398,840 ▲ +30.0%
Higher than 83% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 306,909
- 2016: 346,522
- 2021: 398,840
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Sunshine Coast · Region (SA4)
Demographics & Identity in Sunshine Coast
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
Much older residents than most similar areas live in the Sunshine Coast, where the typical person is 44. The region has grown rapidly, adding about 91,931 people since 2011 to reach a total population of 398,840.
398,840
▲ +30.0%
- 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 Sunshine Coast — higher than 83% of areas.
| Sunshine Coast | 398,840 |
|---|---|
| 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 30% over the last decade. Residents are noticeably older than those in the rest of Queensland and Australia, with the typical age rising by 2 years since 2011.
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 22.5% of the population, which is well above the national figure of 17.2%. This shift towards an older community is seen in the rise of seniors by 4.4 percentage points since 2011 and a small drop in children under 15.
22.5% ▲ +24.0%
Higher than 84% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 18.2%
- 2016: 20.9%
- 2021: 22.5%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
17.0% ▼ -10.1%
Lower than 65% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 18.9%
- 2016: 17.8%
- 2021: 17.0%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Sunshine Coast splits fairly evenly between Older adults (45–64) (27%) and Young adults (25–44) (23%), with Seniors (65+) at 23%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
About 2.3% of residents are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, a figure that rose slightly since 2011. De facto relationships are common for 12.3% of the population, which is about the same as the state and national figures.
2.3% ▲ +55.4%
Lower than 60% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 1.5%
- 2016: 1.9%
- 2021: 2.3%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
12.3% ▲ +16.3%
Higher than 52% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 10.6%
- 2016: 11.3%
- 2021: 12.3%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Sunshine Coast, the largest group is Married at 49%, followed by Never married (31%) and Divorced (11%).
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Sunshine Coast
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Sunshine Coast [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa4/316/sunshine-coast/topic/demographics-identity