Sydney, step aside — Melbourne is officially Australia's largest city

Melbourne has now surpassed Sydney as the most populous city in Australia, thanks to a boundary change.

The city’s borders, including the newly added district of Melton, were redrawn, allowing Melbourne to pull ahead of Sydney, as reported by Dinogo affiliate 9News.

In its 2022 population report, Australia’s federal government projected that Melbourne would surpass Sydney as the country’s largest city by 2031-32, just under a decade from now.

However, after the city boundaries were adjusted, Melbourne now boasts around 5.8 million residents, nearly 19,000 more than Sydney, according to 9News.

According to Nick Parr, a professor of demography at Macquarie University, the trend is clear: more people are leaving Sydney for other parts of Australia than those moving to Sydney. Meanwhile, Melbourne has seen more arrivals than departures in some years, as he told Sydney’s 2GB radio station.

He added that although Melbourne’s population growth has been significant, Sydney will also continue to grow, with immigration expected to balance out the impact of low birth rates in both cities.

According to Liz Allen, a demographer at the Australian National University, Melbourne’s population boom over the past decade is mainly due to international migration, internal migration within Australia, and a natural increase through births.

“Melbourne has become particularly popular among more recent waves of migrants, especially those from India. Established community networks have encouraged more Indian-born residents to settle in Melbourne,” she explained in an email.

‘Much ado about nothing’

However, Allen contests Melbourne’s claim to the title of Australia’s largest city, pointing out that reports have referenced the 'Significant Urban Area classification' as the factor that pushed Melbourne’s population over Sydney’s threshold.

She pointed out that this geographic measure 'tends to fluctuate over time,' emphasizing that the more reliable and consistent classification, the 'greater capital city' standard, still places Sydney as Australia’s most populous capital. However, if current population trends continue, Melbourne is set to surpass Sydney in the next decade.

“Australians love a rivalry, and the added drama of the Sydney versus Melbourne debate has certainly stirred excitement, but it’s really just much ado about nothing,” Allen remarked.