According to a new data projection based on results from the 2021 census, all sectors of the Australian population 65 and over are growing fast.

The report focuses on population aging and how Australia’s population trends have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and looks ahead 20 years to 2041.

The population aged 65 and over is projected to grow by 54%, from around 4.31 million now to 6.66 million, by 2041. Those aged 85 and over are expected to increase by an impressive 140% by 2041, with numbers rising from 534,000 in 2021 to 1.28 million. The fastest growing cohort is in those aged 100 and over, with a population increase of 200% expected by 2041.

The data projection was developed by demographers Dr Tom Wilson and Associate Professor Jeromey Temple of the University of Melbourne, on behalf of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research, or CEPAR.

“Based on updated population estimates incorporating 2021 Census results, Australia’s population in all age groups is expected to grow,” said Dr Wilson (pictured), CEPAR Principal Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne.

“But the largest proportional growth is expected at the oldest ages. The centenarian population, which means those aged 100 and over, will grow at an even faster rate – increasing by 200% from 5,300 in 2021 to 15,900 by 2041,” Dr Wilson said.

You can download the data projection from CEPAR here.