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Australia's Indigenous population: Seven times larger than thought?
16 Sep
Summary
- Pre-colonial Indigenous population estimated at over two million people.
- About 93 percent of Indigenous Australians perished within 80 years.
- Indigenous survival is noted as one of Australia's most remarkable stories.
A recent study indicates that Australia's Indigenous population prior to European colonisation may have been substantially larger than earlier figures suggested. Computer modelling and analyses of archaeological and genetic data point to a pre-colonial population potentially exceeding two million people, or 0.29 individuals per square kilometre.
This research highlights a devastating demographic catastrophe, estimating that approximately 93 percent of the Indigenous population was eliminated within the first 80 years after the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788. By 1861, only about seven percent of the original population remained.
Despite the immense loss and intergenerational trauma stemming from colonization, the study also emphasizes the remarkable survival, resilience, and recovery of Indigenous Australians. While the current Indigenous population has grown since the 1950s, it has not yet reached its estimated pre-colonial size, standing at about 37 percent of the median figure.
This renewed understanding of the scale of population loss underscores the profound impacts of invasion. Researchers stress the importance of using multiple methodologies for reconstructing population histories and acknowledge Indigenous survival as an extraordinary chapter in Australian history.
