80,455 ▼ -16.7%
Higher than 86% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 96,567
- 2016: 75,710
- 2021: 80,455
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Mackay · Urban Centre
Demographics & Identity in Mackay
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
A shrinking population has marked Mackay since 2011, with the area losing about 16,112 people. Despite this drop, it remains one of the largest areas in its class, keeping a typical resident age of 37 that is slightly younger than the national figure.
80,455
▼ -16.7%
- 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 Mackay — higher than 86% of areas.
| Mackay | 80,455 |
|---|---|
| 4740, QLD | 85,500 |
| Queensland | 5,156,138 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The total population fell by 17% since 2011 to reach 80,455 people. This shift happened as the typical age of residents rose slightly by one year to 37.
37 yrs ▲ +2.8%
Younger than 79% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 36 yrs
- 2016: 36 yrs
- 2021: 37 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 20.1% of the area, which is a little above the national figure. This contributes to a younger feel, especially as those aged 65 and over fell to 14.9%, a figure much lower than most similar areas.
14.9% ▼ -7.5%
Lower than 76% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 16.1%
- 2016: 12.8%
- 2021: 14.9%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
20.1% ▼ -2.1%
Higher than 69% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 20.5%
- 2016: 20.6%
- 2021: 20.1%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Mackay splits fairly evenly between Young adults (25–44) (27%) and Older adults (45–64) (25%), with Children (0–14) at 20%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
Indigenous identity has risen to 6.8%, which is well above the Australian figure of 3.2%. This increase is seen alongside a rise in de facto relationships, which now account for 14.4% of the population.
6.8% ▲ +76.4%
Higher than 66% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 3.8%
- 2016: 5.6%
- 2021: 6.8%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
14.4% ▲ +56.8%
Higher than 64% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 9.2%
- 2016: 13.5%
- 2021: 14.4%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Mackay, the largest group is Married at 44%, followed by Never married (37%) and Divorced (10%).
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Mackay
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Mackay [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ucl/UCL311003/mackay/topic/demographics-identity