213,845 ▲ +13.1%
Higher than 87% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 189,006
- 2016: 197,371
- 2021: 213,845
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Lake Macquarie · Council (LGA)
Demographics & Identity in Lake Macquarie
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
A larger population than most similar areas defines Lake Macquarie, which has grown by 13% since 2011. The area is noticeably older than the state and national averages, with a typical resident aged 42. This shift is driven by a significant increase in the number of seniors.
213,845
▲ +13.1%
- 1–2: 3 areas
- 2–3: 0 areas
- 3–4: 0 areas
- 4–7: 0 areas
- 7–12: 2 areas
- 12–20: 1 area
- 20–33: 0 areas
- 33–55: 1 area
- 55–91: 0 areas
- 91–150: 5 areas
- 150–248: 3 areas
- 248–409: 13 areas
- 409–675: 22 areas
- 675–1,115: 38 areas
- 1,115–1,840: 37 areas
- 1,840–3,038: 30 areas
- 3,038–5,014: 40 areas
- 5,014–8,276: 49 areas
- 8,276–13,661: 54 areas
- 13,661–22,550: 57 areas
- 22,550–37,223: 43 areas
- 37,223–61,442: 49 areas
- 61,442–101,420: 39 areas
- 101,420–167,409: 37 areas
- 167,409–276,336: 31 areas
- 276,336–456,137: 8 areas
- 456,137–752,926: 2 areas
- 752,926–1,242,825: 1 area
All council (lga) areas, 2021. The marker is Lake Macquarie — higher than 87% of areas.
| Lake Macquarie | 213,845 |
|---|---|
| Rest of NSW | 2,829,637 |
| New South Wales | 8,072,163 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The population reached 213,845 people in 2021, adding about 24,839 residents since 2011. The typical person living here is 42, which is one year older than the 2011 figure.
42 yrs ▲ +2.4%
Older than 50% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 41 yrs
- 2016: 42 yrs
- 2021: 42 yrs
Half the population is older than this age, and half younger.
Age profile
How the population splits across age groups.
Seniors aged 65 and over make up 22% of the population, a figure well above the national average of 17.2% and up 3.6 points since 2011. Meanwhile, children under 15 make up 18.1%, which is about the same as the rest of the country.
22.0% ▲ +19.4%
Higher than 63% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 18.4%
- 2016: 20.6%
- 2021: 22.0%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
18.1% ▼ -2.6%
Higher than 57% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 18.6%
- 2016: 18.3%
- 2021: 18.1%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Lake Macquarie splits fairly evenly between Older adults (45–64) (25%) and Young adults (25–44) (23%), with Seniors (65+) at 22%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 5.5% of the population, which is a little above the same figure for New South Wales and Australia. Nearly half of residents are married, and 11.5% are in a de facto relationship.
5.5% ▲ +85.8%
Higher than 60% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 3.0%
- 2016: 4.1%
- 2021: 5.5%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
11.5% ▲ +35.2%
Lower than 72% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 8.5%
- 2016: 10.0%
- 2021: 11.5%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Lake Macquarie, the largest group is Married at 48%, followed by Never married (33%) and Divorced (10%).
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Lake Macquarie
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Lake Macquarie [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA14650/lake-macquarie/topic/demographics-identity