163,652 ▲ +0.7%
Higher than 66% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 162,466
- 2016: 165,175
- 2021: 163,652
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Rural Balance · Section of State
Demographics & Identity in Rural Balance
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
A typical resident in Rural Balance is now 45, making the area noticeably older than the national figure. With 163,652 people, the population has remained steady since 2011 while the community continues to age.
163,652
▲ +0.7%
- 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 Rural Balance — higher than 66% of areas.
| Rural Balance | 163,652 |
|---|---|
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The typical age here is 45, which is higher than most similar areas and 7 years older than the Australian average. This age has climbed by 5 years since 2011.
45 yrs ▲ +12.5%
Older than 71% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 40 yrs
- 2016: 43 yrs
- 2021: 45 yrs
Half the population is older than this age, and half younger.
Age profile
How the population splits across age groups.
The area is seeing a shift towards older residents, with the proportion of people aged 65 and over rising by 7.3 percentage points since 2011. Meanwhile, children under 15 make up 16.2% of the population, which is a little below the national figure.
18.1% ▲ +67.4%
Higher than 56% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 10.8%
- 2016: 14.2%
- 2021: 18.1%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
16.2% ▼ -9.9%
Lower than 60% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 18.0%
- 2016: 16.9%
- 2021: 16.2%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →In Rural Balance, the largest group is Older adults (45–64) at 32%, followed by Young adults (25–44) (23%) and Seniors (65+) (18%).
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
About 5.1% of residents are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, which is a little above the Australian average. Those in de facto relationships make up 12.7% of the population, a small increase since 2011.
5.1% ▼ -3.8%
Lower than 52% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 5.3%
- 2016: 5.4%
- 2021: 5.1%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
12.7% ▲ +14.7%
Lower than 52% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 11.1%
- 2016: 12.4%
- 2021: 12.7%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Rural Balance, Married is the majority at 53%; Never married is next at 32%.
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Rural Balance
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Rural Balance [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sos/SOS53/rural-balance/topic/demographics-identity