the older Australian population as we know it today, but at the time it was young and vibrant — Protestant male from England, Catholic female from Ireland.

"I tend to view the mixed marriage between the Chinese women and the Indian men in the next 20 or 30 years will be the next version of what is this sort of great ability I think we have to unite tribes."

And that ability may prove crucial in future decades, where Megalogenis said different states in Australia were likely to have populations with diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

"There is … a Eurasian identity being formed in Melbourne and Sydney … the rest of the country are oversubscribed from migrants from other parts of the world," he said.

"New Zealand migration is really driving the migration story on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane, and English and South African migration is driving the migration story in Perth.

Concerns over transport infrastructure and property prices in Sydney and Melbourne have seen population growth become a political issue in both cities.

Last month, there were calls for an inquiry into population growth and further cuts to the migration intake from the Coalition's backbench, while Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said there was an "out-of-control" amount of people coming to Australia on work visas.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull waded into the debate over gang-related violence in Melbourne, and former leader Tony Abbott said the Labor Party was in the grip of "ethnic activists".

Megalogenis said instead of "dog whistling" on migration policy, politicians should be working to ensure the benefits of migration are shared more evenly.

"If you're running a mass migration program — and you know you're locked into it because otherwise your population would age too quickly — why don't you get a discussion going about spreading the benefits to all the other parts of Australia," he said.

"These things are very difficult debates to have, and the sceptic in me says I probably wouldn't trust this generation of politicians to do all the infrastructure — they'd probably make a lot of mistakes.

"But I'd much rather have that conversation than none at all, or to be having the one at the margin about asylum seekers or so-called gangs."

Watch the full interview with George Megalogenis on The World tonight at 10:00pm AEST.</s>Australia's population was due to hit 25 million on Tuesday, renewing debate about overcrowding and infrastructure pressures in major cities as the government explores ways to encourage migrants into regional areas.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics projects that the population is growing by one person every 83 seconds and is due to reach the milestone figure at 1300 GMT.

It will mark a doubling of the number of people since 1970 who call Australia home.

The population rose by 388,000 last year and about 60 percent of this was due to immigration by people with special skills or family visas.

Despite Australia's huge size, about 90 percent of new arrivals settle in Melbourne and Sydney, the government said, prompting a fresh debate on its approach to migration as cities fill up.

"There are some areas that are feeling population pressures but there's other regions in Australia that are actually crying out for more people," Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge told broadcaster ABC.

"We need a better distribution of migration across Australia because nearly all the migration is going to Melbourne and Sydney at the moment."

Tudge wants migrants to look outside the country's two largest cities to state capitals and regional hubs where he said there were better chances of finding jobs.

The minister added the government was considering levers in its visa allocation to promote regional migration, but did not go into detail.

"We do have an ability to provide additional encouragement, indeed conditions, on people as to where they go," he said.

"So that is what we are exploring, and that is why we are having discussions with the South Australian premier and elsewhere."

Overcrowding and inadequate infrastructure is a major issue in Australia, as state governments jostle with Canberra over planning priorities and funding.

The 25 million milestone has provided fodder for all sides of the political debate, with experts warning that a lack of coherent planning is limiting potential.

"Many individual towns and cities across the country are trying, best they can, to cope with population growth, stimulate population growth, or, for some, curb population loss," said Curtin University geographer Amanda Davies.

"Without a national framework to bring this knowledge and effort together, opportunities are being missed."</s>Australia’s population was due to hit 25 million on Tuesday, renewing debate about overcrowding and infrastructure pressures in major cities as the government explores ways to encourage migrants into regional areas.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics projects that the population is growing by one person every 83 seconds.

It will mark a doubling of the number of people since 1970 who call Australia home.

The population rose by 388,000 last year and about 60 per cent of this was due to immigration by people with special skills or family visas.

Despite Australia’s huge size, about 90 per cent of new arrivals settle in Melbourne and Sydney, the government said, prompting a fresh debate on its approach to migration as cities fill up.

“There are some areas that are feeling population pressures but there’s other regions in Australia that are actually crying out for more people,” Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge said.

“We need a better distribution of migration across Australia because nearly all the migration is going to Melbourne and Sydney at the moment.”

Tudge wants migrants to look outside the country’s two largest cities to state capitals and regional hubs where he said there were better chances of finding jobs.

The minister added the government was considering levers in its visa allocation to promote regional migration, but did not go into detail.

“We do have an ability to provide additional encouragement, indeed conditions, on people as to where they go,” he said.

“So that is what we are exploring, and that is why we are having discussions with the South Australian premier and elsewhere.”

Australia’s economic success is built on migration with more than a third of the population born overseas, according to the latest census data which shows England, China, New Zealand and India as the top countries where migrants come from.

A separate ABS study released in June shows net overseas migration now accounts for 62 per cent of total population growth. Natural increase makes up 38 per cent.

But immigration has become a political hot potato as the ruling centre-right coalition government and the opposition Labor party start campaigning for the New South Wales state election due next March followed by national elections in May.

Far right politician Pauline Hanson has blamed the rising migrant numbers for growing inequality in Australia, while Senator Dean Smith became the first member of the government earlier this year to call for a review into population growth.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics says the total population of Australia has hit 25 million.