The populations of Queensland and Western Australia are expected to more than double within the next 50 years.

As the great population debate rages, the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics Yearbook shows the nation’s population is expected to swell to more than 35 million by 2056.

By 2101, the population will have hit 44.7 million.

The predictions point to a much different – and more crowded – Australia compared to 1901, when the country had a population of just 3.7 million.

While NSW will remain the most populous state, its share of the population will decline from 33 per cent in 2007 to 29 per cent in 2056.

In 2007, there were 6.9 million people living in NSW.

By 2056, it is expected there will be 10.2 million people in NSW, of whom almost seven million will be living in Sydney.

But it is the resource-rich states of Queensland and Western Australia where most of the population growth will happen.

In Queensland, the population is expected to grow from 4.2 million in 2007 to 8.8 million by 2056, while Western Australia will go from 2.1 million to 4.3 million over the same period.

While there are more of us, we are also living longer, with male life expectancy having risen from 55.2 years in 1901 to 79 years in 2007.

Women can expect to live a little longer, with their life expectancy having gone from 58.5 years to 83.7 years.

But there is still a wide gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

In 2007, the life expectancy of indigenous Australians was 67.2 years for men and 72.9 years for women.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has committed to “closing the gap” and has some work to go, with figures showing a difference of 11.5 years for men and 9.7 years for women.