168,873 ▲ +13.7%
Higher than 87% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 148,535
- 2016: 155,411
- 2021: 168,873
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Newcastle · Council (LGA)
Demographics & Identity in Newcastle
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
Over 168,000 people now live in Newcastle, making it one of the largest areas of its kind. The population is slightly younger than the national figure, with a typical resident aged 37. This mix of age groups and a growing population shapes the daily life and identity of the city.
168,873
▲ +13.7%
- 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 Newcastle — higher than 87% of areas.
| Newcastle | 168,873 |
|---|---|
| Rest of NSW | 2,829,637 |
| New South Wales | 8,072,163 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
Newcastle is among the largest areas at this level, with its population growing by 14% since 2011 to reach 168,873 people. The typical resident is 37, which is a little younger than the typical person in Australia.
37 yrs → 0.0%
Younger than 76% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 37 yrs
- 2016: 37 yrs
- 2021: 37 yrs
Half the population is older than this age, and half younger.
Age profile
How the population splits across age groups.
Young adults aged 25 to 44 make up the largest group at 28.9%. Children under 15 make up 16.2% of the area, which is a little below the national figure and has fallen slightly since 2011.
17.0% ▲ +9.9%
Lower than 66% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 15.4%
- 2016: 15.9%
- 2021: 17.0%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
16.2% ▼ -4.9%
Lower than 70% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 17.0%
- 2016: 16.9%
- 2021: 16.2%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →In Newcastle, the largest group is Young adults (25–44) at 29%, followed by Older adults (45–64) (24%) and Seniors (65+) (17%).
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
A little more than the national average, 4.4% of residents identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, a figure that has risen since 2011. Additionally, 13.9% of people are in a de facto relationship, which is well above the state figure.
4.4% ▲ +66.0%
Higher than 52% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 2.6%
- 2016: 3.5%
- 2021: 4.4%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
13.9% ▲ +31.1%
Higher than 65% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 10.6%
- 2016: 11.6%
- 2021: 13.9%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →Newcastle splits fairly evenly between Never married (43%) and Married (39%), with Divorced at 10%.
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Newcastle
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Newcastle [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA15900/newcastle/topic/demographics-identity