Australia is a land of immigrants. All but 300,000 Australians descended from immigrants who began arriving with the settlement of British convicts in 1788. Native Australians are called aborigines. Australia is a progressive western society with almost uniform literacy. As of 2016, Australia's est. population was24.21 million. Out of the population, 92 % are Caucasian, 7% are Asian, with only 1% aborigines and other ethnicities.
The Most Intriguing Facts About Aboriginal Culture
1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2016 | |
Population, total (millions) | 17.07 | 19.15 | 22.03 | 24.21 |
Population growth (annual %) | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.5 |
Income share held by lowest 20% | 7.3 | 7.4 | 7.3 | .. |
Life expectancy at birth, total (years) | 77 | 79 | 82 | 83 |
Fertility rate, total (births per woman) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.8 |
Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19) | 21 | 18 | 16 | 13 |
Contraceptive prevalence, any methods (% of women ages 15-49) | .. | 71 | 62 | 67 |
Births attended by skilled health staff (% of total) | 100 | 99 | 99 | 99 |
Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births) | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5) | .. | .. | 0.2 | .. |
Immunization, measles (% of children ages 12-23 months) | 86 | 91 | 94 | 95 |
Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) | .. | .. | .. | .. |
School enrollment, primary (% gross) | 105.9 | 100.4 | 105.9 | 101.3 |
School enrollment, secondary (% gross) | 134 | 152 | .. | 154 |
School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) | 1 | 1 | .. | 1 |
Prevalence of HIV, total (% of population ages 15-49) | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Environment | ||||
Forest area (sq. km) (thousands) | 1,285.40 | 1,288.40 | 1,232.10 | 1,247.50 |
Terrestrial and marine protected areas (% of total territorial area) | 6.6 | 8.7 | .. | 28.6 |
Annual freshwater withdrawals, total (% of internal resources) | .. | 4.4 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
Urban population growth (annual %) | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.6 |
Energy use (kg of oil equivalent per capita) | 5,062 | 5,644 | 5,793 | 5,476 |
CO2 emissions (metric tons per capita) | 15.45 | 17.2 | 17.74 | 15.37 |