Melbourne has again dominated Australia's population growth, adding 77,242 people in 2011-12 to reach mid-2012 with a population of almost 4.25 million.

New estimates released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show five of the eight municipalities recording the nation's biggest growth were in Melbourne - three in the outer northern and western suburbs, one in the south-east, and the city of Melbourne itself.

How Victoria's population has changed.

Perth outgrew Sydney to be Australia's second biggest growth centre, its population swelling by 65,434 or 3.6 per cent, more than twice the national growth rate, to almost 1.9 million.

Victoria added 88,966 people to close the financial year with 5.624 million people, just under 25 per cent of all Australians. Australia added almost 360,000 people, and the Bureau estimates its population hit 23 million last week.