50,376 ▼ -14.2%
Lower than 60% of state electorate areas.
- 2011: 58,723
- 2016: 63,578
- 2021: 50,376
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Townsville · State Electorate
Demographics & Identity in Townsville
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
A strong Indigenous presence and a shift toward an older population shape daily life in Townsville. Around 10.6% of residents identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, which is well above the national figure. While the typical resident is now 38, the area has seen a notable decline in total population since 2011.
50,376
▼ -14.2%
- 1–2: 3 areas
- 2–2: 0 areas
- 2–4: 0 areas
- 4–5: 0 areas
- 5–8: 0 areas
- 8–13: 2 areas
- 13–19: 1 area
- 19–29: 0 areas
- 29–44: 1 area
- 44–68: 0 areas
- 68–103: 1 area
- 103–158: 0 areas
- 158–240: 1 area
- 240–366: 1 area
- 366–559: 1 area
- 559–852: 1 area
- 852–1,299: 0 areas
- 1,299–1,980: 1 area
- 1,980–3,018: 0 areas
- 3,018–4,602: 2 areas
- 4,602–7,016: 2 areas
- 7,016–10,696: 28 areas
- 10,696–16,307: 5 areas
- 16,307–24,861: 5 areas
- 24,861–37,902: 41 areas
- 37,902–57,783: 150 areas
- 57,783–88,095: 162 areas
- 88,095–134,306: 43 areas
All state electorate areas, 2021. The marker is Townsville — lower than 60% of areas.
| Townsville | 50,376 |
|---|---|
| Rest of Qld | 2,615,036 |
| Queensland | 5,156,138 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The population of Townsville shrank by 14% since 2011, losing about 8,347 people to reach 50,376. During this time, the typical resident has become 8 years older, now sitting at 38, which is about the same as the Queensland and Australian figures.
38 yrs ▲ +26.7%
Younger than 57% of state electorate areas.
- 2011: 30 yrs
- 2016: 30 yrs
- 2021: 38 yrs
Half the population is older than this age, and half younger.
Age profile
How the population splits across age groups.
Children under 15 make up 16.6% of the area, a figure that is a little below the national average and has fallen 9.5 points since 2011. Meanwhile, the proportion of seniors aged 65 and over rose to 15.5%, which is still a little below the state and national figures.
15.5% ▲ +95.1%
Lower than 62% of state electorate areas.
- 2011: 8.0%
- 2016: 9.6%
- 2021: 15.5%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
16.6% ▼ -36.4%
Lower than 69% of state electorate areas.
- 2011: 26.1%
- 2016: 25.6%
- 2021: 16.6%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Townsville splits fairly evenly between Young adults (25–44) (28%) and Older adults (45–64) (27%), with Children (0–14) at 17%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
Indigenous identity is very prominent here, with 10.6% of people identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, well above the 3.2% national average. There are also more people in de facto relationships here than in most areas, at 15.8%.
10.6% ▲ +141.8%
Higher than 87% of state electorate areas.
- 2011: 4.4%
- 2016: 4.2%
- 2021: 10.6%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
15.8% ▲ +34.1%
Higher than 88% of state electorate areas.
- 2011: 11.8%
- 2016: 11.2%
- 2021: 15.8%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Townsville, the largest group is Never married at 45%, followed by Married (36%) and Divorced (11%).
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Townsville
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Townsville [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sed/SED30088/townsville/topic/demographics-identity