Australia\u2019s regions are growing, but these 10 hotspots have seen\u00a0bigger population increases than most over the past year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ten million people now call regional Australia home, according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The latest issue of the ABS\u2019 Estimated Regional Population (ERP) report\u00a0indicates\u00a0that the population of the regions\u00a0continues\u00a0to expand. In 2025, the regional population grew by 1.1%, reaching 10.02 million.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0a 6.3% increase over the population size recorded in 2020 \u2013 a year that itself was quite significant for growth\u00a0outside of the\u00a0capitals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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On the list of regional locations experiencing the highest population growth rate, one state took out eight of 10 spots. Image: Getty<\/p>\n
Australia experienced a surge of interest in regional living in 2020, when new remote-work conditions driven by the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged Australians to consider what they want out of their communities and homes. As such, many looked for larger dwellings\u00a0and more space in non-metro communities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As life slowly returned to normal,\u00a0businesses and governments\u00a0have tried to encourage populations back to offices, to at least a degree of success. As such,\u00a0some have suggested that the great regional migration would end up as a blip\u00a0in\u00a0Australia\u2019s\u00a0migration patterns.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not so, according to the latest ABS release.\u00a0The regional growth rate of 1.1% is comparable to the current metro growth rate of\u00a01.8%, and\u00a0is far from the backward slide many predicted.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
And according to the\u00a0Regional Australia Institute’s\u00a0(RAI)\u00a0latest movers index, there continues to be a steady flow of relocators moving from metro areas to regional towns.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the\u00a0final quarter of 2025,\u00a0capital-to-regional migration accounted for\u00a011.%\u00a0of all relocations between local government areas across Australia.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0the second highest level since\u00a02022,\u00a0and outpaced movement\u00a0in the opposite\u00a0direction\u00a0\u2013\u00a0from\u00a0regions\u00a0to\u00a0capitals\u00a0\u2013\u00a0by 31%.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So,\u00a0which\u00a0are the regions that are\u00a0experiencing the highest levels of population growth? According to ABS data\u00a0analysed\u00a0by RAI, many of the 10\u00a0non-metro areas\u00a0experiencing the biggest rate of growth are located in WA,\u00a0where\u00a0lifestyle locations just outside of Perth\u2019s boundaries \u2013 but within reach of the capital \u2013 have\u00a0dominated\u00a0as a relocator hotspot over 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Serpentine-Jarrahdale,\u00a0south-east of the Perth metro area, saw its population swell by 4.5% between 2024 and 2025. New estates in that region such as\u00a0Constellar\u00a0at\u00a0Cardup\u00a0Junction<\/a>,\u00a0The Whitby Estate <\/a>and Taylor Springs\u00a0Mundijong<\/a>\u00a0will\u00a0eventually\u00a0accommodate over 5000 new homes for residents in the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n Home to Serpentine National Park, Serpentine-Jarrahdale had the highest rate of population growth over 2025. Image: Explore Parks WA<\/p>\n The Murray\u00a0Shire in WA, further south, is also experiencing something of a population boom, with a growth rate of 3.9% over the 12 months.\u00a0Here,\u00a0suburbs\u00a0like South\u00a0Yunderup\u00a0are the targeted areas of development for accommodating growth, with estates like Austin Lakes<\/a>\u00a0expanding options in the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n Outside of WA,\u00a0Victoria\u00a0had the only location to reach the top five.\u00a0Roughly\u00a040km\u00a0north of Melbourne,\u00a0Mitchell Shire has been the\u00a0state\u2019s main\u00a0hotspot for population growth, with the area expanding by 4.3% in 12 months. Attracting residents with its heritage-rich heart in towns like\u00a0Kilmore<\/a>, Mitchell Shire has been actively\u00a0encouraging\u00a0the addition of\u00a0new housing to the mix, with developments like\u00a0Broadstead Kilmore<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Parkview Estate<\/a>\u00a0complementing the area\u2019s historic\u00a0character.