DEMOGRAPHIC SUMMARY, Statistical Divisions, Victoria

					ERP 2004p
		ERP at 30 June		Population Change (a)	Proportion in Age groups (%)
		2003r	2004p	2003-2004p	0-14 yrs	15-64 yrs	65 yrs and over	Sex Ratio (b)	Median Age (yrs)
Statistical Division
	Melbourne	3,555,321	3,600,080	1.3	18.8	68.7	12.6	97.1	35.8
	Barwon	262,155	266,112	1.5	19.6	65.0	15.4	97.0	38.3
	Western District	100,467	101,008	0.5	21.6	62.5	15.9	99.0	38.9
	Central Highlands	144,311	146,185	1.3	20.6	65.3	14.2	96.6	37.8
	Wimmera	50,855	50,812	-0.1	20.3	60.7	19.0	99.3	41.0
	Mallee	91,014	91,619	0.7	22.0	62.3	15.7	99.4	38.1
	Loddon	170,649	173,231	1.5	20.6	64.7	14.7	97.1	38.8
	Goulburn	198,504	201,042	1.3	21.6	63.6	14.8	100.4	38.2
	Ovens-Murray	94,798	96,098	1.4	21.0	64.7	14.2	98.4	38.3
	East Gippsland	81,152	82,276	1.4	19.6	63.0	17.4	101.1	41.7
	Gippsland	162,199	164,316	1.3	20.7	63.6	15.7	97.1	39.3
Victoria		4,911,425	4,972,779	1.2	19.3	67.4	13.3	97.4	36.5

(a) Annual percentage change.
(b) The number of males per one hundred females.
p preliminary estimated resident population.
r revised estimated resident population.


POPULATION

The estimated resident population of Victoria at June 2004 was 4,973,000. This represented an increase of 61,400 people since June 2003 and an annual growth rate of 1.2%.

At June 2004, there were an estimated 3.6 million usual residents in the Melbourne Statistical Division (SD), representing an increase of 44,800 people between June 2003 and June 2004. Melbourne SD was home to nearly three-quarters (72%) of Victoria's population at June 2004 and accounted for 73% of Victoria's population growth during the year ending June 2004.

The map below shows the percentage change in population between June 2003 and 2004 for Victorian SDs. The fastest growth rate was experienced in the SDs of Loddon and Barwon (both 1.5%), while Wimmera was the only SD to record negative growth (-0.1%) for the period.




MEDIAN AGE

The median age is the age which divides the relevant population into two equal parts. That is, half of the population will be younger than the median age and the other half will be older. Victoria's median age increased slightly from 36.3 years in 2003 to 36.5 years in 2004. The median age of Victorian males in 2004 was 35.7 years (up from 35.5 years in 2003), and 37.3 years for Victorian females (up from 37.1 years in 2003).

Melbourne SD recorded the lowest median age (35.8 years) and was the only SD to record a lower median age than the whole of Victoria (36.5 years). In comparison, the median age in regional Victoria (all SDs, excluding Melbourne) was 38.7 years, with the highest recorded median ages occurring in East Gippsland (41.7 years), Wimmera (41.0 years) and Gippsland (39.3 years).

The LGA which recorded the highest median age in both 2003 and 2004 was Queenscliffe (49.3 years and 50.1 years respectively), reflecting the high proportion of older persons residing there. Other LGAs recording high median ages in 2004 were Strathbogie (46.5 years), Buloke (45.0 years), Loddon (44.9 years) and Bass Coast (44.8 years).

The LGA with the lowest median age in both 2003 and 2004 was Melbourne (27.9 years and 28.3 years respectively). Other LGAs with low median ages in 2004 were Melton (30.5 years), Wyndham (32.0 years), Casey (32.3 years) and Hume (32.4 years).

AGE SEX DISTRIBUTION



Population aged 0-14 years

Children (those persons aged 0-14 years) represented 19.3% of the Victorian population at June 2004, a slight decrease from the 2003 proportion (19.5%). A slight decline in this age group was also experienced nationally during 2003-04, with children representing 19.8% of the Australian population in 2004 compared to 20.0% in 2003.

In 2004, children comprised 20.7% of the population for the remainder of state, compared to 18.8% of the Melbourne SD population. The proportion of children in the population was highest for the SDs of Mallee (22.0%), Goulburn (21.6%) and Western District (21.6%), while the lowest proportions outside Melbourne SD occurred in East Gippsland (19.6%), Barwon (19.6%) and Wimmera (20.3%).

