173,937 ▲ +18.9%
Lower than 60% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 146,235
- 2016: 157,485
- 2021: 173,937
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Ballarat · Region (SA4)
Demographics & Identity in Ballarat
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
A growing population of seniors is a defining feature of Ballarat, where the typical resident is now 42. The area has seen a significant increase in its older age groups, with 21% of the population now aged 65 and over.
173,937
▲ +18.9%
- 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 Ballarat — lower than 60% of areas.
| Ballarat | 173,937 |
|---|---|
| Rest of Vic. | 1,576,613 |
| Victoria | 6,503,491 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The population of Ballarat grew by 19% since 2011, adding about 27,702 people to reach a total of 173,937. Residents are noticeably older than the state and national typical age of 38.
42 yrs ▲ +5.0%
Older than 64% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 40 yrs
- 2016: 42 yrs
- 2021: 42 yrs
Half the population is older than this age, and half younger.
Age profile
How the population splits across age groups.
Seniors make up 21% of the population, which is well above the national figure of 17.2%. This increase in older adults is consistent with a trend where the proportion of children under 15 has fallen since 2011.
21.0% ▲ +28.4%
Higher than 74% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 16.4%
- 2016: 19.1%
- 2021: 21.0%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
17.9% ▼ -6.0%
Higher than 53% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 19.0%
- 2016: 18.4%
- 2021: 17.9%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Ballarat splits fairly evenly between Older adults (45–64) (26%) and Young adults (25–44) (24%), with Seniors (65+) at 21%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
De facto relationships are much more common here than in most similar areas, rising to 13.2% since 2011. Around 1.8% of the population identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, which is a little below the national figure.
1.8% ▲ +62.1%
Lower than 68% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 1.1%
- 2016: 1.4%
- 2021: 1.8%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
13.2% ▲ +31.0%
Higher than 73% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 10.1%
- 2016: 11.4%
- 2021: 13.2%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Ballarat, the largest group is Married at 44%, followed by Never married (36%) and Divorced (10%).
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Ballarat
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Ballarat [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa4/201/ballarat/topic/demographics-identity