1,344,200 ▲ +15.6%
Higher than 87% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 1,162,972
- 2016: 1,230,284
- 2021: 1,344,200
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.
Over 1.3 million people live across the Major Cities of Australia, where the population has grown by 16% since 2011. This broad region is slightly older than the national average, with a notable rise in the proportion of seniors. It is a diverse area where nearly half of the population is married.
1,344,200
▲ +15.6%
- 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 87% of areas.
| Major Cities of Australia | 1,344,200 |
|---|---|
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The population reached 1,344,200 in 2021, making it larger than about 91% of similar areas. The typical resident is 39, which is a little older than the national figure of 38.
39 yrs ▲ +2.6%
Younger than 62% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 38 yrs
- 2016: 39 yrs
- 2021: 39 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 18.6% of the population, a figure that is higher than most areas and rose by 3 percentage points since 2011. In contrast, children under 15 account for 17.1%, which is a little below the national figure of 18.2%.
18.6% ▲ +19.1%
Higher than 64% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 15.7%
- 2016: 17.3%
- 2021: 18.6%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
17.1% ▼ -2.3%
Lower than 55% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 17.5%
- 2016: 17.3%
- 2021: 17.1%
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) (27%) and Older adults (45–64) (25%), with Seniors (65+) at 19%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 1.7% of the population, which is much lower than most areas. Those in de facto relationships account for 10.8%, a figure that is about the same as the national 11.5% but rose slightly since 2011.
1.7% ▲ +33.3%
Lower than 86% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 1.3%
- 2016: 1.4%
- 2021: 1.7%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
10.8% ▲ +18.2%
Lower than 86% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 9.2%
- 2016: 9.8%
- 2021: 10.8%
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 (37%) 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/RA40/major-cities-of-australia/topic/demographics-identity