State / Territory · Area profile
Queensland
1,730,171 km²
Daily life in Queensland is often centered around the family home, with more children and larger households than in most other states. It is a rapidly growing part of Australia, adding about 823,399 people since 2011. The state is known for its warm climate and a strong presence of detached houses. While it shares a typical age of 38 with the national figure, it has a slightly higher proportion of First Nations people and those in de facto relationships.
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The population grew by 19% since 2011 to reach over 5.1 million people. Queensland has a higher share of children under 15 and people in de facto relationships than most other areas, while the proportion of seniors has risen to 17.0%.
People born overseas make up 22.7% of the population, which is well below the national figure of 27.7%. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, with English at 38.0% and Australian at 33.4%.
English is the main language for 80.5% of residents. The proportion of people using another language at home is much lower than most areas at 13.2%, and only 1.8% speak little or no English.
A little more than four in ten people (41.2%) report having no religion, which is slightly above the national figure. This represents a significant increase of 19 percentage points since 2011.
The number of adults with a bachelor degree or higher rose to 21.9% since 2011, though this remains well below the national figure of 26.3%. Year 12 completion has also increased, reaching 57.1%.
Typical weekly household income is about the same as the national figure at $1,675. Most personal weekly incomes are under $1,500, while the proportion of households earning $3,000 or more a week rose to 20.2%.
More people here need help with daily activities (6.0%) or have long-term health conditions (28.8%) compared to most other areas. Mental health is the most commonly reported long-term condition at 9.6%.
More people provide unpaid care for children (26.5%) and do significant housework (20.7%) than in most other areas. However, the proportion of volunteers has fallen to 14.1%.
The First Nations community is much larger than in most other areas, with 237,303 people. Year 12 completion is well above the national figure at 43.6%, and the typical age is a younger 23.
Families are larger here, with 2.5 people per home and a high rate of one-parent families (15.4%). Couples with children make up the largest group at 55.4%.
Homes are typically larger, with 76.3% having three or more bedrooms, and detached houses are common at 74.8%. Renting is more common here than in most other areas, at 33.1%.
Cars are the primary way to get to work for 59.5% of people. Working from home is much more common here than in most areas, though it is still well below the national figure of 21.0%.
Queensland is a high-migration area, with 44.8% of people having moved in the last five years, which is well above the national average. Recent overseas arrivals make up 13.7% of the population.
Health care and social assistance is the largest industry, employing 15.4% of the workforce. The unemployment rate is 5.4%, which is about the same as the national figure of 5.1%.
The state continues to see strong growth, with a population increase of 8.7% since the last census. Its total estimated population is 5,669,764.
The region is very warm, with average maximum and minimum temperatures that are much higher than most other areas. The average annual rainfall is 379mm.
The area is somewhat walkable with a score of 5.0, but it has the lowest number of walkable amenities per 1,000 residents. Most homes are within a 15-minute walk of a park (84.0%).