Statistical Area 2 (SA2) · Area profile
South Brisbane
2 km²
A staggering 93.5% of homes in South Brisbane are flats or apartments, making it one of the most high-density areas in the region. The community is exceptionally young, with a typical resident aged just 29, and has grown rapidly with the population increasing 163% since 2011. It is a highly globalised hub where nearly half of the residents were born overseas. This creates a professional, fast-paced atmosphere where most people live in small households and rely on walking or public transport.
South Brisbane is well supplied with schools for its relatively small share of children.
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The area is far younger than the national figure, with children and seniors both appearing in very low numbers. It has a high proportion of people in de facto relationships, which rose to 20.8% by 2021.
Born overseas, 49.4% of residents come from outside Australia, a figure far above the national average. Chinese and English are the most common ancestries after Australian.
Language diversity is very high, with 39.7% of people using a language other than English at home. This is far above the state figure and is led by Mandarin and Cantonese speakers.
A majority of residents—51.6%—report having no religion, which is far above the national figure. This number has risen by 22 points since 2011.
The community is highly qualified, with 45.3% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is far above the national average, and 77.8% of residents have completed Year 12.
Typical personal weekly income is $888, which is a little above the national figure. High earners are common, with 15.9% of people earning $2,000 or more per week.
Residents are generally healthy, with the proportion of people needing help with daily activities (1.9%) and those with long-term health conditions (17.7%) both far below the national average.
Unpaid care and housework are much less common here than in other areas, with only 10.5% of people doing 15 or more hours of housework weekly.
First Nations people in the area are noticeably older than those in the rest of the state, with a typical age of 27. Year 12 completion is also far above the national figure at 64.2%.
Households are typically small, with 39.1% of people living alone. This helps explain why the typical home only has 1.9 people.
Renting is the dominant tenure for 70.2% of households, far above the national average. Typical weekly rent is well above the national figure at $470, and very few homes have three or more bedrooms.
The area is a major transit hub where 21.9% of homes have no car. Public transport use for commuting is well above the national average, and 20.3% of people work from home.
The population is highly mobile, with 74.8% of people having moved in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas also make up a very large portion of the community at 42.4%.
Professionals make up 37.6% of the workforce, and many work in technical, health, or hospitality roles. The unemployment rate is a little above the national figure at 7.9%.
The area ranks very high for overall advantage and job skills. It is a major business hub with 2,105 businesses and has seen population growth far above the state average since 2021.
The area experiences annual rainfall far above the state average, with a typical maximum temperature of 27.3 degrees.
South Brisbane is a walker's paradise with a score of 9.5. Every single home is within a 15-minute walk of groceries, health services, parks, and public transport.