Melbourne has around 5.4–5.5 million people in 2026, depending on how you define the city area (urban agglomeration vs Greater Melbourne).

Quick Scoop: How many people live in Melbourne?

  • Recent estimates put Melbourne’s 2026 urban population at about 5,464,920 people.
  • Other reputable summaries note Melbourne having about 5.35 million residents in 2024, so mid‑2026 being in the mid‑5.4 million range is consistent growth.
  • Melbourne is the second-largest city in Australia by population, just behind Sydney, and has been growing at roughly 1–2% per year in recent years.

Why the numbers differ a bit

When people ask “how many people live in Melbourne,” they might mean:

  • The urban agglomeration (continuous built-up city) – this is where the ~5.46 million estimate comes from.
  • Greater Melbourne / statistical area – similar scale, often rounded to about 5.3–5.4 million in recent summaries.
  • The City of Melbourne local council area – a much smaller inner core, under 200,000 residents, used mainly for local planning.

So for everyday conversation, saying “about 5½ million people live in Melbourne ” is accurate for 2026.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.