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n South Australia was the only other state to make an appearance on the top 10, with\u00a0Adelaide Plains coming in sixth,\u00a0with a growth rate of 3.8%.\u00a0Located north of Adelaide,\u00a0this agriculturally rich area has become more attractive to movers looking outside of the capital, but with city connectivity when needed.\u00a0Major residential development has so far been clustered slightly further to the south of this\u00a0region\u2019s\u00a0borders, but it does have a new land estate in\u00a0Mallala\u00a0called Gracewood<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Top 10 regions by growth rate as analysed by the Regional Australia Institute.Top 10 regional LGAs by growth rate (1 year growth rate)\u00a0LGA name\u00a0State\u00a02024\u00a02025\u00a01yr\u00a0Serpentine-Jarrahdale\u00a0Western Australia\u00a038793\u00a040531\u00a04.50%\u00a0Mitchell\u00a0Victoria\u00a056079\u00a058459\u00a04.20%\u00a0Murray\u00a0Western Australia\u00a020633\u00a021447\u00a03.90%\u00a0Dandaragan\u00a0Western Australia\u00a03935\u00a04089\u00a03.90%\u00a0Chittering\u00a0Western Australia\u00a06778\u00a07039\u00a03.90%\u00a0Adelaide Plains\u00a0South Australia\u00a011307\u00a011736\u00a03.80%\u00a0Augusta Margaret River\u00a0Western Australia\u00a019488\u00a020170\u00a03.50%\u00a0Gingin\u00a0Western Australia\u00a06364\u00a06585\u00a03.50%\u00a0Mandurah\u00a0Western Australia\u00a0103346\u00a0106827\u00a03.40%\u00a0Toodyay\u00a0Western Australia\u00a05098\u00a05251\u00a03.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n Of course, while population percentage increase is not an indicator of where the highest number of Australians are moving, it can be indicative of where communities are grappling with\u00a0the greatest\u00a0growing pains due to relative size increase.\u00a0<\/p>\n When populations swell rapidly,\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0a natural knock-on effect\u00a0to\u00a0home prices due to increased demand,\u00a0congestion,\u00a0and use of critical infrastructure.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Developments like Broadstead Kilmore in Mitchell Shire are part of the equation for ensuring that there are homes to accommodate the area’s growth.<\/p>\n It\u2019s\u00a0why the Housing\u00a0Institute\u00a0of Australia (HIA)\u00a0commented\u00a0\u2013\u00a0in\u00a0light of\u00a0regional Australia hitting its 10 million population milestone\u00a0\u2013\u00a0that\u00a0propper\u00a0planning\u00a0needs to be put in\u00a0place to ensure the health and vitality of the communities most\u00a0affected.\u00a0<\/p>\n The body noted that when demand surges in regional areas, towns and rural cities often face severe rental shortages,\u00a0rapidly escalating housing prices\u00a0that are\u00a0increasingly disconnected from local wages, and a shortage of diverse housing types that meet\u00a0the changing community\u2019s needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n HIA chief executive of industry policy, Simon Croft,\u00a0stressed the need for local governments to be supported\u00a0by a\u00a0dedicated, long-term national housing plan that explicitly\u00a0recognises\u00a0the pressures faced by regional,\u00a0rural\u00a0and remote communities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHousing must be treated as critical economic and social infrastructure, especially in regions expected to absorb future population and workforce growth,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n RAI, meanwhile,\u00a0is advocating for a National Population Plan that\u00a0identifies\u00a0key areas of\u00a0regional growth. According to chief executive Liz Ritchie, this should also inform where\u00a0investment\u00a0is\u00a0earmarked for\u00a0infrastructure, housing, childcare and health resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe know regional Australia is growing, we have had evidence of that going back well before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now we need to support those communities to grow and prosper as Australians vote with their feet and move out to the regions,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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