“New Study Reveals Australia’s Pre-Colonial Indigenous Population Was Far Larger, With 93% ” — what this page in the network covers. A groundbreaking new study uncovers that Australia’s Indigenous population before European colonization was significantly higher than earlier estimates—potentially reaching over 1.2 million people—challenging long-held assumptions about pre-contact demographics. The research, based on revised demographic modeling and historical records, reveals that within just 80 years of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet, an estimated 93% of this population vanished due to disease, violence, displacement, and systemic policies.
This staggering loss underscores the devastating impact of British colonization on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across the continent. The findings, led by researchers from the University of Melbourne and the Australian National University, highlight how undercounting in earlier studies contributed to a misperception of Indigenous resilience and scale. This listing links straight to the original page, where the content is available in full.