After languishing beneath Sydney for more than a century, Melbourne has leaped into the top spot as Australia’s largest city.
The leapfrog wasn’t expected for some years yet – but the Victorian capital has slipped ahead on a technicality.
In the outer western regions, population growth has mushroomed by about 60 per cent in a 10-year period.
And now, the borders have been redrawn so the district of Melton has been included in Melbourne’s catchment.
The new Melbourne has almost 19,000 more people than Sydney, with a total of about 5.8 million.
Read Related Also: California to battle racist police dogs
The federal government’s Centre for Population in January had forecast Melbourne to overtake Sydney as Australia’s largest city within a decade, through a mix of migration and births.
Australian cities fall in the ranking of the world’s most liveable
Before the pandemic, the Victorian capital had been on track to take the lead from Sydney in 2026, but Melbourne’s rolling COVID-19 lockdowns led to a 1.6 percent fall in population and set things back to an anticipated 2031-32 date.
By 2032- 2033, Sydney’s population is expected reach 6.06 million, compared to 6.1 million for Melbourne – alongside whatever extra has come with the inclusion of Melton.
New South Wales will remain the most populous state, however, with 9.1 million people by 2032-33, compared to Victoria’s 7.8 million.
Sign up here to receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.
