NEW SOUTH WALES


Total population

Age and sex distribution

Median age

Children (under 15 years of age)

Working age population (aged 15-64 years)

People aged 65 years and over

Sex ratio


TOTAL POPULATION

At June 2013, the estimated resident population of New South Wales (NSW) was 7.41 million people, an increase of 466,900 people (6.7%) since June 2008.

The population of Greater Sydney at June 2013 was 4.76 million people. This represented 64% of the total NSW population. Indicating a preference for coastal locations, almost half of the 2.65 million people living in the rest of NSW resided in the coastal SA4s of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, Illawarra, Richmond - Tweed, Mid North Coast and Coffs Harbour - Grafton.

AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION

The age distribution of Greater Sydney was predominantly younger than for the rest of the state. This partly reflects the net movement of younger people from regional to metropolitan areas in NSW. At June 2013, 31% of Greater Sydney's population were aged 20 to 39 years, compared to 23% in the rest of the state. The movement of retirees to coastal areas contributed to a more aged population distribution in the rest of NSW where 25% of the population were aged 60 years or over, compared to 18% in Greater Sydney.

MEDIAN AGE

At June 2013, the median age (the age at which half the population is older and half is younger) of the NSW population was 37.8 years. Reflecting their continued higher life expectancy, the median age for females (38.7 years) was higher than for males (36.9).

As indicated by its younger age profile, the median age of Greater Sydney (36.1 years) was lower than for the rest of NSW (41.4).

Within Greater Sydney, the SA2s with the highest median ages were Wentworth Falls (48.2 years) and Blackheath - Megalong Valley (48.0) in the Blue Mountains, and Erina - Green Point (47.7) on the Central Coast. The SA2 with the lowest median age was Kensington - Kingsford (28.3 years), which contains the University of NSW. This was followed by Auburn (29.9 years) and Parramatta - Rosehill (30.3) in the Parramatta region, Bidwill - Hebersham - Emerton and Lethbridge Park - Tregear (both 30.2) in the Mount Druitt region, and inner-city Sydney - Haymarket - The Rocks (30.3).

Outside of Greater Sydney, the SA2s with the highest median ages were located on or near the coast. These included Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest (60.0 years) near Port Stephens, Tuncurry (59.3) on the Mid North Coast, and Sussex Inlet - Berrara (57.9) and Narooma - Bermagui (55.9) on the south coast. The areas with the lowest median ages in the rest of NSW were in or near major regional centres, particularly those containing higher education campuses. Wagga Wagga - North (26.5 years) and Tamworth - West (27.9) had the lowest median ages, followed by Shortland - Jesmond (28.3) in Newcastle.

CHILDREN (UNDER 15 YEARS OF AGE)

At June 2013, there were 1.40 million children under 15 years of age in NSW, an increase of 61,800 (4.6%) since June 2008.

Almost two thirds of children in NSW resided in Greater Sydney. Between 2008 and 2013, the number of children in Greater Sydney increased by 57,300 (6.8%) to reach 894,900. In comparison, the number of children under 15 years of age in the rest of NSW increased by 4,500 (0.9%).

Within Greater Sydney, the highest proportions of children were in the SA2s of Parklea - Kellyville Ridge (28%) and Rouse Hill - Beaumont Hills (27%) in the north-west residential growth corridor, Lethbridge Park - Tregear (27%) and Bidwill - Hebersham - Emerton (26%) in the Mount Druitt region, Mount Annan - Currans Hill (26%) in the outer south-west growth corridor, and Warnervale - Wadalba (26%) on the Central Coast.

Of those SA2s in the rest of the state, Tamworth - West had the highest proportion of children (28%). Other SA2s with high proportions of children under 15 years of age included Bourke - Brewarrina (26%) and Dubbo - West (25%), both in the state's Far West and Orana region, and Horsley - Kembla Grange and Maryland - Fletcher - Minmi (both 24%) in the Wollongong and Newcastle areas.

