Melbourne Overtaking Sydney in Population Growth
Melbourne has been referred to as the fastest growing city in Australia, and for good reason. Research has shown that Melbourne has experienced a rapid rise in population growth, at a level that hasn't been previously witnessed in Australia. The population of Melbourne has skyrocketed to over 4 million.
The number of citizens that Melbourne accommodates is increasing by approximately 90,000 residents per year. This also equates to around 1700 a week. Much of the population boom has been due to the influx of overseas migrants and students. 2009 saw the largest influx of migrants seen in over 30 years. This unprecedented growth has easily overtaken Sydney's growth of approximately 55,000.
Recently, the Australian Bureau of Statistics released predictions stating that by 2056 Melbourne's population could swell to almost 8 million, with Sydney following behind at 7.6 million. To come up with this figure, the Australian Bureau of Statistics used trends in fertility, life expectancy at birth, net overseas migration and net interstate migration to make the population projection.
One reason which could cause an attraction to Melbourne instead of Sydney, is that housing has been shown to be 20-25% more affordable than housing in Sydney. The prices of inner city apartments are even more affordable with a difference of around 45%. Australia is predicted to be one of the fastest growing industrialized nations globally. The Bureau of Statistics show that it is growing at one of the fastest rates since post war migration.
Between 2007-2009, the Bureau of Statistics state that Melbourne's population had grown by over 150, 000. The majority of such growth appeared to have occurred throughout the city fringes. Such escalation in population has put heightened pressure on the affordability of houses, with a high percentage of resident income going towards paying rent.
In regards to accommodating for such growth, Residential Development Council's Executive Director, Caryn Kakas said that, "To achieve affordable housing choice for all current and future Australians in a market that is currently chronically undersupplied, it is imperative that Australia gets building.
"Building needs to take place with clear forward planning, which should be linked to infrastructure delivery, be sustainable, as well as offer housing choice," she said.
Overall, Melbourne has displayed a growth of around 2 percent, compared to the 1.3 percent demonstrated in Sydney. Sydney is currently the city with the highest population in Australia but if recent trends continue, then Melbourne will claim that title in the very near future.
