155,568 ▲ +5.5%
Lower than 65% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 147,428
- 2016: 150,035
- 2021: 155,568
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
North West · Region (SA4)
Demographics & Identity in North West
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
Almost 47% of people in North West are married, marking it as a region with a strong presence of established couples. It is a noticeably older part of the state, where the typical resident is 44 years old. This age gap is reflected in a high proportion of seniors across the region.
155,568
▲ +5.5%
- 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 North West — lower than 65% of areas.
| North West | 155,568 |
|---|---|
| Rest of Vic. | 1,576,613 |
| Victoria | 6,503,491 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The population grew by 5.5% since 2011, adding about 8,140 people to reach a total of 155,568. Residents here are noticeably older than those in Victoria and Australia, with a typical age of 44.
44 yrs ▲ +4.8%
Older than 79% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 42 yrs
- 2016: 44 yrs
- 2021: 44 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 22.7% of the population, which is well above the state and national figures. This group has grown by 3.8 percentage points since 2011, while the share of children under 15 has fallen to 17.4%.
22.7% ▲ +20.0%
Higher than 85% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 18.9%
- 2016: 21.6%
- 2021: 22.7%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
17.4% ▼ -11.1%
Lower than 57% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 19.5%
- 2016: 17.8%
- 2021: 17.4%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →North West splits fairly evenly between Older adults (45–64) (26%) and Young adults (25–44) (23%), with Seniors (65+) at 23%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 3.2% of the population, which is about the same as the national figure. Those in de facto relationships account for 11.4% of residents, a figure that has risen by 2.6 percentage points since 2011.
3.2% ▲ +30.2%
Lower than 51% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 2.5%
- 2016: 2.7%
- 2021: 3.2%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
11.4% ▲ +29.4%
Lower than 71% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 8.8%
- 2016: 9.9%
- 2021: 11.4%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In North West, the largest group is Married at 47%, followed by Never married (33%) and Divorced (9%).
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for North West
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in North West [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa4/215/north-west/topic/demographics-identity