253,748 ▲ +13.1%
Higher than 59% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 224,436
- 2016: 240,190
- 2021: 253,748
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Cairns · Region (SA4)
Demographics & Identity in Cairns
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
A much higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live in Cairns than in most other areas, with 10.6% of the population identifying as such. The region has grown steadily and is becoming older, with a typical resident now aged 41. This is noticeably older than the national figure of 38.
253,748
▲ +13.1%
- 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 Cairns — higher than 59% of areas.
| Cairns | 253,748 |
|---|---|
| Rest of Qld | 2,615,036 |
| Queensland | 5,156,138 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The population grew 13% since 2011, adding about 29,312 people to reach a total of 253,748. The typical resident is now 41, which is 4 years older than they were in 2011.
41 yrs ▲ +10.8%
Older than 57% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 37 yrs
- 2016: 39 yrs
- 2021: 41 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 rose to 18.0% of the population since 2011, while the share of children under 15 fell to 18.5%. Adults aged 45 to 64 make up the largest age group at 27.4%.
18.0% ▲ +47.3%
Higher than 53% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 12.2%
- 2016: 15.2%
- 2021: 18.0%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
18.5% ▼ -13.3%
Higher than 62% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 21.3%
- 2016: 19.8%
- 2021: 18.5%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Cairns splits fairly evenly between Older adults (45–64) (27%) and Young adults (25–44) (25%), with Children (0–14) at 19%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
Beyond the strong Indigenous presence, 14.8% of people are in a de facto relationship, which is well above the Australian figure of 11.5%. Most residents are either married (41.1%) or have never been married (39.5%).
10.6% ▲ +3.0%
Higher than 87% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 10.3%
- 2016: 10.0%
- 2021: 10.6%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
14.8% ▲ +9.8%
Higher than 87% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 13.4%
- 2016: 14.0%
- 2021: 14.8%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →Cairns splits fairly evenly between Married (41%) and Never married (39%), with Divorced at 11%.
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Cairns
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Cairns [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa4/306/cairns/topic/demographics-identity