New South Wales population
Population, New South Wales · Australian Bureau of Statistics · March quarter 2026
New South Wales population 8,670,100 in the March quarter 2026, up 1.1% over the year.
Next release · Thu 17 Dec 2026, 11:30 AEDT · Population
What the numbers say
New South Wales' estimated resident population was 8,670,100 in the March quarter 2026, compared with 8,635,200 in the December quarter 2025. It was up 1.1% over the year from the March quarter 2025, up 7.1% over 5 years from the March quarter 2021 and up 12.5% over 10 years from the March quarter 2016. The latest figure is at the peak, the highest since the series began in the June quarter 1981, and compares with the low of 5,234,900 in the June quarter 1981. For comparison, Australia's population was 27,921,200 in the March quarter 2026.
What is the population of New South Wales?
New South Wales' estimated resident population was 8,670,100 in the March quarter 2026. That is the highest since the series began in the June quarter 1981.
Is the population of New South Wales growing?
New South Wales' population was up 1.1% over the year to the March quarter 2026, reaching 8,670,100. It was also up 12.5% over 10 years from the March quarter 2016.
How fast is the population of New South Wales growing?
New South Wales' population was up 1.1% over the year to the March quarter 2026. Over 5 years from the March quarter 2021 it was up 7.1%, and over 10 years from the March quarter 2016 it was up 12.5%.
How does the population of New South Wales compare with Australia's?
New South Wales' population was 8,670,100 in the March quarter 2026. Australia's population was 27,921,200 in the same quarter.
Written from the figures on this page · updated 11 October 2026
Recent quarters
| Quarter | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| March quarter 2026 | 8,670,100 | final |
| December quarter 2025 | 8,635,200 | final |
| September quarter 2025 | 8,618,100 | final |
| June quarter 2025 | 8,587,400 | final |
| March quarter 2025 | 8,573,100 | final |
| December quarter 2024 | 8,538,700 | final |
| September quarter 2024 | 8,519,500 | final |
| June quarter 2024 | 8,492,100 | final |
Full series · 180 quarters · CSV · JSON
This series measures the estimated resident population of New South Wales, in thousands of persons, and stands at 8,670,100 for March quarter 2026. It is published quarterly by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and runs from June quarter 1981 to March quarter 2026. The count refers to people usually resident in the state, so visitors present on a short-term basis are outside its scope.
It sits alongside related series for New South Wales covering net overseas migration, natural increase and net interstate migration, which together account for change in the resident population between quarters. Released under CC BY 4.0.
Also in this family
- New South Wales: net overseas migration · CSV · JSON
- New South Wales: natural increase · CSV · JSON
- New South Wales: net interstate migration · CSV · JSON
Related
Source
- α
- Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS earnings, building and population (market panel), retrieved 1 October 2026. CC BY 4.0.
- β
- Computed by Numbra from α.