3,591 ▼ -3.5%
Lower than 71% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 3,720
- 2016: 3,677
- 2021: 3,591
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Central Desert · Council (LGA)
Demographics & Identity in Central Desert
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
A far higher proportion of people identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Central Desert than in the rest of the country, at 79.2%. This is a very young population where the typical resident is just 28 years old. The area is sparsely populated with 3,591 people across a vast landscape.
3,591
▼ -3.5%
- 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 Central Desert — lower than 71% of areas.
| Central Desert | 3,591 |
|---|---|
| Rest of NT | 89,103 |
| Northern Territory | 232,605 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The typical resident is 28, making the area far younger than the national figure of 38. Total population has shrank by 3.5% since 2011, losing about 129 people.
28 yrs ▲ +3.7%
Younger than 98% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 27 yrs
- 2016: 28 yrs
- 2021: 28 yrs
Half the population is older than this age, and half younger.
Age profile
How the population splits across age groups.
Children under 15 make up 26.9% of the population, which is well above the national figure of 18.2%. This contributes to the area's youth, while seniors aged 65 and over are far less common here than across Australia.
6.0% ▲ +21.1%
Lower than 95% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 4.9%
- 2016: 4.7%
- 2021: 6.0%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
26.9% ▼ -7.0%
Higher than 98% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 28.9%
- 2016: 29.4%
- 2021: 26.9%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Central Desert splits fairly evenly between Young adults (25–44) (31%) and Children (0–14) (27%), with Older adults (45–64) at 19%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
About 79.2% of residents are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, a figure far above the Northern Territory average. Most people have never been married (45.7%), and those in de facto relationships make up 11.3% of the population.
79.2% ▼ -1.0%
Higher than 98% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 80.0%
- 2016: 84.1%
- 2021: 79.2%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
11.3% ▲ +128.6%
Lower than 75% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 4.9%
- 2016: 6.2%
- 2021: 11.3%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →Central Desert splits fairly evenly between Never married (46%) and Married (41%), with Widowed at 5%.
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Central Desert
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Central Desert [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA70620/central-desert/topic/demographics-identity