36,290 ▲ +7.1%
Higher than 70% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 33,883
- 2016: 35,110
- 2021: 36,290
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Southern Downs · Council (LGA)
Demographics & Identity in Southern Downs
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
A typical resident in Southern Downs is 48, making the area far older than both Queensland and Australia. This aging trend is a key story for the region, as the population has grown by 7.1% to 36,290 people since 2011 while becoming significantly older.
36,290
▲ +7.1%
- 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 Southern Downs — higher than 70% of areas.
| Southern Downs | 36,290 |
|---|---|
| Rest of Qld | 2,615,036 |
| Queensland | 5,156,138 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The typical resident is 48 years old, which is far older than the national figure of 38. This age has risen by 6 years since 2011, and the total population grew to 36,290 in that time.
48 yrs ▲ +14.3%
Older than 79% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 42 yrs
- 2016: 45 yrs
- 2021: 48 yrs
Half the population is older than this age, and half younger.
Age profile
How the population splits across age groups.
Seniors aged 65 and over make up 26.4% of the population, a figure well above the national average of 17.2%. This rise in older residents comes as the proportion of children under 15 fell to 17.2%, which is a little below the state figure.
26.4% ▲ +38.1%
Higher than 82% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 19.1%
- 2016: 23.0%
- 2021: 26.4%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
17.2% ▼ -16.6%
Lower than 56% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 20.6%
- 2016: 18.8%
- 2021: 17.2%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Southern Downs splits fairly evenly between Older adults (45–64) (27%) and Seniors (65+) (26%), with Young adults (25–44) at 19%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 5.4% of the population, which is a little above the national figure. While 48.9% of residents are married, those in de facto relationships are much lower than in most other areas at 10.8%.
5.4% ▲ +62.8%
Higher than 59% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 3.3%
- 2016: 4.5%
- 2021: 5.4%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
10.8% ▲ +14.0%
Lower than 80% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 9.5%
- 2016: 10.1%
- 2021: 10.8%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Southern Downs, the largest group is Married at 49%, followed by Never married (30%) and Divorced (11%).
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Southern Downs
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Southern Downs [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA36660/southern-downs/topic/demographics-identity