State Electorate · Area profile
Karama
8 km²
A very walkable suburb of Darwin, Karama is a diverse community where nearly everyone lives within a short stroll of a park or public transport. It is a relatively young area, with a typical resident aged 35 and a high proportion of children. The neighborhood is notably multicultural, with nearly 30% of people born overseas and a strong Filipino presence. This blend of young families and international arrivals creates a dynamic residential character in the heart of the Northern Territory.
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Karama is a young community where the typical resident is 35, noticeably younger than the national figure of 38. Children under 15 make up 22.5% of the population, which is well above the Australian average, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population has risen to 20.5% since 2011.
The area is more multicultural than most, with 29.6% of people born overseas, a figure that has risen since 2011. While Australian and English are the most common ancestries, Filipino heritage is significant at 8.8%.
Language diversity is high, with 31.4% of residents using a language other than English at home. This is well above the national figure and is reflected in the use of Tagalog, Greek, and Vietnamese; meanwhile, those who speak little or no English have risen to 5.0% since 2016.
Christianity is the most common religion at 47.6%. Those reporting no religion make up 33.1% of the community, which is well below the national figure of 38.9%.
Around 18% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, though this is well below the national figure. Year 12 completion has risen to 49.6% since 2011, and the area has a very high number of schools per 1,000 children.
Typical weekly household income is $1,746, which is about the same as the national figure. Personal incomes are higher than most areas, with the typical person earning $829 a week.
People with long-term health conditions are much less common here than in most areas, at 23.0%. Similarly, those with a mental health condition make up 5.8% of the population, which is a little below the national figure.
Unpaid care for children is more common here than in most areas, involving 27.9% of the community. About 11.8% of people provide some form of unpaid care, a figure that has risen since 2011.
Homes in Karama are larger than usual, with 2.8 people per household. One-parent families are very common, making up 23.4% of households, which is well above the national average of 14.1%.
Renting is much more common here than in most areas at 39.8%. While 72.9% of homes have three or more bedrooms, those owned outright are far less common than across Australia.
Most people drive to work, and 9.5% of homes have no motor vehicle, which is much higher than in most areas. Despite this, the suburb has a high number of public transport stops per 1,000 people.
Recent overseas arrivals make up 16.1% of the population, which is a little above the national figure. However, 35.7% of residents have moved in the last five years, which is lower than most other areas.
Full-time employment is well above the national average at 65.2%. However, the unemployment rate is 7.1%, which is a little above the national figure and has risen since 2011.
This is a very walkable area with a score of 6.6, far above the territory average. Almost every home is within a 15-minute walk of a park (99.1%) or public transport (98.2%).