1,396 ▼ -6.7%
Higher than 63% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 1,496
- 2016: 1,309
- 2021: 1,396
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Lightning Ridge · Urban Centre
Demographics & Identity in Lightning Ridge
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
A much higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live in Lightning Ridge than in most similar areas. The town has a population of 1,396 people and is noticeably older than the state and national averages. This older profile is clear in the high number of seniors living here.
1,396
▼ -6.7%
- 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 Lightning Ridge — higher than 63% of areas.
| Lightning Ridge | 1,396 |
|---|---|
| 2834, NSW | 1,984 |
| New South Wales | 8,072,163 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The typical resident is 46 years old, which is far older than the national figure of 38. The population has shrank by about 100 people since 2011, a 6.7% drop.
46 yrs ▲ +9.5%
Older than 54% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 42 yrs
- 2016: 57 yrs
- 2021: 46 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 25.5% of the population, which is well above the New South Wales figure. This group has grown by 5.2 percentage points since 2011, while the share of children under 15 has fallen.
25.5% ▲ +25.5%
Higher than 61% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 20.3%
- 2016: 36.8%
- 2021: 25.5%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
18.1% ▼ -18.2%
Higher than 54% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 22.1%
- 2016: 15.5%
- 2021: 18.1%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Lightning Ridge splits fairly evenly between Seniors (65+) (26%) and Older adults (45–64) (25%), with Young adults (25–44) at 22%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
About 24.5% of the community identifies as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, a figure far above the national average. People in de facto relationships are also much more common here than in most areas, rising to 19% in 2021.
24.5% ▼ -14.1%
Higher than 88% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 28.5%
- 2016: 1.3%
- 2021: 24.5%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
19.0% ▲ +39.1%
Higher than 88% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 13.7%
- 2016: 11.7%
- 2021: 19.0%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Lightning Ridge, the largest group is Never married at 44%, followed by Married (27%) and Divorced (13%).
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Lightning Ridge
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Lightning Ridge [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ucl/UCL115098/lightning-ridge/topic/demographics-identity