ABS dazed and confused on population

Three months ago, I questioned why the population numbers contained in the Q3 ABS national accounts differed so widely from the official Q2 population figures released one week later by the ABS:

That is, the Q3 national accounts implied 656,000 population growth for 2023–24, versus 552,000 growth in the official quarterly population data. That represented a 104,000 difference in data released by the ABS only eight days apart.

Following my query, the ABS released a media release explaining the discrepancy:

The full text of this article is available to MacroBusiness subscribers

$1 for your first month, then:

$24.99 / month

$249 / year

Cancel at any time through our billing provider, Stripe

Share

About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.