4,971,771 ▲ +29.1%
Higher than 98% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 3,851,458
- 2016: 4,353,298
- 2021: 4,971,771
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Major Urban · Section of State
Demographics & Identity in Major Urban
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
Nearly five million people live across Major Urban, creating a massive and diverse population. The area is slightly younger than the national average, with a typical resident aged 37.
4,971,771
▲ +29.1%
- 1–2: 3 areas
- 2–3: 0 areas
- 3–5: 0 areas
- 5–9: 0 areas
- 9–16: 2 areas
- 16–28: 1 area
- 28–49: 1 area
- 49–85: 0 areas
- 85–149: 1 area
- 149–260: 1 area
- 260–453: 0 areas
- 453–789: 4 areas
- 789–1,376: 2 areas
- 1,376–2,399: 1 area
- 2,399–4,182: 3 areas
- 4,182–7,292: 0 areas
- 7,292–12,713: 3 areas
- 12,713–22,166: 1 area
- 22,166–38,647: 3 areas
- 38,647–67,381: 3 areas
- 67,381–117,481: 2 areas
- 117,481–204,831: 6 areas
- 204,831–357,126: 2 areas
- 357,126–622,657: 5 areas
- 622,657–1,085,615: 2 areas
- 1,085,615–1,892,791: 2 areas
- 1,892,791–3,300,120: 1 area
- 3,300,120–5,753,827: 3 areas
All section of state areas, 2021. The marker is Major Urban — higher than 98% of areas.
| Major Urban | 4,971,771 |
|---|---|
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The population grew by 29% since 2011, adding about 1,120,313 people to reach 4,971,771. This makes it one of the largest areas at its level.
37 yrs ▲ +2.8%
Younger than 86% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 36 yrs
- 2016: 36 yrs
- 2021: 37 yrs
Half the population is older than this age, and half younger.
Age profile
How the population splits across age groups.
Young adults aged 25 to 44 make up the largest group at 31%. While children under 15 make up 18% of the population, the proportion of seniors aged 65 and over rose 1.9 points since 2011 to reach 15.3%.
15.3% ▲ +14.4%
Lower than 58% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 13.4%
- 2016: 14.1%
- 2021: 15.3%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
18.0% ▼ -1.5%
Higher than 66% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 18.2%
- 2016: 18.1%
- 2021: 18.0%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →In Major Urban, the largest group is Young adults (25–44) at 31%, followed by Older adults (45–64) (23%) and Children (0–14) (18%).
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 0.7% of the population, which is among the lowest for similar areas. Nearly 38.3% of residents have never been married, while 46.5% are married.
0.7% ▲ +60.2%
Lower than 94% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 0.4%
- 2016: 0.5%
- 2021: 0.7%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
10.8% ▲ +31.2%
Lower than 95% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 8.2%
- 2016: 9.4%
- 2021: 10.8%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Major Urban, the largest group is Married at 46%, followed by Never married (38%) and Divorced (8%).
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Major Urban
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Major Urban [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sos/SOS20/major-urban/topic/demographics-identity