Brisbane · Council (LGA)
How well-off the area is, how fast its population is growing, and the businesses and new homes here.
A score of 1,061 for overall advantage places Brisbane among the top 10% of similar areas. This reflects a city with high levels of wealth and opportunity, where residents generally have better access to money and a more skilled workforce than most of the country.
All council (lga) areas, 2021. The marker is Brisbane — higher than 86% of areas.
SEIFA indexes ranking relative advantage and disadvantage.
The city is highly advantaged, with a typical score of 9 out of 10 for overall advantage. This is supported by strong results in education and job skills, which rank higher than about 90% of similar areas.
9
Higher than 86% of council (lga) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% most disadvantaged areas in Australia, 10 = among the 10% most advantaged. IRSAD summarises both advantage and disadvantage, so a high score reflects relatively many high-income, well-educated households and few low-income, low-skill ones.
9
Higher than 86% of council (lga) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% most disadvantaged areas in Australia, 10 = among the least disadvantaged. IRSD focuses on disadvantage alone (low income, low education, unemployment, unskilled occupations), so a higher decile means relatively less disadvantage.
8
Higher than 71% of council (lga) areas.
ABS Index of Economic Resources, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% lowest areas for economic resources in Australia, 10 = among the highest. IER reflects the income, housing costs, dwelling size and assets of households, so a higher decile means relatively greater economic resources.
9
Higher than 86% of council (lga) areas.
ABS Index of Education and Occupation, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% lowest areas for education and occupation in Australia, 10 = among the highest. IEO reflects residents' qualifications and the skill level of their jobs, so a higher decile means a more highly educated and skilled workforce.
1,061
Higher than 89% of council (lga) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, 2021, as a raw index score (standardised so the Australian average is about 1000). Higher scores indicate relatively greater advantage; lower scores greater disadvantage.
Annual population estimates and change since the census.
Brisbane is one of the largest areas in the country with a population of 1,375,301. Since 2021, it has grown by 8.9%, a rate that is much higher than most areas and slightly above the Queensland figure of 8.7%.
1,375,301
Higher than 99% of council (lga) areas.
Estimated resident population (ABS), 2025.
8.9%
Higher than 86% of council (lga) areas.
Population growth since the 2021 Census, from ABS annual estimates.
Operating businesses and dwellings approved.
Economic activity is high, with 145,916 businesses operating across the city. This scale is reflected in the building sector, where the 7,365 approved dwellings are among the largest totals at this level.
145,916
Higher than 99% of council (lga) areas.
Operating businesses (ABS Counts of Australian Businesses), June 2025.
7,365
Higher than 99% of council (lga) areas.
Dwelling units approved in 2024-25 (ABS Building Approvals).
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Economy & Advantage in Brisbane [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA31000/brisbane/topic/economy-advantage
