Christmas Island

The typical resident is 38, which is the same as the national figure, though the area is noticeably younger than other territories. While the number of seniors has risen since 2011, the proportion of children under 15 remains a little below the national average.

This is a diverse community where 43.7% of people were born overseas, far above the national figure. Chinese is the most common ancestry at 22.2%, followed by Australian and English.

Almost 45% of residents use a language other than English at home, which is far above the national average. Mandarin and Cantonese are the most common non-English languages, and 12.2% of people speak little or no English.

Religious diversity is high, with Islam (22.1%), Buddhism (15.2%), and Christianity (14.5%) all representing significant groups. Those with no religion make up 19.9%, which is far below the national figure.

Education levels are much lower than in most areas, with only 11.2% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. However, the number of people who completed Year 12 rose 13 points since 2011 to reach 38.5%.

Incomes are high here, with typical family weekly earnings at $2,659, which is well above the national figure. About 28% of households earn $3,000 or more a week, a figure that has risen 12 points since 2011.

Residents report very good health, with long-term health conditions and mental health conditions both occurring far less often than in the rest of Australia. Only 1.5% of people need help with daily activities.

Volunteering is more common here than across Australia, with 16% of people helping out. However, the rates of unpaid childcare and housework are well below national levels.

The First Nations community is very small, with only 10 people. This group is far older than the national average, with a typical age of 60, and they earn much higher incomes than First Nations people elsewhere.

About 31% of people live alone, which is well above the national figure. Most of the remaining households are couples with children (65%) or couples without children (25.3%).

Renting is very common, with 48.3% of households renting, far above the national average. Typical weekly rents are very low at $150, and detached houses are much less common than in other territories.

Most people drive to work (69.1%), but the use of public transport is well above the national average at 6.4%. Very few people work from home, at only 2.6%.

The community is relatively stable, with only 24.7% of people moving in the last five years, far below the national figure. Recent arrivals from overseas have also fallen since 2011.

Full-time employment is very high at 71.1%, far above the national average. Many people work in public administration and safety (29.2%) or mining (12.1%), and the unemployment rate is very low at 1.5%.

The area has seen a 10% population growth since 2021, which is well above other territories. However, overall advantage and access to resources are lower than in about 60% to 80% of similar areas.

The area is mostly car-dependent, though 83.4% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries, far above the figure for other territories. Walkability is limited by a steep average terrain slope of 15.6%.