153,181 ▲ +14.4%
Higher than 86% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 133,893
- 2016: 144,730
- 2021: 153,181
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Cairns · Urban Centre
Demographics & Identity in Cairns
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
A far higher proportion of people identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Cairns than in most other areas. The city has grown significantly, adding about 19,288 people since 2011. It is a diverse community where nearly 10% of residents are Indigenous, and the population is generally younger than the national average.
153,181
▲ +14.4%
- 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 Cairns — higher than 86% of areas.
| Cairns | 153,181 |
|---|---|
| 4870, QLD | 73,803 |
| Queensland | 5,156,138 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
Cairns is one of the largest areas at this level with 153,181 residents. The typical resident is 39, which is a little older than the national figure and 4 years older than in 2011.
39 yrs ▲ +11.4%
Younger than 71% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 35 yrs
- 2016: 37 yrs
- 2021: 39 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, while seniors aged 65 and over are much less common here than in most areas at 15.3%. This lower share of older residents is a little below the figures for Queensland and Australia.
15.3% ▲ +58.9%
Lower than 74% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 9.6%
- 2016: 12.4%
- 2021: 15.3%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
19.0% ▼ -13.2%
Higher than 61% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 21.9%
- 2016: 20.4%
- 2021: 19.0%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Cairns splits fairly evenly between Young adults (25–44) (27%) and Older adults (45–64) (27%), with Children (0–14) at 19%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
Indigenous identity is strong here, with 9.7% of people identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, a figure well above the national 3.2%. People in de facto relationships are also more common than in most areas, making up 15.2% of the population.
9.7% ▲ +5.8%
Higher than 77% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 9.1%
- 2016: 8.9%
- 2021: 9.7%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
15.2% ▲ +7.0%
Higher than 71% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 14.2%
- 2016: 14.4%
- 2021: 15.2%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →Cairns splits fairly evenly between Never married (42%) and Married (39%), with Divorced at 11%.
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Cairns
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Cairns [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ucl/UCL303001/cairns/topic/demographics-identity