Urban population, per square kilometre in Australia
Australia: Urban population, per square kilometre was 3.03 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
3.03 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 2.6%
World rank
209th
of 216 countries
All-time high
3.03 units per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
1.12 units per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Urban population, per square kilometre in Australia, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
Australia recorded 3.03 units per square kilometre for urban population, per square kilometre in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population, per square kilometre in Australia peaked at 3.03 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.12 units per square kilometre, in 1961.
That places Australia 209th out of 216 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Urban population, per square kilometre in Australia, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.12 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 1.15 units per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1963 | 1.18 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1964 | 1.2 units per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 1.23 units per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1966 | 1.26 units per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1967 | 1.28 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1968 | 1.32 units per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1969 | 1.35 units per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 1.39 units per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 1971 | 1.44 units per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 1972 | 1.47 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1973 | 1.49 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 1.53 units per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1975 | 1.55 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 1.57 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 1.59 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 1.61 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 1.62 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 1.64 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 1.66 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 1.69 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 1.71 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 1.73 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 1.75 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 1.78 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 1.81 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 1.84 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 1.87 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 1.9 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 1.92 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 1.94 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 1.96 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 1.98 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 2 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 2.02 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 2.04 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 2.06 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 2.08 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 2.11 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 2.14 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 2.16 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 2.19 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 2.22 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 2.25 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 2.28 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 2.33 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 2.38 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 2.43 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 2.47 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 2.51 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 2.56 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 2.61 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 2.65 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 2.69 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 2.74 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 2.79 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 2.83 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 2.88 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 2.91 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 2.91 units per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 2.95 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 3.03 units per square kilometre | +2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.23 units per square kilometre | 1.12 units per square kilometre | 1.35 units per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.53 units per square kilometre | 1.39 units per square kilometre | 1.62 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.75 units per square kilometre | 1.64 units per square kilometre | 1.87 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.99 units per square kilometre | 1.9 units per square kilometre | 2.08 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.25 units per square kilometre | 2.11 units per square kilometre | 2.43 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.67 units per square kilometre | 2.47 units per square kilometre | 2.88 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.95 units per square kilometre | 2.91 units per square kilometre | 3.03 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 206 Central African Republic 3.61 units per square kilometre compare
- 207 Iceland 3.6 units per square kilometre compare
- 208 Papua New Guinea 3.45 units per square kilometre compare
- 210 Botswana 2.93 units per square kilometre compare
- 211 Mauritania 2.91 units per square kilometre compare
- 212 Suriname 2.58 units per square kilometre compare
More climate change data for Australia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population, per square kilometre in Australia?
- Urban population, per square kilometre in Australia was 3.03 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.03 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.12 units per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does Australia rank for urban population, per square kilometre?
- Australia ranks 209th out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
- Is urban population, per square kilometre rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Urban population, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Urban population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Urban population ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Urban population World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Urban population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.