Australia's 25 Million

From the BBC:

"Australia's population to hit 25 million for first time"

Australia's population will reach 25 million for the first time on Tuesday, according to official estimates. The milestone, driven significantly by migration, has magnified debate about the merits of a "big or little" Australia, and congestion in cities. The most contentious aspect has been migration: is it growing too fast, or will it continue to benefit the nation? As urban sprawl worsens in Sydney and Melbourne, the government wants people to look at alternative places to live. Australia's population is concentrated around its coast - Sydney and Melbourne alone account for about two-fifths of people. A majority (67%) live in state and territory capital cities, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The only exceptions are Hobart (44% of Tasmanians) and Brisbane (49% of Queenslanders). Despite much of Australia being uninhabitable - officially 20% is classified as desert - the government says it has a "distribution problem". "There are other regions in Australia which are crying out for more people," Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge said on Tuesday. Australia grew by 388,000 people, or by 1.6%, in the last annual measurement. Of those, 62% were migrants and 38% was a natural increase (births minus deaths).  In this century, the largest number of migrants have come from India, China, Britain, Philippines and South Africa.  Melbourne and Sydney remain the top destinations for migrants.  Australia's population growth rate is above the 1.1% global average but ranks 77th globally, according to the World Bank. Its growth is high among OECD nations, however, with only Luxembourg, New Zealand, Israel and Turkey expanding faster.  Despite a recent peak of 2.1% in 2009, Australia has averaged its current rate - 1.6% - since 1947, according to demographer Dr Liz Allen. "If you compare Australia to other similar countries, we are concentrated along the east coast. We're not maximising all of the landmass," she told the BBC. "We seem to grow out rather than up, and that has caused some concern and pressure on infrastructure. There has not been a lot of planning for cities and the future."  This is a call that has grown louder from some prominent commentators - and some government MPs - in recent months. Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, for one, has said Australia should cut its annual intake by about 80,000.  "Just at the moment we have got stagnant wages, unaffordable housing, clogged infrastructure and there is no doubt the rate of immigration impacts on all of these things," Mr Abbott told Sydney's 2GB radio station earlier this year. But opponents have disputed such assertions, pointing to OECD studies that found migrants had little effect on issues such house prices and wages. Australia's treasurer, Scott Morrison, has said that cutting migration would hurt the economy.  Dr Allen said research had shown that between 160,000 and 210,000 annual migrants was the "sweet spot" for Australia. "That optimal range will have the best impacts on GDP per capita," she said. "Migration is breathing life into this nation."

^ Australia is the 6th largest country in terms of landmass and yet is the 51st largest country in terms of population so it's hard to think 25 million people in such a large country is a big deal - although it does fit along with Canada. Canada is the 2nd largest country in terms of landmass and only the 38th  largest country in terms of population (with 37 million people.) The United States is the 4th largest country in terms of landmass and the 3rd largest country by population (with 327 million people.) One thing that Australia, Canada and the United States have in common is that their East Coasts are more heavily populated then the rest of their country. The Quebec City -Windsor Corridor in Canada (which includes the cities of: Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Mississauga, Montreal, Oshawa, Ottawa, Peterborough, Quebec City, Toronto, Trois-Rivieres, Vaughan and Windsor has 18.4 million people. The Sydney-Melbourne-Brisbane Corridor in Australia has a total population of 14,2 million people. The Northeast Megalopolis of the United States (which includes the cities of: Allentown-Bethlehem, Atlantic City, Baltimore, Boston, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Nashua, Newark, New York, Norfolk, Ocean City, Philadelphia, Portland (ME), Pottsville, Providence, Richmond, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Springfield and Hartford, Trenton, Virginia Beach, Washington, Wilmington, Worcester) has 52,3 million people.  ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-45093429