Indigenous Australia population was much larger than previously estimated

New research suggests that Australia’s Indigenous population before European arrival was up to seven times larger than previously estimated. The study indicates that First Nations people experienced an estimated 93 per cent population loss in less than 80 years following the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788.

Researchers from a national group, including Corey Bradshaw of Flinders University, utilized computer modeling to reach these conclusions. The study employed three primary methodologies: an archaeological approach based on artifact discovery rates, genetic data analyzing variations in modern Indigenous genomes, and landscape productivity reconstruction using ancient pollen records to determine how many people the environment could support.

The findings suggest the pre-European Indigenous population may have been as high as 2.2 million people, significantly higher than previous estimates of 250,000 to one million. Professor Bradshaw noted that previous historical-based estimates may have been vastly underestimated due to historical biases and the concept of ‘terra nullius’.