211,632 ▲ +24.9%
Higher than 87% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 169,505
- 2016: 208,374
- 2021: 211,632
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Sydney · Council (LGA)
Demographics & Identity in Sydney
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
Over half of the people in Sydney are young adults aged between 25 and 44. This makes the city much younger than most other areas, with a typical resident aged just 34. The population has grown quickly, adding about 42,127 people since 2011.
211,632
▲ +24.9%
- 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 Sydney — higher than 87% of areas.
| Sydney | 211,632 |
|---|---|
| Greater Sydney | 5,231,147 |
| New South Wales | 8,072,163 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The total population is 211,632, which is among the largest for an area of this type. This represents a 25% increase since 2011, though the typical resident has aged slightly to 34.
34 yrs ▲ +6.3%
Younger than 88% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 32 yrs
- 2016: 32 yrs
- 2021: 34 yrs
Half the population is older than this age, and half younger.
Age profile
How the population splits across age groups.
Children under 15 make up only 7.6% of the population, which is far below the national figure of 18.2%. Seniors aged 65 and over are also well below the state average at 9.6%, although this group has risen by 1.8 percentage points since 2011.
9.6% ▲ +22.3%
Lower than 88% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 7.9%
- 2016: 8.2%
- 2021: 9.6%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
7.6% ▲ +6.6%
Lower than 99% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 7.1%
- 2016: 6.7%
- 2021: 7.6%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →In Sydney, Young adults (25–44) is the majority at 51%; Older adults (45–64) is next at 19%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
De facto relationships are very common here, with 23.1% of people in such a partnership—a figure far above the national average of 11.5%. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 1.4% of the population, which is a little below the state and national figures.
1.4% ▲ +10.8%
Lower than 80% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 1.3%
- 2016: 1.2%
- 2021: 1.4%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
23.1% ▲ +22.7%
Higher than 93% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 18.8%
- 2016: 19.6%
- 2021: 23.1%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Sydney, Never married is the majority at 63%; Married is next at 25%.
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Sydney
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Sydney [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA17200/sydney/topic/demographics-identity