149,615 ▲ +59.8%
Higher than 86% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 93,625
- 2016: 135,959
- 2021: 149,615
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Melbourne · Council (LGA)
Demographics & Identity in Melbourne
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
Over half of all residents in Melbourne are young adults aged 25 to 44. This creates a population that is far younger than the national figure, with the typical resident being just 30 years old. The area has grown rapidly, adding about 55,990 people since 2011.
149,615
▲ +59.8%
- 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 Melbourne — higher than 86% of areas.
| Melbourne | 149,615 |
|---|---|
| Greater Melbourne | 4,917,750 |
| Victoria | 6,503,491 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
Melbourne has a population of 149,615, which is larger than about 91% of similar areas. Since 2011, the population grew by 60%.
30 yrs ▲ +7.1%
Younger than 95% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 28 yrs
- 2016: 28 yrs
- 2021: 30 yrs
Half the population is older than this age, and half younger.
Age profile
How the population splits across age groups.
Children under 15 and seniors aged 65 and over are both far below the state and national figures, at 6.7% and 7.3% respectively. This supports the area's young profile, as 71.9% of residents are between 15 and 44.
7.3% ▲ +11.2%
Lower than 93% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 6.6%
- 2016: 6.5%
- 2021: 7.3%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
6.7% ▼ -4.9%
Lower than 99% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 7.1%
- 2016: 6.4%
- 2021: 6.7%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →In Melbourne, Young adults (25–44) is the majority at 51%; Youth (15–24) is next at 21%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
De facto relationships are much more common here than in most areas, at 19.0%, which is well above the national figure of 11.5%. Meanwhile, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is 0.5%, which is about the same as the Victorian average.
0.5% ▲ +85.1%
Lower than 96% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 0.3%
- 2016: 0.3%
- 2021: 0.5%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
19.0% ▲ +29.9%
Higher than 88% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 14.6%
- 2016: 14.3%
- 2021: 19.0%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Melbourne, Never married is the majority at 65%; 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 Melbourne
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Melbourne [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA24600/melbourne/topic/demographics-identity