3235.5.55.001 - Population by Age and Sex, Western Australia -- Electronic Delivery, Jun 2005  
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DEMOGRAPHIC SUMMARY, Statistical Divisions, Western Australia



DEMOGRAPHIC SUMMARY, Statistical Divisions, Western Australia

Estimated Resident Population
Population Change (%)
Proportion in Age Groups (%)

2004 r


2005 p


2003-2004


0-14

15-64


65 and over

Median Age

        Statistical Division
        Perth
1,454,606
1,477,815
1.6
19.1
69.1
11.9
36.1
        South West
211,477
219,812
3.9
20.8
64.9
14.3
38.6
        Lower Great Southern
53,544
53,738
0.4
20.9
64.0
15.0
39.5
        Upper Great Southern
18,031
17,760
-1.5
21.0
65.3
13.8
39.6
        Midlands
52,551
52,372
-0.3
21.8
64.8
13.3
39.4
        South Eastern
54,174
53,661
-0.9
23.5
69.6
6.9
32.8
        Central
59,539
59,925
0.6
22.3
66.3
11.3
35.9
        Pilbara
39,229
39,282
0.1
25.9
71.5
2.6
31.2
        Kimberley
34,928
35,748
2.3
26.2
69.2
4.6
29.8
        Western Australia

1,978,079
2,010,113

1.6

19.9
68.3

11.8
36.2

        p Preliminary Estimated Resident Population, based on 2001 Census
        r Revised
The estimated resident population of Western Australia at 30 June 2005 was 2,010,000 representing an increase of 32,000 persons or 1.6% since June 2004. There were slightly more males (1,008,000) than females (1,002,000).

Almost three-quarters (73.5%) of the state population resided in the Perth Statistical Division (SD), this proportion has remained virtually unchanged since 1991.

The majority of SDs recorded an increase in their population in the twelve months to June 2005. The largest increases were for the South West (3.9%), Kimberley (2.3%) and Perth (1.6%).

There was a decline in the population for Upper Great Southern (-1.5%), South Eastern (-0.9%) and Midlands (-0.3%). Each of these SDs, along with Lower Great Southern, Central and Pilbara, recorded a fall in their population aged 0-14 years.

POPULATION CHANGE BY AGE GROUPS, WESTERN AUSTRALIA - 2004-05

graph:Population Change by Age Groups, Westerna Australia - 2004-2005


MEDIAN AGE

The median age, the age at which half the population is younger and half is older, increased in Western Australia between 2004 and 2005, from 35.8 years to 36.2 years. The median age for males and females at June 2005 was 35.5 and 36.8 years respectively.

The median age of the Western Australian population at June 2005 was slightly younger than the national figure of 36.6 years.

Among the SDs in Western Australia, Upper Great Southern had the highest median age of 39.6 years, slightly above Lower Great Southern (39.5 years) and Midlands (39.4 years). The median age in the Perth SD was 36.1 years, up from 35.8 years in June 2004.

Within the Perth SD, Fremantle, Claremont, Nedlands and Cottesloe each recorded median ages of 40 years or more. Outside the Perth SD, 43 Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) had a median age of over 40 years. These included the shires of Beverley (47.0 years), Toodyay (44.0 years) and York (42.5 years) and the cities of Mandurah (41.2 years) and Albany (41.1 years).

There were lower median ages in the remote northern and eastern parts of the state, with the Kimberley having the lowest median age (29.8 years) of any SD. This reflects both the younger 'working age' profile of the population as well as the relatively large proportion of Indigenous residents, who generally have higher fertility rates and a lower life expectancy. This trend was particularly evident in the shires of Halls Creek, Mullewa and Derby-West Kimberley which all had median ages under 30 years.

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Children aged 0-14 years

At June 2005, children aged 0-14 years accounted for 19.9% of the Western Australian population. This age group totalled 399,300, with boys outnumbering girls by 10,000.

The SDs with the largest proportion of children aged 0-14 years were the Kimberley (26.2%) and the Pilbara (25.9%), while the Perth SD had the smallest proportion (19.1%).

People aged 15-64 years

In the 12 months to June 2005, the number of people in the 15-64 year age group increased by 1.8% to an estimated 1,373,000 persons, representing 68.3% of the total state population.

Across the SDs, Pilbara had the largest proportion of people in this age group (71.5%), while the Lower Great Southern had the smallest proportion (64.0%). In the Perth SD, 69.1% of persons were in this age group.

People aged 65 years and over

In the 12 months to June 2005, the number of older people (aged 65 years and over) in Western Australia increased by 7,400 (3.2%) to 237,500 persons. In this age group, the number of females exceeded the number of males, with 83.5 males for every 100 females.

Overall, people aged 65 years and over accounted for 11.8% of the state population at June 2005. The largest proportions were in the Lower Great Southern SD (15.0%) and the South West SD (14.3%). In contrast, the Pilbara (2.6%) and the Kimberley (4.6%) had a lower proportion of their populations in this age group.

People aged 85 years and over

At June 2005, there were 26,800 people age 85 years and over. This age group accounted for 1.3% of the total state population and 11.3% of those aged 65 years and over.

In the 12 months to June 2005, the number of people aged 85 years and over increased by 7.2%. This growth reflects the increasing life expectancy of both men and women. In June 2005, there were more than twice as many females (18,200) as males (8,600) aged 85 years and over.

DEPENDENCY RATIO

The dependency ratio is the number of persons aged 0-14 years and aged 65 years and over expressed as a percentage of the number of persons aged 15-64 years. A reduced value for the dependency ratio indicates that there is a larger population of working age to support the population of non-working age. The dependency ratio for Western Australia in 2005 was 46.4; this was lower than for Australia as a whole (48.6).

The Pilbara and South Eastern SDs recorded the lowest dependency ratios with 39.8 and 43.7 respectively. The Lower Great Southern (56.2) and Midlands (54.2) SDs recorded the highest dependency ratios.

SEX RATIO

In June 2005, the sex ratio (number of males per 100 females) for Western Australia was 100.5. Males outnumbered females in all SDs except Perth where there were 733,500 males and 744,300 females. The sex ratio ranged from 98.5 in Perth to 123.4 in the Pilbara.

MALES PER 100 FEMALES, BY AGE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA - 2005

graph:Males per 100 Females, by Age, Western Australia - 2005


The higher sex ratio for early ages stems from the higher number of boys than girls born. Of the 25,200 births registered in WA in the year to June 2005, 51.1% were male. The lower sex ratios for the older age groups reflects the greater life expectancy of women. For ages 85 years and over, women outnumbered men by more than two to one.

The Perth SD had a sex ratio below 100 (more females than males) for the ages 35-54 years and for 65 years and over. The balance of state had a higher sex ratio than the Perth SD (more males than females) for all ages greater than 10-14 years.

OVERSEAS AND INTERSTATE MIGRANTS

There was a net gain of 16,500 overseas migrants to Western Australia in the twelve months to June 2005 of whom 8,500 were male and 8,000 were female. The age profile of these overseas arrivals was younger than that of the total Western Australian population.

In the twelve months to June 2005, there was a net gain of 1,500 interstate migrants to Western Australia (950 males and 520 females). This was an increase of 15.3% on the number the previous year.