WORKING AGE POPULATION (AGED 15-64 YEARS)

At June 2013 there were 4.89 million people aged 15 to 64 years in NSW. Between 2008 and 2013, the working age population increased by 237,600 people or 5.1%.

Greater Sydney had 3.23 million working age residents in 2013. In the five years to 2013, the population aged 15 to 64 years increased by 6.5% compared to an increase of 2.5% in the rest of NSW.

The SA2s with the highest proportions of working age people in Greater Sydney were generally in inner-city areas. These included Sydney - Haymarket - The Rocks (89%), and nearby Darlinghurst (88%), Surry Hills (87%), Pyrmont - Ultimo (86%) and Newtown - Camperdown - Darlington (85%).

In the rest of the state, the highest proportions of people aged 15 to 64 years were in large regional centres, including the SA2s of Newcastle - Cooks Hill (77%) and nearby Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill (73%). Other areas with high proportions of working age people were Queanbeyan - East near Canberra, coastal Byron Bay, and Wollongong (all 73%).

PEOPLE AGED 65 YEARS AND OVER

At June 2013, 15% of residents in NSW (1.12 million people) were aged 65 years and over. Of these, 153,100 people were aged 85 years and over. Between 2008 and 2013 the number of people in NSW aged 65 years and over grew by 18%, reflecting the continuing ageing of the NSW population.

While almost two thirds (64%) of the total population in NSW lived in Greater Sydney, only 56% of those aged 65 years and over resided there in 2013. This indicates a preference of older people to retire to coastal and rural areas.

Within Greater Sydney, eight of the ten SA2s with the highest proportions of people aged 65 years and over were on the Central Coast. These included Lake Munmorah - Mannering Park, Erina - Green Point, Toukley - Norah Head, Kincumber - Picketts Valley and Woy Woy - Blackwall, which all had over one quarter of their population aged 65 years and over. Sylvania - Taren Point (25%) in the Sutherland Shire and Wentworth Falls (24%) in the Blue Mountains were the only SA2s in the top ten not on the Central Coast.

In the rest of NSW, nine of the ten SA2s with the highest proportions of people aged 65 years and over were located on the coast. These included Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest (40%) near Port Stephens, Tuncurry (40%), and Forster (33%) on the Mid North Coast, and Sussex Inlet - Berrara (38%) and Narooma - Bermagui (32%) on the south coast. The only SA2 in the top ten not located on the coast was Bowral (31%) in the states Southern Highlands.

SEX RATIO

At June 2013, there were 98.6 males for every 100 females in NSW. The sex ratio was slightly lower in Greater Sydney (98.4) than in the rest of NSW (99.0).

Males outnumbered females in a number of areas in and around Sydney's central business district in 2013. The SA2s of Darlinghurst and nearby Surry Hills had the highest sex ratios in Greater Sydney (139.4 males per 100 females). High sex ratios were also apparent in inner-city Redfern - Chippendale (125.1) and Potts Point - Woolloomooloo (120.9). Other areas with comparatively high sex ratios included Homebush Bay - Silverwater (121.7) in the Parramatta region, and Yarramundi - Londonderry (116.6) in the Richmond-Windsor area, both of which contain male prisons. The lowest sex ratios in Greater Sydney were in Kincumber - Picketts Valley (86.3) on the Central Coast, Woollahra (86.8) to the east of Sydney's central business district and Cremorne - Cammeray (88.4) to the north.

A number of rural and remote areas outside of Greater Sydney had high sex ratios in 2013. The SA2 with the highest sex ratio in the rest of NSW was Junee (which contains the Junee Correctional Centre), with 133.8 males per 100 females. This was followed by Wentworth - Balranald Region (121.5) in the Lower Murray region and Jindabyne - Berridale (120.5) in the Snowy Mountains region. Low sex ratios were more common in larger regional centres and along the NSW north coast. These included Mittagong (87.2) in the Southern Highlands, and Ballina (89.1) and Port Macquarie - West (89.2), both on the northern NSW coast.