Regional population by age and sex

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Statistics about the population by age and sex for Australia's capital cities and regions

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Reference period
2023
Released
29/08/2024
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Release date and time
29/08/2024 11:30am AEST

Key statistics

  • The median age for capital cities (37.0 years) was younger than the rest of Australia (41.9).
  • The youngest capital was Darwin with a median age of 34.6 years, while Adelaide was the oldest (39.2).
  • Darwin was the only capital with more males than females.

All population estimates are as at 30 June 2023.

The median age is the age at which half the population is older and half is younger.

The sex ratio is the number of males per 100 females.

Any reference to capital city refers to Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA), and any reference to area refers to Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2).

Capital cities

  • People aged 20 to 44 years made up 38% of the combined capital city population, compared with 30% of the population in the rest of Australia.
  • People aged 55 years and over made up a smaller proportion of the population in capital cities (26%) than in the rest of Australia (34%).
  • The sex ratio in the combined capital cities was 98.4 males per 100 females, compared with 99.1 for the rest of Australia, indicating a higher share of females in the capitals.

Median age and sex ratio

  • Darwin had the youngest median age of all capital cities at 34.6 years, followed by Canberra at 35.6.
  • Adelaide was the oldest capital city with a median age of 39.2 years, ahead of Hobart at 38.9.
  • Hobart had the lowest sex ratio of all capital cities (95.6 males per 100 females), while Darwin had the highest (104.7).
Median age and sex ratio by capital city
Capital cityMedian age (years)Sex ratio
Sydney36.899.0
Melbourne36.697.9
Brisbane36.598.2
Adelaide39.296.0
Perth37.699.6
Hobart38.995.6
Darwin34.6104.7
Canberra35.697.5
Total capital cities37.098.4
Total Australia38.398.6

Regions

Median age

The areas with the youngest median ages were:

  • Acton (20.8 years) and Duntroon (21.8) in the Australian Capital Territory, which had large populations of students or military personnel
  • Clayton (North) - Notting Hill (24.3 years) in Victoria, which contained the main Monash University campus
  • Northern Peninsula (24.5 years) in Queensland, which had a high proportion of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people

The areas with the oldest median ages were all retirement destinations on the coast including:

  • Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest (66.2 years) in New South Wales
  • Bribie Island (63.6 years) and Cooloola (62.4) in Queensland
  • Point Lonsdale - Queenscliff (62.2 years) in Victoria

Areas with the youngest median ages

Areas with the oldest median ages

Sex ratio

The areas with the lowest sex ratios, generally with older age profiles and reflecting the longer life expectancy of females, were:

  • Woollahra (80.9 males per 100 females) in Sydney’s east, and Castle Hill - East (82.7) in Sydney’s north-west
  • Robina - West (82.2 males per 100 females) on Queensland’s Gold Coast
  • Mornington - West (82.4 males per 100 females) in Melbourne’s south

The areas with the highest sex ratios were:

  • Wacol (278.1 males per 100 females) in Brisbane’s south-west and Chidlow (247.5) in Perth’s north-east, which both contained male correctional centres
  • East Pilbara (274.2 males per 100 females), an area with significant mining activity in Western Australia’s outback
  • Duntroon (227.0 males per 100 females) in the Australian Capital Territory, which contained the Royal Military College

Areas with the lowest sex ratios

Areas with the highest sex ratios

New South Wales

  • Greater Sydney had a younger age distribution than the rest of New South Wales, reflecting the pattern of young adults moving to capital cities for education and work purposes.
  • People aged 20 to 44 years made up 38% of Sydney's population, compared with 29% in the rest of the state.
  • People aged 60 years and over made up 20% of Sydney's population, compared with 29% in the rest of New South Wales.

Median age

Sex ratio

Victoria

  • Greater Melbourne had a younger age distribution than the rest of Victoria, as younger adults tend to migrate out of regional areas to pursue work and education in the capital city.
  • People aged 20 to 44 years made up 39% of the population in Melbourne, compared with 29% in the rest of the state.
  • There was a lower proportion of people aged 55 years and over in Melbourne (25%) than in the rest of Victoria (36%).

