Australia’s population will hit 25 million tonight according to estimates from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The projection is based on the estimated resident population at December 31, 2017. It assumes growth due to a birth every one minute and 42 seconds and a death every three minutes and 16 seconds.

Migration also contributes to the projection. A person arrives to live in Australia every one minute and one second. An Australian resident leaves Australia to live overseas every one minute and 51 seconds.

This leads to an overall population increase of one person every one minute and 23 seconds.

Speaking to the ABC, author and political commentator George Megalogenis said immigration was the main contributor to Australia’s population boom.

While it is almost impossible to predict who the 25 millionth person will be,  Megalogenis told the ABC “it would most likely be a young female, Chinese student or skilled worker”.

“Since about 2005, we’re receiving more people from overseas than have been added to our population through natural increase, so more migrants than babies”.

In 2016, 6.9 million Australians were born overseas. Of these overseas-born Australians, 14 percent were born in England, 9 percent in New Zealand and 8 percent in China.

The net overseas migration currently sits at 62 percent of Australia’s population growth, with a natural increase at 38 percent.
Current arrival figures show that China emerges as the largest group of migrants for 15.8 percent of total arrivals.

According to the ABS Australia’s population has grown by approximately 400,000 people per year. If this continues, the Australian population will reach 26 million in the next two to four years.

The population is expected to reach 25 million at 11pm AEST.