Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Patrick Commins

Think Australia would be better off with less migration? The numbers tell a different story

Pedestrians cross a busy street in Sydney's Pitt Street Mall in front of a Westfield sign
For those who think we would be better off with less migration, Treasury’s analysis provides some evidence that the opposite is true. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

The intergenerational report lays bare how today’s growing anti-migration rhetoric clashes with a future where we need to attract people from overseas to help grow the economy and pay for our ageing population.

The “replacement” fertility rate is 2.1 children per woman – this is the average number of births to keep the population steady without migration and we’ve been below this level for 50 years.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.