Australia Cities by Population 2024

Australia's cities are located within its six states: New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland. Each state's government is led by the Premier, and the parliament of each state can pass laws for anything not controlled by the Commonwealth. Ten Australian territories are located beyond the state borders. The mainland is made up of two territories and an offshore territory, as well as seven territories that are governed by the Commonwealth. Some of the country's external territories, including the Australian Antarctic Territory which covers 42% of Antarctica, are uninhabited.

When the Australian census is taken to get official population numbers and demographics, the national figures cover six states, three territories, Cocos Islands and Christmas Island. The most populous cities are located within New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, while the islands have populations that fall below 5,000 people. Like other countries around the world, Australia has a mix of urban, suburban and rural areas. According to statistics in 2014, around 10% of the population lived in rural towns, showing a decrease from previous years as residents are moving to the bigger cities for job opportunities and immigrants are more apt to move to the larger cities that are found within the country. There is no correlation between the area of states and territories and population. For example, Victoria is the smallest mainland state but is the second most populous, and the area includes one of the country's most populated cities, Melbourne.