2,660,026 ▲ +18.8%
- 2011: 2,239,170
- 2016: 2,474,410
- 2021: 2,660,026
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Western Australia · State / Territory
Demographics & Identity in Western Australia
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
A population of 2,660,026 people lives in Western Australia, with a typical age of 38. This is about the same as the national figure, though the state has seen a significant 19% growth in its population since 2011.
2,660,026
▲ +18.8%
- 4,788–6,243: 1 area
- 6,243–8,140: 0 areas
- 8,140–10,614: 0 areas
- 10,614–13,840: 0 areas
- 13,840–18,046: 0 areas
- 18,046–23,530: 0 areas
- 23,530–30,681: 0 areas
- 30,681–40,004: 0 areas
- 40,004–52,162: 0 areas
- 52,162–68,014: 0 areas
- 68,014–88,683: 0 areas
- 88,683–115,634: 0 areas
- 115,634–150,775: 0 areas
- 150,775–196,595: 0 areas
- 196,595–256,340: 1 area
- 256,340–334,241: 0 areas
- 334,241–435,817: 0 areas
- 435,817–568,262: 2 areas
- 568,262–740,956: 0 areas
- 740,956–966,133: 0 areas
- 966,133–1,259,740: 0 areas
- 1,259,740–1,642,575: 0 areas
- 1,642,575–2,141,752: 1 area
- 2,141,752–2,792,630: 1 area
- 2,792,630–3,641,309: 0 areas
- 3,641,309–4,747,901: 0 areas
- 4,747,901–6,190,786: 1 area
- 6,190,786–8,072,163: 2 areas
All state / territory areas, 2021. The marker is Western Australia.
| Western Australia | 2,660,026 |
|---|---|
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The total population grew by about 420,856 people between 2011 and 2021. During this time, the typical resident became slightly older, moving from 36 to 38 years old.
38 yrs ▲ +5.6%
- 2011: 36 yrs
- 2016: 36 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 19% of the population, which is much higher than most other similar areas. Meanwhile, the proportion of people aged 65 and over is 16.1%, a little below the national figure of 17.2%.
16.1% ▲ +31.3%
- 2011: 12.3%
- 2016: 14.0%
- 2021: 16.1%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
19.0% ▼ -3.3%
- 2011: 19.7%
- 2016: 19.3%
- 2021: 19.0%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Western Australia splits fairly evenly between Young adults (25–44) (28%) and Older adults (45–64) (25%), with Children (0–14) at 19%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
About 3.3% of residents identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, which is about the same as the national average. Those in de facto relationships make up 12.2% of the population, a figure that rose 1.2 percentage points since 2011.
3.3% ▲ +7.2%
- 2011: 3.1%
- 2016: 3.1%
- 2021: 3.3%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
12.2% ▲ +11.0%
- 2011: 11.0%
- 2016: 11.7%
- 2021: 12.2%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Western Australia, the largest group is Married at 47%, followed by Never married (36%) and Divorced (9%).
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Western Australia
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Western Australia [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ste/5/western-australia/topic/demographics-identity