ABS forecasts Victoria's population to grow 83% by 2061

Melbourne’s population is forecast to surpass Sydney’s by 2053 and Melbourne could be Australia’s most populated city by as early at 2030, according to the population projections released by the Australia Bureau of Statistics yesterday.

The statistics confirm that Melbourne and Victoria will continue to accommodate strong population growth over the coming 50 years.

Melbourne’s population is forecast to reach 8.6 million by 2061 and Victoria is expected to grow from 5.6 million in 2012 to 10.3 million in 2061, an increase of 83%.

“The ABS has advised that Melbourne’s population will continue to grow strongly, which is why good, long term planning is so essential to maintaining good jobs growth and preserving the way we live,” says Planning Minister Matthew Guy.

“Plan Melbourne provides a clear course of action to protect our suburbs, as well as provide a clear pipeline of development in defined locations and a direction to once and for all create a State of Cities, not just a city-state.

“These policies position Melbourne and Victoria to allow for population growth and demographic change while at the same time protecting the liveability of Melbourne and Victoria's key regional centres.

“The ABS has included a number of alternative assumptions around fertility rates, net overseas migration and life expectancy. However, even if more conservative assumptions are used, Melbourne will still face significant population growth.

“If applied to Melbourne, the Series C projection (low growth) is still expected to realise a city of 7.6 million people by 2061,” says Guy.