The mining boom of Olympic Dam is yet to boost South Australia’s population as Census 2011 showed the State as having the second-lowest growth in the country.
Australia’s yearly population growth rate was 1.4 percent for the year ending December 31, 2011, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
South Australia had the second-lowest growth rate with 0.7 per cent.
The lowest rate was in Tasmania with 0.4 percent while Western Australia was the State with the biggest growth of 2.9 percent.
Australia’s population increased by 302,600 people, ending up with more than 22 million people, more than 1.5 million of them choosing South Australia as their home.
Net overseas migration accounted for 55 percent of Australia’s growth with the remaining 45 percent due to natural increase – births minus deaths.
Based on preliminary figures, there were 296,700 births registered in the year ending December 2011, 2.5 percent or 7200 more than in the previous year.
The number of deaths registered over the same period was 147,000 which was 2.5 percent or 3600 more than in the previous year.
These official population estimates were derived from the Census count and other ABS sources.
The estimates include Australian residents temporarily overseas on Census night plus an estimate of people not counted at that time.
They exclude temporary overseas visitors in Australia. Official population estimates also take into account births, deaths and migration trends.