Northern Territory population
Population, Northern Territory · Australian Bureau of Statistics · March quarter 2026
Northern Territory population 268,900 in the March quarter 2026, up 1.5% over the year.
Next release · Thu 17 Dec 2026, 11:30 AEDT · Population
What the numbers say
The Northern Territory's estimated resident population was 268,900 in the March quarter 2026, against 267,700 in the December quarter 2025. It was up 1.5% over the year, up 8.3% over 5 years and up 9.9% over 10 years. The latest figure is at the peak, the highest since the series began in the June quarter 1981. The low of 122,600 was in the June quarter 1981. For comparison, Australia's population was 27,921,200 in the March quarter 2026.
What is the population of the Northern Territory?
The Northern Territory's estimated resident population was 268,900 in the March quarter 2026. That compares with 267,700 in the December quarter 2025.
Is the population of the Northern Territory growing?
The Northern Territory's population was up 1.5% over the year to the March quarter 2026, reaching 268,900. That figure is the highest since the series began in the June quarter 1981.
How fast is the population of the Northern Territory growing?
The Northern Territory's population was up 1.5% over the year to the March quarter 2026. Over longer spans it was up 8.3% over 5 years from the March quarter 2021 and up 9.9% over 10 years from the March quarter 2016.
How does the population of the Northern Territory compare with Australia's?
The Northern Territory's estimated resident population was 268,900 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 | 268,900 | final |
| December quarter 2025 | 267,700 | final |
| September quarter 2025 | 267,100 | final |
| June quarter 2025 | 266,000 | final |
| March quarter 2025 | 264,900 | final |
| December quarter 2024 | 263,300 | final |
| September quarter 2024 | 262,000 | final |
| June quarter 2024 | 260,900 | final |
Full series · 180 quarters · CSV · JSON
This series measures the estimated resident population of the Northern Territory, in thousands of persons, as published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It is a quarterly series and runs from June quarter 1981 to March quarter 2026, with the latest reading at 268,900. The estimated resident population counts people usually resident in the Territory, so visitors and short-term travellers are not included in the count.
The same family also carries three related Northern Territory quarterly series: net overseas migration, natural increase and net interstate migration, which together account for change in the population total between quarters. All series on this page are released under CC BY 4.0.
Also in this family
- Northern Territory: net overseas migration · CSV · JSON
- Northern Territory: natural increase · CSV · JSON
- Northern Territory: 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.