The ABS released new population growth figures last week.
The table below is a summary of the population trends in the country’s largest 25 urban areas.
| Major urban areas in Australia | 2017 resident population | Annual growth last year | Average growth last decade | Difference: last year v decade avg |
| Sydney | 4,741,874 | 98,079 | 76,630 | 28% |
| Melbourne | 4,677,157 | 119,975 | 96,445 | 24% |
| Brisbane | 2,326,656 | 46,366 | 43,206 | 7% |
| Perth | 2,004,696 | 19,789 | 40,146 | -51% |
| Adelaide | 1,315,346 | 9,535 | 12,915 | -26% |
| Gold Coast/Tweed Heads | 663,321 | 16,338 | 13,524 | 21% |
| Newcastle/Maitland | 481,183 | 4,529 | 4,940 | -8% |
| Canberra/Queanbeyan | 447,457 | 6,914 | 6,976 | -1% |
| Central Coast | 329,437 | 2,413 | 3,059 | -21% |
| Sunshine Coast | 325,399 | 7,995 | 6,716 | 19% |
| Wollongong | 299,203 | 3,534 | 3,073 | 15% |
| Geelong | 260,138 | 6,869 | 4,642 | 48% |
| Hobart | 208,324 | 2,227 | 1,865 | 19% |
| Townsville | 180,346 | 1,486 | 2,879 | -48% |
| Cairns | 151,925 | 1,884 | 2,663 | -29% |
| Toowoomba | 135,631 | 1,594 | 1,577 | 1% |
| Darwin | 132,708 | 663 | 2,575 | -74% |
| Ballarat | 103,481 | 1,893 | 1,727 | 10% |
| Bendigo | 97,096 | 1,509 | 1,493 | 1% |
| Albury/Wodonga | 91,923 | 1,347 | 1,105 | 22% |
| Launceston | 86,788 | 453 | 357 | 27% |
| Mackay | 80,427 | -353 | 737 | -148% |
| Rockhampton | 78,871 | 76 | 695 | -89% |
| Bunbury | 74,478 | 376 | 1,518 | -75% |
| Coffs Harbour | 70,857 | 723 | 762 | -5% |
| Top 25 urban areas | 19,364,722 | 356,214 | 332,225 | 7% |
| Australia | 24,598,933 | 388,124 | 377,131 | 3% |
A quick summary finds:
1. Overall Australia’s current annual population growth rate is 3% higher than the ten-year average. The resident population rose by 388,000 people last year. 
2. Some 80% of people live in the country's largest 25 urban centres.
3. These 25 centres accounted for 92% of the nation’s population growth last year, which is higher than the ten-year average (88%).
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4. Some urban areas are growing much faster at present than the longer-term trend – these include Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast/Tweed, Geelong and the Sunshine Coast just to name a few.
5. Other urban areas aren’t doing as well such as Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville and Bunbury.
End note
High overseas migration is having an impact, so too is a lack of significant new employment generators across regional Queensland but the process of urbanisation is also influencing things.
