Australia: Australia's Indigenous population before European colonization may have been significantly larger than previously estimated, with new research suggesting a median population of 2.22 million people.

According to Anadolu Agency, the study, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, utilized archaeological and genetic evidence, historical observations, and computer modeling to assess the continent's environmental capacity and reconstruct the population numbers prior to British colonization.

Earlier estimates had placed Australia's pre-colonial Indigenous population between 250,000 and 1 million people. Researchers indicated that these earlier figures were skewed due to the absence of systematic population records and the impact of disease and violence, which had already diminished Indigenous communities by the time early colonial estimates were formed.

The research further estimated that about 93% of the pre-colonial Indigenous population was lost in less than 80 years following the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788. This stark demographic collapse was attributed to the consequences of colonization, notably disease and frontier violence.

The study also estimated that approximately 2.06 million excess deaths occurred between 1788 and 1861, which would be necessary to align its population estimate with historical census records.