Median age

Sex ratio

Queensland

  • Greater Brisbane had a higher proportion of its population aged 20 to 44 years (37%) than the rest of Queensland (31%), reflecting the pattern of young adults moving to capital cities for work and education purposes.
  • In contrast, Brisbane had a lower proportion aged 55 years and over (25%) than the rest of the state (32%).

Median age

Sex ratio

South Australia

  • Greater Adelaide had a younger age distribution than the rest of South Australia.
  • People aged 20 to 44 years made up 35% of the population in Adelaide, compared with 26% in the rest of the state. This is indicative of young adults moving to the capital city for employment or education purposes.
  • There was a lower proportion of people aged 55 years and over in Adelaide (30%) than in the rest of the state (40%).

Median age

Sex ratio

Western Australia

  • Greater Perth had a higher proportion of its population aged 20 to 39 years (29%) than the rest of Western Australia (24%). This is consistent with young adults moving to the capital city for employment or education purposes.
  • There was a lower proportion of people aged 50 years and over in Perth (33%) than in the rest of the state (38%).

Median age

Sex ratio

Tasmania

  • Tasmania had a lower proportion of people aged 20 to 44 years (31%) than Australia as a whole (35%). This in part reflects young adults pursuing education and employment opportunities interstate.
  • Tasmania also had a higher proportion of people aged 55 years and over (35%) than Australia (29%). This partly reflects a trend of adults in this age group moving into the state.

Median age

Sex ratio

Northern Territory

  • A lower proportion of Greater Darwin's population was under 25 years of age (32%) compared with the rest of the Northern Territory (36%).
  • Darwin had a higher proportion of people aged 25 years and over (68%) than the rest of the territory (64%).

Median age

Sex ratio

Australian Capital Territory

  • The Australian Capital Territory had a younger age distribution than Australia as a whole, reflecting the number of young adults who move to the territory for education or employment.
  • People aged 20 to 44 years accounted for 41% of the territory's population, compared with 35% of Australia's population.

Median age

Sex ratio

Interactive maps

These maps display the proportion of the population aged 0 to 14 years, 15 to 64 years and 65 years and over for SA2s. Additional data, including median age and sex ratio, can be viewed by clicking on a region of interest. Similar maps for LGAs are available via the Source link below each map.

Population aged 0 to 14 years, SA2s

This interactive map displays the proportion of the population aged 0 to 14 years for SA2s as at 30 June 2023. The population is divided into 5 data classes: 

  • 22.0% or more (dark red)
  • 20.0% to less than 22.0% (light red)
  • 18.0% to less than 20.0% (dark orange)
  • 16.0% to less than 18.0% (light orange)
  • Less than 16.0% (yellow)

The map shows that the SA2s with the highest proportions of population aged 0 to 14 years were largely in the outer suburbs of capital cities or regional areas including:

  • Northern Peninsula (33.9%) in far north Queensland, which had a high proportion of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
  • Tarneit (West) - Mount Cottrell (32.6%), Cobblebank - Strathtulloh (32.2%) and Tarneit North (31.8%) in Melbourne’s outer west
  • Yarrabilba (32.4%) in outer Brisbane

The areas with the lowest proportions of 0 to 14 year olds were:

  • Acton (1.8%) in Canberra, which contained the Australian National University
  • inner-city Melbourne CBD - North (2.4%), Melbourne CBD - West (2.9%) and Melbourne CBD - East (3.1%)
  • Chippendale in inner Sydney (3.1%)

Accessibility statement: We are committed to providing information and services to the widest possible audience. We’ve designed this website to comply with the Australian Government Digital Service Standard and aim to meet the latest WCAG Guidelines which describe how to make web content more usable and accessible for everyone. However, some functions of this interactive map may be inaccessible, or difficult to use with assistive technology. All data underlying this map can be downloaded in table format from the Data downloads section of this publication. For further information or assistance, or to advise of accessibility issues with this product, please email client.services@abs.gov.au.

