14,593 ▲ +11.8%
Higher than 86% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 13,057
- 2016: 18,741
- 2021: 14,593
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Nelson Bay · Urban Centre
Demographics & Identity in Nelson Bay
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
A typical resident in Nelson Bay is now 53, making the area far older than it was in 2011. This shift is clear across the community, where the number of seniors has surged while the proportion of children has dropped significantly. The population has grown to 14,593 people, but the age profile has changed deeply over the last decade.
14,593
▲ +11.8%
- 1–2: 3 areas
- 2–3: 0 areas
- 3–5: 0 areas
- 5–9: 0 areas
- 9–16: 2 areas
- 16–27: 1 area
- 27–47: 2 areas
- 47–81: 2 areas
- 81–139: 14 areas
- 139–241: 145 areas
- 241–418: 340 areas
- 418–723: 351 areas
- 723–1,252: 304 areas
- 1,252–2,168: 191 areas
- 2,168–3,752: 181 areas
- 3,752–6,495: 107 areas
- 6,495–11,242: 69 areas
- 11,242–19,459: 44 areas
- 19,459–33,683: 31 areas
- 33,683–58,304: 17 areas
- 58,304–100,921: 8 areas
- 100,921–174,689: 8 areas
- 174,689–302,378: 4 areas
- 302,378–523,401: 5 areas
- 523,401–905,982: 2 areas
- 905,982–1,568,210: 1 area
- 1,568,210–2,714,494: 2 areas
- 2,714,494–4,698,656: 2 areas
All urban centre areas, 2021. The marker is Nelson Bay — higher than 86% of areas.
| Nelson Bay | 14,593 |
|---|---|
| 2315, NSW | 15,287 |
| New South Wales | 8,072,163 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The population grew by 12% since 2011, adding about 1,536 people. The typical age has climbed by 16 years since then, leaving the area far older than the national figure.
53 yrs ▲ +43.2%
Older than 77% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 37 yrs
- 2016: 45 yrs
- 2021: 53 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 now make up 32.2% of the population, which is far above the national figure of 17.2%. This helps explain why children under 15 have fallen to 13.7%, a figure well below the state and national averages.
32.2% ▲ +126.4%
Higher than 81% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 14.2%
- 2016: 25.8%
- 2021: 32.2%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
13.7% ▼ -38.1%
Lower than 78% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 22.1%
- 2016: 16.7%
- 2021: 13.7%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Nelson Bay splits fairly evenly between Seniors (65+) (32%) and Older adults (45–64) (28%), with Young adults (25–44) at 17%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
About 3.6% of residents are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, which is about the same as the national figure. Most residents are married (51.3%), while those in de facto relationships account for 9.4%, a figure much lower than most similar areas.
3.6% ▼ -37.2%
Lower than 58% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 5.7%
- 2016: 4.0%
- 2021: 3.6%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
9.4% ▼ -22.6%
Lower than 86% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 12.2%
- 2016: 9.2%
- 2021: 9.4%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Nelson Bay, Married is the majority at 51%; Never married is next at 26%.
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Nelson Bay
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Nelson Bay [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ucl/UCL113012/nelson-bay/topic/demographics-identity