Population is the number of people who usually live in an area. Place Forecast uses this term as shorthand for the estimated resident population. It is a key indicator for the population domain.
Estimated figures come from the Estimated Resident Population published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Future population is projected using the cohort-component method. This starts from the jump-off year — the point where estimated data ends and projected data begins.
Population change is built from four components: births, deaths, in-migration, and out-migration. Each of these has its own page where you can see the numbers and rates that drive the total. Together they explain why an area is growing, shrinking, or staying the same.