Let me open with a big claim – today I present you the single-most significant chart if you want to study the mid-term future of Australia.

Understanding this chart is of the utmost importance for anyone in business or government. 

That’s a rather grandiose opening to a column, but let me back up my claim after I explain what the chart actually shows. 

We are looking at the latest population forecast by age for Australia from The Centre for Population. 

The Centre for Population is a small analytical unit within Treasury that acts as the federal government’s in-house demography team.

It doesn’t run the census or collect raw data, but it interprets it, builds population projections and provides the assumptions that quietly underpin infrastructure planning, housing targets and long-term budget forecasts.

Its annual Population Statement is essentially the government’s official demographic outlook.

The 2025 edition sets out how many people Australia is expected to have, where they will live, how fast we will age and what migration and birth rate assumptions sit behind those numbers. It’s the spreadsheet behind Australia’s growth story. 

Let me show you the 10-year population forecast chart in all its glory first. It’s nothing but a simplified population pyramid – I previously explained why I prefer this style.

Australia is projected to grow by 13 per cent, or 3.5 million people, in the coming decade. That level of growth shouldn’t surprise........

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