Australia Sees Population Hit 39.3 Million by 2066 as AI Shapes Economy and Life Expectancy Rises
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 20
Australia Sees Population Hit 39.3 Million by 2066 as AI Shapes Economy and Life Expectancy Rises
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 20
Summary
Treasury’s new 40-year outlook projects Australia’s population at 39.3 million by 2065/66—1.8 million below its 2023 forecast—as annual growth slows to 0.9% from 1.4% over the previous four decades.
Life expectancy is still set to climb, with women forecast to reach almost 90 years at birth and men 86, up from about 86 and 82 now, driven by universal healthcare and medical research.
Jim Chalmers said AI will be the economy’s “defining influence” over the next 40 years, promising productivity gains but also “very substantial risks” the government says it will try to contain.
Lower fertility—especially fewer families having three or more children—underpins the smaller-household trend, while Labor points to childcare subsidies, longer paid parental leave and higher compulsory superannuation as support measures.
The report also points to a better fiscal path, with projected government debt cut by A$500 billion versus the 2023 outlook, even as ageing and population pressures keep long-term budget strains in view.