Brisbane, Australia Population

Population in Urban Area, now

2,463,451
  • World: 214th
  • Oceania: 3rd
  • Australia: 3rd

Population in City Area, 2022-03-07

2,189,878
  • World: 132nd
  • Oceania: 3rd
  • Australia: 3rd

Brisbane Urban Area Population Graph

Brisbane Population Review

The capital city of Queensland, Australia, Brisbane was named Australia's hippest city by Lonely Planet. This sun-soaked city of 2.4 million people gets 283 days of sunshine per years and the third most populous city in the entire continent of Australia. Named after the Brisbane River, which flows through the center of town, Brisbane is a thriving multicultural hub whose population has multiplied several times over in the past few decades.

While the city continues to grow and experts predict the population will reach 2.8 million by 2035, Brisbane has managed to keep accommodations affordable. This is in part due to the inner city of Brisbane's lower population density. The city has a population density of 346 people per square kilometer, which makes it densely populated, but not nearly as congested as Sydney or Melbourne.

An exploding population

Urban renewal plans implemented shortly after the end of World War II begin attracting more people to the city. Since then, the city's population growth has continued to impress. Historically, Brisbane has always exceeded its population growth predictions. Since 1950, Brisbane's population grew from 442,000 to 2.3 million--a growth of 436%. In the past eight years alone, the growth rate has been strong and consistent, varying between 1.32% all the way up to 6.67%. The city adds around 35,000 new people each year, much of this due to interstate migration and a high birth rate. Brisbane's rating as one of the world’s “Most Liveable Cities” continues to attract overseas migration as well.

A multicultural population

The city's appeal to immigrants, as well as its historical roots, makes Brisbane a welcoming and multicultural city. One third of residents living in the city were born overseas and almost 20% speak a language other than English at home. The most popular languages spoken in the city after English are Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Cantonese. The population of Brisbane is spread hails from numerous different descendants, with 39% having an English background, 34% being Native Australian, 13% Irish, 11% Scottish, and 6% German. The city is also very well educated, with more than 330,000 residents holding a university degree, equivalent to a bachelor’s degree or higher.

An equal split of married and single people

Whether you're coupled up or single and looking, you'll feel right at home in Brisbane. The split between married and single people in the city is quite close, with 47% of people listed as married, 36% listed as never married, and 12% either divorced or separated. This makes mingling and making friends in the city exceptionally easy, especially since Brisbane is considered a friendly and overall safe community for everyone there. Much of Brisbane is quite young as well, with the working age population of 15 to 64 accounting for 70% of the city’s population.

Tourism to Brisbane

Brisbane is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Australia. Visitors to Brisbane number over 9 million annually. While over a million of these travellers are international visitors, the vast majority (around 7.7 million) are domestic, overnight visitors coming to enjoy Brisbane’s climate and attractions. Brisbane’s popularity as a tourist destination has continued to increase, with the number of domestic visitors to the city increasing by 73% and international visitors increasing by 50% since 2010. The overall number of visitors increased again in 2019 by 7.4%.

This influx of visitors helps boost the city’s economy as well. With international tourists spending an average of $100 per night, Brisbane makes around $7.6 billion annually from tourists—$2.9 billion from international tourists and $4.9 billion from domestic, overnight visitors. Brisbane is most popular with tourists from China and New Zealand, with almost 20% of visitors from these locations travelling solely to Brisbane.

Review Updated: July 9, 2020
Brisbane River and CityBrisbane River and City

Brisbane Urban Area Population History

1950 442,000
1951 456,000
1952 471,000
1953 486,000
1954 502,000
1955 518,000
1956 534,000
1957 550,000
1958 567,000
1959 585,000
1960 603,000
1961 622,000
1962 640,000
1963 659,000
1964 678,000
1965 699,000
1966 719,000
1967 762,000
1968 807,000
1969 854,000
1970 905,000
1971 958,000
1972 977,000
1973 997,000
1974 1,017,000
1975 1,037,000
1976 1,058,000
1977 1,077,000
1978 1,096,000
1979 1,115,000
1980 1,135,000
1981 1,155,000
1982 1,176,000
1983 1,198,000
1984 1,220,000
1985 1,242,000
1986 1,265,000
1987 1,293,000
1988 1,322,000
1989 1,351,000
1990 1,381,000
1991 1,412,000
1992 1,440,000
1993 1,469,000
1994 1,499,000
1995 1,529,000
1996 1,560,000
1997 1,573,000
1998 1,586,000
1999 1,598,000
2000 1,611,000
2001 1,624,000
2002 1,663,000
2003 1,703,000
2004 1,744,000
2005 1,786,000
2006 1,828,000
2007 1,872,000
2008 1,917,000
2009 1,962,000
2010 2,009,000
2011 2,056,000
2012 2,095,000
2013 2,133,000
2014 2,173,000
2015 2,213,000
2016 2,254,000
2017 2,296,000
2018 2,338,000
2019 2,372,000
2020 2,406,000
2021 2,439,000
2022 2,472,000
2023 2,505,000
2024 2,536,000

Brisbane Urban Area Population Projections

2025 2,568,000
2026 2,600,000
2027 2,631,000
2028 2,662,000
2029 2,693,000
2030 2,724,000
2031 2,755,000
2032 2,785,000
2033 2,815,000
2034 2,846,000
2035 2,876,000

Map of Brisbane, Australia

All Biggest Cities in Australia