[(Title)] Australia's population to hit 25 million for first time.

Australia's population will reach 25 million for the first time on Tuesday, according to official estimates.

据官方估计，澳大利亚人口周二将首次达到2,500万。

The milestone, driven significantly by migration, has magnified debate about the merits of a "big or little" Australia, and congestion in cities.

这一里程碑在很大程度上由移民驱动，它加剧了关于“大或小”澳大利亚的优点以及城市拥挤问题的辩论。

The most contentious aspect has been migration: is it growing too fast, or will it continue to benefit the nation?

最有争议的话题是关于移民：移民是否增长过快，还是继续造福国家？

As urban sprawl worsens in Sydney and Melbourne, the government wants people to look at alternative places to live.

随着悉尼和墨尔本城市的恶化扩张，政府希望人们去寻找其他居住地。

Australia's population is concentrated around its coast - Sydney and Melbourne alone account for about two-fifths of people.

澳大利亚的人口集中于悉尼沿海地区，墨尔本的人口就约占全国人口的五分之二。

A majority (67%) live in state and territory capital cities, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The only exceptions are Hobart (44% of Tasmanians) and Brisbane (49% of Queenslanders).

根据澳大利亚统计局的数据，大多数人口（67%）居住在州和地区首府城市，唯一的例外是霍巴特（拥有塔斯马尼亚州44%的人口）和布里斯班（拥有昆士兰州49%的人口）。

Despite much of Australia being uninhabitable - officially 20% is classified as desert - the government says it has a "distribution problem".

尽管大部分澳大利亚的国土不适宜人居住——20%的国土被官方归类为沙漠——但政府称澳大利亚仍存在着“分布问题”。

"There are other regions in Australia which are crying out for more people," Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge said on Tuesday.

“澳大利亚其他地区正在呼吁更多人，”公民身份部长艾伦·图格周二表示。

Australia grew by 388,000 people, or by 1.6%, in the last annual measurement. Of those, 62% were migrants and 38% was a natural increase (births minus deaths).

根据上一年度统计数据，澳大利亚增长了388,000人，即1.6%，其中62%为移民，38%为自然增长(出生人数减去死亡人数)。

In this century, the largest number of migrants have come from India, China, Britain, Philippines and South Africa.

在本世纪，人数最多的移民来自印度、中国、英国、菲律宾和南非。

Melbourne and Sydney remain the top destinations for migrants.

墨尔本和悉尼仍然是最受移民欢迎的目的地。

Australia's population growth rate is above the 1.1% global average but ranks 77th globally, according to the World Bank.

根据世界银行(World Bank)的数据，澳大利亚的人口增长率高于全球平均水平的1.1%，但在全球排名仅第77位。

Its growth is high among OECD nations, however, with only Luxembourg, New Zealand, Israel and Turkey expanding faster.

然而，在经合组织国家中，其增长速度很高，只有卢森堡、新西兰、以色列和土耳其较之更快。

Despite a recent peak of 2.1% in 2009, Australia has averaged its current rate - 1.6% - since 1947, according to demographer Dr Liz Allen.

根据人口统计学家LizAllen博士的数据，尽管澳大利亚2009年的峰值为2.1%，但自1947年以来的平均增长率为1.6%。

"If you compare Australia to other similar countries, we are concentrated along the east coast. We're not maximising all of the landmass," she told the BBC.

她说：“如果你将澳大利亚与其他类似国家相比较，我们就集中在东海岸，我们没有最大限度地发挥所有陆地的价值。”

"We seem to grow out rather than up, and that has caused some concern and pressure on infrastructure. There has not been a lot of planning for cities and the future."

“我们似乎是长开而不是长大的，这给基础设施造成了一些担忧和压力，我们对城市和未来并没有进行很多规划。

This is a call that has grown louder from some prominent commentators - and some government MPs - in recent months.

近几个月来，一些知名评论家和一些政府议员发出的呼声越来越高。

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, for one, has said Australia should cut its annual intake by about 80,000.

前总理托尼·阿博特(TonyAbbott)曾表示，澳大利亚每年应减少约8万移民。

But opponents have disputed such assertions, pointing to OECD studies that found migrants had little effect on issues such house prices and wages.

但反对者对这种说法提出异议，并指出经合组织的研究表明，移民对房价和工资等问题的影响很小。

Australia's treasurer, Scott Morrison, has said that cutting migration would hurt the economy.

澳大利亚财政大臣斯科特·莫里森(Scott Morrison)表示，减少移民会损害经济。

Dr Allen said research had shown that between 160,000 and 210,000 annual migrants was the "sweet spot" for Australia.

艾伦博士说，研究显示，在澳大利亚，每年有16万至21万名移民是“最佳选择”。

"That optimal range will have the best impacts on GDP per capita," she said. "Migration is breathing life into this nation."

她说：“这一最佳范围将对人均国内生产总值产生最佳影响。”