Regional population figures for 2018-19 released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday showed big centres like the Hobart municipality (883), Clarence (862) and Launceston (534) had the state's biggest population gains.

Other strong gains were made in the Sorell (387), Glenorchy (324), Latrobe, including Port Sorell (310), West Tamar (301), Devonport (220) and Burnie (206) council areas.

Among smaller areas, Port Sorell was estimated to have gained 190 extra residents from other parts of Tasmania.

Sandy Bay had the biggest net gain from overseas (320), while the West Coast returned to (limited) population growth, adding nine more residents than it lost, after years of decline.

Demographer Lisa Denny said the population data was not surprising given the relatively strong economic performance of the state.

"While population growth continues to be strongest in the South of the state, population growth was being spread to the regions, which has been a shift over the past couple of years," Dr Denny said.

"However, this movement to regions also often contributes to accelerating population ageing, like in Port Sorell."

Dr Denny said the areas of highest growth in the South reflected the lack of affordable housing in inner Greater Hobart at the time, pushing population growth to the peripheries.

She said it was also not surprising Sandy Bay had the highest overseas migration given the suburb's proximity to the University of Tasmania and that international students were the state's largest source of overseas migrants.

"The next release of regional population data in 2021, will likely tell a very different story," she said.

Dr Denny last week said coronavirus would cut migration to Tasmania from interstate and overseas, potentially sending the state's run of population growth into reverse.

"Given that 80 per cent of Tasmania's population growth over the last two years has been from migration, we could see a reversal of growth," Dr Denny said.

The ABS estimated Tasmania's population reached a record 535,500 on September 30.

It estimated the state had gained a net 5324 people during the year to September 30, at an annual growth rate of 1 per cent.

Tasmania gained 1173 people through natural increase (births less deaths) during the year.

There was also growth from net overseas migration, with the state gaining 2535 more people from overseas than it lost overseas, and net interstate migration (1616).

National population grew by an estimated 1.5 per cent annually to a total of 25.46 million.

Nearly two thirds (62.5 per cent) of the national growth came from net overseas migration and the rest from natural increase.