Source

Regional population by age and sex 2023: Age distribution (includes LGA map)

Population aged 15 to 64 years, SA2s

This interactive map displays the proportion of population aged 15 to 64 years for SA2s as at 30 June 2023. The population is divided into 5 data classes: 

  • 69.0% or more (dark red)
  • 66.0% to less than 69.0% (light red)
  • 63.0% to less than 66.0% (dark orange)
  • 60.0% to less than 63.0% (light orange)
  • Less than 60.0% (yellow)

The SA2s with the highest proportions of population aged 15 to 64 years were:

  • Acton (98.1%) and Duntroon (93.6%) in the Australian Capital Territory, which had large populations of students or military personnel
  • inner-city Melbourne CBD - North (95.2%) and Melbourne CBD - West (95.0%)
  • Chippendale (93.6%) in inner Sydney

The areas with the lowest proportions in this age group were all retirement destinations on the coast including:

  • Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest (39.5%) in New South Wales
  • Point Lonsdale - Queenscliff (43.5%) in Victoria
  • Victor Harbor (44.4%) and Goolwa - Port Elliot (45.1%) in South Australia
  • Bribie Island (44.5%) in Brisbane

Accessibility statement: We are committed to providing information and services to the widest possible audience. We’ve designed this website to comply with the Australian Government Digital Service Standard and aim to meet the latest WCAG Guidelines which describe how to make web content more usable and accessible for everyone. However, some functions of this interactive map may be inaccessible, or difficult to use with assistive technology. All data underlying this map can be downloaded in table format from the Data downloads section of this publication. For further information or assistance, or to advise of accessibility issues with this product, please email client.services@abs.gov.au.

Source

Regional population by age and sex 2023: Age distribution (includes LGA map)

Population aged 65 years and over, SA2s

This interactive map displays the proportion of the population aged 65 years and over for SA2s as at 30 June 2023. The population is divided into 5 data classes: 

  • 22.0% or more (dark red)
  • 18.0% to less than 22.0% (light red)
  • 14.0% to less than 18.0% (dark orange)
  • 10.0% to less than 14.0% (light orange)
  • Less than 10.0% (yellow)

The map shows that the SA2s with the highest proportions of population aged 65 years and over were all retirement destinations on the coast including:

  • Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest (53.1%) and Tuncurry (44.4%) in New South Wales
  • Bribie Island (46.8%) in Queensland
  • Point Lonsdale - Queenscliff (45.0%) in Victoria
  • Goolwa - Port Elliot (44.2%) in South Australia

The areas with the lowest proportions in this age group were:

  • Duntroon and Acton (both 0.1%) in the Australian Capital Territory, which had large populations of military personnel or students
  • Tarneit - North (1.5%) in Melbourne’s outer west
  • Roxby Downs (1.8%), a rural mining town in South Australia
  • Strathnairn (2.0%) in Canberra

Accessibility statement: We are committed to providing information and services to the widest possible audience. We’ve designed this website to comply with the Australian Government Digital Service Standard and aim to meet the latest WCAG Guidelines which describe how to make web content more usable and accessible for everyone. However, some functions of this interactive map may be inaccessible, or difficult to use with assistive technology. All data underlying this map can be downloaded in table format from the Data downloads section of this publication. For further information or assistance, or to advise of accessibility issues with this product, please email client.services@abs.gov.au.

Source

Regional population by age and sex 2023: Age distribution (includes LGA map)

Data downloads

Download all (32.8 MB)

Data cubes

Data files

GeoPackages

Data files

Data Explorer datasets

Caution: Data Explorer can be problematic when trying to view and manipulate large datasets, such as SA2-based or LGA geographies released in this product. Please use the Excel data cubes provided above for these datasets. 

Data in Data Explorer is currently released after the 11:30am release on the ABS website. Please check the reference period when using Data Explorer.

Population estimates by age and sex, by SA2 and above, 2001 to 2023
Population estimates by age and sex, by LGA, 2001 to 2023
Net internal and overseas migration estimates by age, by SA2 and above, 2021-22 to 2022-23

For information on Data Explorer and how it works, see the Data Explorer user guide.

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 3235.0.

Methodology

Regional population by age and sex methodology, 2023

Media releases