3235.0 - Population by Age and Sex, Regions of Australia, 2009 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 05/08/2010   
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NORTHERN TERRITORY


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 30 June 2009, the estimated resident population of the Northern Territory (NT) was 225,900. Since June 2004, the NT population has increased by 23,900 people or 11.8% (an average of 2.3% per year compared to 1.8% for Australia).

Just over half (55.2%) of the NT population resided in the Darwin Statistical Division (SD), which consists of the Darwin City, Palmerston-East Arm and Litchfield Statistical Subdivisions (SSDs). In the five years to 30 June 2009, the population in the Darwin SD increased by an average of 2.8% per year compared with an average annual increase of 1.6% in the Northern Territory - Bal SD.

For Local Government Areas (LGAs) or Statistical Local Areas (SLAs), this summary excludes those with a population of less than 1,000 as at 30 June 2009.


AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION

The age structure of people residing in the Darwin SD was generally older than for those living in the Northern Territory - Bal SD. At 30 June 2009, the Darwin SD had a higher proportion of males aged 20 to 24 years onwards and females aged 35 to 39 years and above. In contrast, the Northern Territory - Bal SD had a higher proportion of both males and females in the younger age groups, particularly for 5 to 9 years.

Within the Darwin SD, the 25 to 29 year age group accounted for the largest proportion of the population of any age group, both for males and females (4.7% and 4.4% respectively). In contrast, in the Northern Territory - Bal SD the 5 to 9 year age group accounted for the largest proportion of males (4.7%), while the 25 to 29 year age group accounted for the largest proportion of females (4.6%).

AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION (%), Northern Territory - 30 June 2009
Diagram: AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION (%), Northern Territory—30 June 2009


MEDIAN AGE

At 30 June 2009, the median age (the age at which half the population is older and half the population is younger) for the NT was 31.2 years. Although increasing from 30.5 years at 30 June 2004, the NT continues to have the lowest median age of all states and territories, with the next lowest being the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) at 34.7 years. The median age for both males (31.4) and females (31.0) in the NT were also the lowest of all states and territories. The NT is unique in being the only Australian state or territory with a median male age higher than the median female age.

Finniss SSD had the highest median age (43.8 years) of all NT SSDs, followed by Litchfield (36.7) and Darwin City (33.9). The five SSDs with the lowest median ages in Australia were all in the NT and include Alligator (26.8), Lower Top End (26.9) and Bathurst-Melville (27.5).

Of all NT LGAs, Coomalie (S) had the highest median age (44.3 years), followed by Litchfield (M) (36.7) and Darwin (C) (33.9). Victoria-Daly (S) had the lowest median age (24.2) followed by Roper Gulf (S) (24.7) and East Arnhem (S) (25.4).

CHILDREN (UNDER 15 YEARS OF AGE)

At 30 June 2009, there were 52,900 children in the NT, representing almost one-quarter (23.4%) of the territory's total population. There has been a gradual decline in the proportion in this age group since 2004 (25.3%), yet the NT still had the highest proportion of its population under 15 years of age of all states and territories at 30 June 2009.

Victoria-Daly (S) was the NT LGA with the highest proportion of its population under 15 years of age (32.8%), followed by Roper Gulf (S) (31.1%) and East Arnhem (S) (30.4%). Within the Palmerston (T) LGA, the SLA with the highest proportion of children was Moulden (31.2%) while in the Darwin (C) LGA, it was City - Remainder (30.0%), which includes a large boarding school and two defence bases with married quarters.

The SLA of Victoria-Daly (S) - Wadeye and OS had the highest proportion of children in the NT (37.5%) at 30 June 2009.

POPULATION AGED LESS THAN 15 YEARS, Statistical Local Areas, Northern Territory - 30 June 2009
Diagram: POPULATION AGED LESS THAN 15 YEARS, Statistical Local Areas, Northern Territory—30 June 2009


WORKING AGE POPULATION (AGED 15-64 YEARS)

At 30 June 2009, there were 161,100 people of working age residing in the NT, representing 71.3% of the total population. This was an increase of 13.0% (or 18,600 people) for this age group since 30 June 2004. The NT had the second highest proportion of working age population, behind the ACT (71.4%).

Unincorporated NT (consisting of the SLAs of Alyangula, East Arm, Finniss-Mary, Nhulunbuy and Yulara) had the highest proportion of its population of working age at 76.8%, followed by the LGAs of Darwin (C) (74.0%), Litchfield (M) (73.1%) and Alice Springs (T) (72.4%).

At the SLA level, Litchfield (M) - Pt A had the largest proportion of its population of working age (89.1%), mainly due to the presence of a large military base, followed by Stuart Park (86.0%) and Yulara (84.9%).

PEOPLE AGED 65 YEARS AND OVER

At 30 June 2009, the NT had the lowest proportion of population aged 65 years and over (5.3%, or 11,900 people) of all states and territories, followed by ACT with 10.2%. The proportion of people aged 65 years and over in the NT has slowly increased from 4.1% in 2004, following the national trend for this period.

The LGA of Coomalie (S) had the highest proportion of population aged 65 years and over (11.3%), followed by Darwin (C) (6.8%) and Alice Springs (T) (5.8%). The SLAs of Alice Springs (T) - Heavitree, Coomalie (S) and Finniss-Mary had the highest proportions of population aged 65 years and over (13.4%, 11.3% and 10.7% respectively).

SEX RATIO

At 30 June 2009, the population of the NT consisted of 117,200 males and 108,700 females, a ratio of 107.8 males per 100 females. The NT continued to have the highest ratio of males to females of all states and territories, followed by Western Australia (102.8).

At the LGA level, the highest sex ratios were in Litchfield (M) (127.0), West Arnhem (S) (109.7) and Darwin (C) (109.5). Unincorporated NT also had a high sex ratio at 142.3. The lowest sex ratios were in Alice Springs (T) (97.1), East Arnhem (S) (97.3) and Central Desert (S) (97.5).

Among SLAs, Litchfield (M) - Pt A, which contains a large military base, had the highest sex ratio (298.6), followed by West Arnhem (S) - Jabiru (149.0) and Finniss-Mary (148.9). The lowest sex ratios occurred in Alice Springs (T) - Charles (87.2) and Victoria-Daly (S) - Wadeye and OS (89.2).

MALES PER 100 FEMALES, Statistical Local Areas, Northern Territory - 30 June 2009
Diagram: MALES PER 100 FEMALES, Statistical Local Areas, Northern Territory—30 June 2009