Population growth

Australia has just passed another milestone according the Bureau of Statistics. The text below is courtesy of the ABS:

"On 24 April 2013 at 08:56:47 AM (Canberra time - the time this posting was started), the resident population of Australia is projected to be:

23,000,479

This projection is based on the estimated resident population at 30 September 2012 and assumes growth since then of:

• one birth every 1 minute and 44 seconds,
• one death every 3 minutes and 32 seconds,
• a net gain of one international migration every 2 minutes and 19 seconds, leading to
• an overall total population increase of one person every 1 minute and 23 seconds ."

The 23 million mark was passed last night.

Since Australia's estimated resident population (ERP) at 30 June 2007 was 21.0 million people, the nation has added 2 million in under six years at an annual rate of 1.3%. This is fast compared with the developed world. In 2012, the US recorded 0.9%, Britain 0.55% and Canada 0.78%. In comparison, Russia managed -0.01%, Japan -0.08%, and Germany -0.2%. At that rate of regress, Germany's population will have shrunk to just 2 million by the year 2167, but not even I will be around to see that. Meanwhile, Australia's population will finally overtake the UK's in 2133 - assuming current growth rates. The UK's population will then be a little over 132 million. Where's the space for that? I suppose the Isle of Skye could fit in 4 million or so.

AS