Scientists reveal 93% of Australia's Indigenous population was lost in just 73 years

A groundbreaking study suggests that 2.22 million Indigenous Australians lived on the continent before European colonization, far more than previously believed. Researchers estimate that 93% of this population was lost within 73 years, revealing a demographic catastrophe on a scale that dramatically changes our understanding of Australian history. Scientists reveal 93% of Australia’s Indigenous population was lost in just 73 years.

Scientists reveal 93% of Australia’s Indigenous population was lost in just 73 years Science News from research organizations Scientists reveal 93% of Australia’s Indigenous population was lost in just 73 years Date: October 14, 2026 22 million Indigenous Australians lived on the continent before European colonization, far more than previously believed. Scientists now estimate that about 2.22 million Indigenous people lived across the continent before the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, potentially up to seven times the number suggested by some earlier calculations. The findings also reveal the devastating scale of the population decline that followed colonization.

According to the researchers, an estimated 93% of Australia’s Indigenous population was lost within less than 80 years of European arrival, a much greater decline than previously recognized. Professor Corey Bradshaw, a Global Ecology Professor at Flinders University and Chief Investigator at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures (CIEHF), contributed to the national research effort. Working alongside Indigenous partners, the team is investigating how Indigenous population numbers have changed throughout Australia’s history.

By combining advanced computer models with several sources of historical and scientific evidence, the researchers developed new estimates that substantially challenge previous assumptions.