AI tool 'MuveRank' reveals Australian migratory trends

A unique online tool empowered by artificial intelligence now allows for an immediate ranking of Australian areas on the basis of migratory experiences. This innovative mechanism, which represents an Australian first, reveals the number of people moving in and out of particular regions.

Brisbane-based national online removalist booking platform Muval cooperated with Dr Elin Charles-Edwards, one of Australia's prominent population geographers from the University of Queensland, in the creation of this novel real-time migration model.

The resulting product, MuveRank, is an interactive graphical tool that offers immediate assessment of local areas with regard to net migration, inbound migration, and outbound migration over the past five years. The results can be viewed on different scales — either broad capital cities or more specific Australian statistical areas (SA4).

With the potential to significantly impact a wide range of individuals, from policymakers to property investors, MuveRank provides a snapshot of internal movement. This tool enables any interested party to observe where Australians are relocating, subsequently shedding light on emerging population trends in various cities, towns and regions.

Going forward, data from MuveRank will be published every quarter. This schedule will ensure the delivery of the most current statistical estimates on internal migration within Australia. It also presents the opportunity for short-term forecasting.

The maiden MuveRank revealed some intriguing trends. For instance, Inner Melbourne was noted as exceedingly desirable in 2023, featuring as the top-ranked location. In addition, Inner East Melbourne made it to the top ten, ranking the 9th most desirable. Other highlighted trends included the consistent popularity of the Tweed area, which has held a position within the top five for the past five years.

There was also a noteworthy shift in Inner Perth, as the area's net migration dramatically escalated from third last in Australia in 2022, at #85, to #4 in 2023. Simultaneously, there's been an apparent peri-urban population shift, with a new wave of people moving to areas close to cities, such as the Tweed, Central Coast, and Sunshine Coast.

On the downside, Adelaide experienced a gradual slip, whereas migration levels were seen to normalise post-pandemic in Brisbane, Canberra and Hobart. The appeal of popular tree and sea change areas like the Gold Coast, Mandurah and Bendigo seemed to wane.