The LGAs with the highest proportion of children in 2004 were Casey (24.9%), Hume (24.6%), Melton (24.4%), Cardinia (24.2%), Mitchell (24.1%) and Wyndham (24.0%). Casey also recorded the highest proportion of children in 2003 (25.2%).

The LGA with the lowest proportion of children at June 2004 was Melbourne (7.2%), which also recorded the lowest proportion of children in 2003 (7.7%). Other LGAs with a low proportion of children in 2004 included Port Philip (10.2%), Yarra (11.3%), Stonnington (13.2%) and Queenscliffe (14.9%).

Population aged 15-64 years

Persons aged 15-64 years accounted for 67.4% of the Victorian population in 2004 compared to 67.2% in 2003. This compared to similar proportions at the national level in 2004 and 2003 (67.3% and 67.2% respectively).

In the year ending June 2004, Melbourne SD recorded the highest proportion of persons aged 15-64 years (68.7%), marginally higher than the Victorian proportion (67.4%). Regional Victoria contained a lower proportion of persons aged 15-64 years (64.0%) than the Victorian total. The lowest proportions of this age group were recorded in the SDs of Wimmera (60.7%), Mallee (62.3%) and Western District (62.5%).

The LGAs containing the highest proportions of persons aged 15-64 years in 2004 were Melbourne (85.5%), Yarra (78.7%) and Port Phillip (78.6%). This was also the case in 2003 (84.8%, 78.6% and 78.6% respectively). In 2004, other LGAs that recorded high proportions of persons aged 15-64 years included Stonnington (72.6%), Melton (71.0%) and Nillumbik (70.3%).

In 2004, the lowest proportions of persons aged 15-64 years were recorded in the LGAs of Queenscliffe (54.5%), Yarriambiack (57.2%) and Hindmarsh (58.2%). In 2003, these three LGAs also recorded the lowest proportions of persons aged 15-64 years (54.3%, 57.3% and 57.9% respectively). Other LGAs which recorded lower proportions of 15-64 year olds in 2004 included Buloke (59.1%), Gannawarra (59.8) and Bass Coast (59.9%).

Population aged 65 years and over

Persons aged 65 years and over accounted for 13.3% of the Victorian population in 2004, similar to 2003 when the proportion was 13.2%. The proportion of population aged 65 years and over in Victoria was very similar to the national level in both 2003 and 2004 (12.8% and 13.0% respectively).

Around 12.6% of Melbourne SD's population was aged 65 years and over. Regional Victoria recorded higher proportions of persons aged 65 years and over, with the highest proportions recorded in the SDs of Wimmera (19.0%), East Gippsland (17.4%) and Western District (15.9%).

In 2004, the LGAs with the highest proportions of persons aged 65 years and over were Queenscliffe (30.6%), Yarriambiack (22.8%), Bass Coast and Hindmarsh (both 22.3%). In 2003, the LGAs with the highest proportions of persons aged 65 years and over were also Queenscliffe (30.2%), Yarriambiack (22.3%) and Bass Coast (22.3%).

The LGAs with the lowest proportions of persons aged 65 years and over in 2004 were Melton (4.7%), Wyndham (6.5%), Nillumbik (6.6%), Melbourne (7.2%) and Casey (7.3%). In 2003, the three LGAs with the lowest proportion of persons aged 65 years and over were also Melton (4.7%), Nillumbik (6.3%) and Wyndham (6.5%).

SEX RATIO

The sex ratio is defined as the number of males per one hundred females. A sex ratio less than 100 indicates that there are fewer males than females in a population. The sex ratio for Victoria remained steady between 2003 and 2004 (97.3 and 97.4 males per 100 females respectively). As shown in figure 3, there were more males than females aged 0-29 years and more females than males aged 30 years and over. The lower sex ratio for those aged 60 years or more reflects the longer life expectancy of females.



The highest sex ratio for 2003 and 2004 was recorded in the LGA of Pyrenees (110.3 and 109.8 males per 100 females respectively). In 2004, other LGAs which recorded a high sex ratio were West Wimmera (107.3), Loddon (105.6), Golden Plains (105.1), Buloke (104.2) and Moyne (103.5).

The lowest sex ratio for 2003 and 2004 was recorded in Queenscliffe (87.2 and 87.8 males per 100 females respectively). Other LGAs that recorded a low sex ratio in 2004 were Boroondara (91.6), Bayside (91.7), Whitehorse (92.0) and Stonnington (93.2).