17,588 ▼ -5.0%
Lower than 74% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 18,517
- 2016: 17,708
- 2021: 17,588
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Broken Hill · Urban Area
Demographics & Identity in Broken Hill
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
Nearly 40% of people in Broken Hill have never been married, reflecting a diverse mix of life stages in a community that is noticeably older than the national average. The typical resident is 44, which is 6 years older than the Australian figure. This aging trend is seen in a growing senior population and a shrinking total population.
17,588
▼ -5.0%
- 1,666–2,215: 1 area
- 2,215–2,944: 0 areas
- 2,944–3,914: 0 areas
- 3,914–5,203: 1 area
- 5,203–6,917: 0 areas
- 6,917–9,196: 0 areas
- 9,196–12,225: 6 areas
- 12,225–16,252: 16 areas
- 16,252–21,605: 17 areas
- 21,605–28,721: 14 areas
- 28,721–38,182: 7 areas
- 38,182–50,758: 12 areas
- 50,758–67,478: 4 areas
- 67,478–89,704: 6 areas
- 89,704–119,252: 4 areas
- 119,252–158,533: 3 areas
- 158,533–210,752: 2 areas
- 210,752–280,172: 2 areas
- 280,172–372,458: 4 areas
- 372,458–495,142: 2 areas
- 495,142–658,237: 1 area
- 658,237–875,054: 3 areas
- 875,054–1,163,289: 1 area
- 1,163,289–1,546,466: 1 area
- 1,546,466–2,055,858: 0 areas
- 2,055,858–2,733,039: 2 areas
- 2,733,039–3,633,278: 0 areas
- 3,633,278–4,830,047: 2 areas
All urban area areas, 2021. The marker is Broken Hill — lower than 74% of areas.
| Broken Hill | 17,588 |
|---|---|
| 2880, NSW | 18,097 |
| New South Wales | 8,072,163 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
Broken Hill has 17,588 residents, a population that shrank by 5% since 2011. The typical person here is 44, which is much older than most similar areas and 5 years older than the New South Wales average.
44 yrs ▲ +2.3%
Older than 71% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 43 yrs
- 2016: 45 yrs
- 2021: 44 yrs
Half the population is older than this age, and half younger.
Age profile
How the population splits across age groups.
Seniors aged 65 and over make up 23.2% of the population, a figure well above the national average of 17.2%. Meanwhile, children under 15 account for 17.1% of residents, which is a little below the state and national figures.
23.2% ▲ +17.3%
Higher than 70% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 19.8%
- 2016: 21.8%
- 2021: 23.2%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
17.1% ▼ -5.5%
Lower than 72% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 18.0%
- 2016: 16.6%
- 2021: 17.1%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Broken Hill splits fairly evenly between Older adults (45–64) (26%) and Seniors (65+) (23%), with Young adults (25–44) at 23%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 10% of the population, which is well above the national figure of 3.2%. Those in de facto relationships account for 13.6% of residents, a rate a little above the New South Wales average.
10.0% ▲ +32.2%
Higher than 86% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 7.5%
- 2016: 8.5%
- 2021: 10.0%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
13.6% ▲ +24.9%
Higher than 74% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 10.9%
- 2016: 11.4%
- 2021: 13.6%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →Broken Hill splits fairly evenly between Never married (39%) and Married (38%), with Divorced at 11%.
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Broken Hill
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Broken Hill [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sua/1007/broken-hill/topic/demographics-identity