161,006 ▲ +17.5%
Lower than 63% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 137,007
- 2016: 147,363
- 2021: 161,006
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven · Region (SA4)
Demographics & Identity in Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
Far older residents than most similar areas define Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven, where the typical person is 48 years old. The region's population grew by 18% since 2011, adding about 23,999 people to a total of 161,006.
161,006
▲ +17.5%
- 1–2: 3 areas
- 2–3: 0 areas
- 3–4: 0 areas
- 4–7: 0 areas
- 7–11: 1 area
- 11–19: 1 area
- 19–30: 1 area
- 30–50: 1 area
- 50–81: 0 areas
- 81–132: 1 area
- 132–214: 1 area
- 214–349: 0 areas
- 349–569: 1 area
- 569–927: 1 area
- 927–1,511: 1 area
- 1,511–2,461: 0 areas
- 2,461–4,010: 2 areas
- 4,010–6,532: 1 area
- 6,532–10,641: 2 areas
- 10,641–17,336: 2 areas
- 17,336–28,242: 0 areas
- 28,242–46,009: 1 area
- 46,009–74,953: 0 areas
- 74,953–122,107: 9 areas
- 122,107–198,924: 21 areas
- 198,924–324,066: 28 areas
- 324,066–527,936: 21 areas
- 527,936–860,060: 8 areas
All region (sa4) areas, 2021. The marker is Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven — lower than 63% of areas.
| Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven | 161,006 |
|---|---|
| Rest of NSW | 2,829,637 |
| New South Wales | 8,072,163 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The typical resident is 48, which is far older than the national figure of 38. This age has risen by 2.0 years since 2011.
48 yrs ▲ +4.3%
Older than 94% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 46 yrs
- 2016: 48 yrs
- 2021: 48 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 28.0% of the population, far above the national figure of 17.2%. This has helped make the area's age profile among the oldest at this level, while the share of children under 15 has fallen to 16.2%.
28.0% ▲ +23.0%
Higher than 99% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 22.8%
- 2016: 26.3%
- 2021: 28.0%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
16.2% ▼ -11.0%
Lower than 74% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 18.2%
- 2016: 16.8%
- 2021: 16.2%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven splits fairly evenly between Seniors (65+) (28%) and Older adults (45–64) (26%), with Young adults (25–44) at 20%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 5.1% of the population, which is a little above the national figure of 3.2%. Nearly half of the population is married, at 49.2%.
5.1% ▲ +37.4%
Higher than 70% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 3.7%
- 2016: 4.4%
- 2021: 5.1%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
11.5% ▲ +29.7%
Lower than 68% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 8.9%
- 2016: 10.4%
- 2021: 11.5%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven, the largest group is Married at 49%, followed by Never married (30%) and Divorced (11%).
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa4/114/southern-highlands-and-shoalhaven/topic/demographics-identity