3,331,137 ▲ +25.1%
Higher than 92% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 2,662,764
- 2016: 2,957,012
- 2021: 3,331,137
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Major Cities of Australia · Remoteness Area
Demographics & Identity in Major Cities of Australia
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
More than 3.3 million people live across the Major Cities of Australia, making it one of the largest regions of its kind. This urban population is slightly younger than the national average, with a typical resident aged 37.
3,331,137
▲ +25.1%
- 1–2: 3 areas
- 2–3: 0 areas
- 3–5: 0 areas
- 5–9: 0 areas
- 9–16: 2 areas
- 16–28: 1 area
- 28–50: 1 area
- 50–87: 0 areas
- 87–152: 1 area
- 152–265: 1 area
- 265–463: 1 area
- 463–808: 3 areas
- 808–1,412: 1 area
- 1,412–2,466: 0 areas
- 2,466–4,308: 4 areas
- 4,308–7,525: 2 areas
- 7,525–13,147: 4 areas
- 13,147–22,967: 2 areas
- 22,967–40,122: 1 area
- 40,122–70,092: 5 areas
- 70,092–122,448: 2 areas
- 122,448–213,911: 5 areas
- 213,911–373,695: 3 areas
- 373,695–652,831: 2 areas
- 652,831–1,140,471: 2 areas
- 1,140,471–1,992,358: 3 areas
- 1,992,358–3,480,573: 2 areas
- 3,480,573–6,080,428: 2 areas
All remoteness area areas, 2021. The marker is Major Cities of Australia — higher than 92% of areas.
| Major Cities of Australia | 3,331,137 |
|---|---|
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The population grew by 25% since 2011, adding about 668,373 people. The typical resident is 37, which is a little younger than the Australian figure of 38.
37 yrs ▲ +2.8%
Younger than 75% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 36 yrs
- 2016: 36 yrs
- 2021: 37 yrs
Half the population is older than this age, and half younger.
Age profile
How the population splits across age groups.
Young adults aged 25 to 44 make up the largest group at 28.6%. While the share of children has fallen slightly to 18.8%, the proportion of seniors aged 65 and over rose 3.0 points since 2011 to reach 15.7%.
15.7% ▲ +24.0%
Lower than 53% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 12.6%
- 2016: 14.4%
- 2021: 15.7%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
18.8% ▼ -4.4%
Higher than 73% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 19.6%
- 2016: 19.2%
- 2021: 18.8%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Major Cities of Australia splits fairly evenly between Young adults (25–44) (29%) and Older adults (45–64) (24%), with Children (0–14) at 19%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
About 2.7% of residents are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, a figure that rose 0.9 points since 2011. People in de facto relationships make up 12.8% of the population, which is a little above the national figure.
2.7% ▲ +53.0%
Lower than 75% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 1.8%
- 2016: 2.1%
- 2021: 2.7%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
12.8% ▲ +19.1%
Lower than 57% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 10.7%
- 2016: 11.6%
- 2021: 12.8%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Major Cities of Australia, the largest group is Married at 45%, followed by Never married (38%) and Divorced (9%).
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Major Cities of Australia
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Major Cities of Australia [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ra/RA30/major-cities-of-australia/topic/demographics-identity