166,943 —
Higher than 87% of council (lga) areas.
- 2016: 156,901
- 2021: 166,943
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Cairns · Council (LGA)
Demographics & Identity in Cairns
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
Nearly 10% of residents identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, making Cairns a place with a much stronger Indigenous presence than most Australian areas. The population has grown by about 10,000 people since 2016, reaching a total of 166,943. This is a large and diverse region where the typical resident is now 39 years old.
166,943
—
- 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 Cairns — higher than 87% of areas.
| Cairns | 166,943 |
|---|---|
| Rest of Qld | 2,615,036 |
| Queensland | 5,156,138 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
Cairns is among the largest areas at this level, with its population growing 6.4% since 2016. The typical resident is a little older than the state and national figures, having aged by two years since the last census.
39 yrs —
Younger than 67% of council (lga) areas.
- 2016: 37 yrs
- 2021: 39 yrs
Half the population is older than this age, and half younger.
Age profile
How the population splits across age groups.
The area has more children under 15 than most other regions, making up 19.1% of the population. Meanwhile, the proportion of seniors aged 65 and over is a little below the national figure, though this group rose by 2.8 percentage points since 2016.
15.5% —
Lower than 73% of council (lga) areas.
- 2016: 12.7%
- 2021: 15.5%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
19.1% —
Higher than 66% of council (lga) areas.
- 2016: 20.5%
- 2021: 19.1%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Cairns splits fairly evenly between Young adults (25–44) (27%) and Older adults (45–64) (27%), with Children (0–14) at 19%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
Indigenous residents make up 9.7% of the population, which is well above the national figure of 3.2%. Additionally, 15.1% of people are in de facto relationships, a rate that is much higher than in most other areas.
9.7% —
Higher than 76% of council (lga) areas.
- 2016: 9.0%
- 2021: 9.7%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
15.1% —
Higher than 75% of council (lga) areas.
- 2016: 14.3%
- 2021: 15.1%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →Cairns splits fairly evenly between Never married (41%) and Married (40%), with Divorced at 11%.
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Cairns
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Cairns [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA32080/cairns/topic/demographics-identity