The latest population data for Australia has confirmed that immigration has shrunk as more people left the country from July to September last year than those who arrived.
Following a stall to immigration, the population has dropped by 4,200 people (0.2 per cent).
This is the first time which population has dropped in more than a century.
“The last time we saw population decline was the year to December 1916, during World War I when the population declined by 51,500 [people] (-1.0 per cent),” ABS demography director Phil Browning says.
There were 55,4000 people who left Australia while 20,600 arrived, resulting in a migration negative of 34,800 people.
Fertility is dropping with the birth rate sliding for years.
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“Natural increase during [the 12 months to September] was 135,400 people, a decrease of 3.8 per cent from the previous year,” Mr Browning said.
The birth rate does not look set to rise for as long as the COVID-19 pandemic continues as birth rate is an indicator of the health of the economy.
Without backpackers or migrant workers to pick fruit, the cost has been felt for farmers while universities and their surrounding regions have felt the pinch from the absence of international students.