342,541 —
Higher than 89% of council (lga) areas.
- 2016: 294,367
- 2021: 342,541
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Sunshine Coast · Council (LGA)
Demographics & Identity in Sunshine Coast
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
More than 48,000 new people have moved to the Sunshine Coast since 2016, contributing to a population of 342,541. It is an older region than the state and national averages, with over a fifth of the population now aged 65 or over.
342,541
—
- 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 Sunshine Coast — higher than 89% of areas.
| Sunshine Coast | 342,541 |
|---|---|
| Rest of Qld | 2,615,036 |
| Queensland | 5,156,138 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The total population grew by 16% since 2016, making it one of the largest areas at its level. The typical resident is 43, which is noticeably older than the typical person in Queensland or Australia.
43 yrs —
Older than 57% of council (lga) areas.
- 2016: 43 yrs
- 2021: 43 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 21.7% of the population, a figure that is well above the national and state averages and has risen since 2016. Children under 15 make up 17.4%, which is about the same as the national figure.
21.7% —
Higher than 61% of council (lga) areas.
- 2016: 20.4%
- 2021: 21.7%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
17.4% —
Lower than 53% of council (lga) areas.
- 2016: 18.1%
- 2021: 17.4%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Sunshine Coast splits fairly evenly between Older adults (45–64) (27%) and Young adults (25–44) (23%), with Seniors (65+) at 22%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
People of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent make up 2.4% of the population, which is a little below the Queensland average. Nearly half of the residents are married, and those in de facto relationships rose to 12.3% by 2021.
2.4% —
Lower than 66% of council (lga) areas.
- 2016: 1.9%
- 2021: 2.4%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
12.3% —
Lower than 59% of council (lga) areas.
- 2016: 11.2%
- 2021: 12.3%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Sunshine Coast, the largest group is Married at 49%, followed by Never married (32%) and Divorced (11%).
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Sunshine Coast
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Sunshine Coast [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA36720/sunshine-coast/topic/demographics-identity