406 ▼ -4.0%
Lower than 73% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 423
- 2016: 453
- 2021: 406
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Mer (Murray) Island · Urban Centre
Demographics & Identity in Mer (Murray) Island
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
A far younger population than most of the country defines daily life on Mer (Murray) Island, where the typical resident is just 27. This small community has seen a dramatic shift in its makeup since 2011, becoming overwhelmingly Indigenous and significantly younger.
406
▼ -4.0%
- 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 Mer (Murray) Island — lower than 73% of areas.
| Mer (Murray) Island | 406 |
|---|---|
| 4875, QLD | 7,526 |
| Queensland | 5,156,138 |
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The population of 406 people shrank by 4.0% since 2011. Residents are far younger than the national figure, with the typical age dropping 16 years from 43 in 2011 to just 27 today.
27 yrs ▼ -37.2%
Younger than 98% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 43 yrs
- 2016: 25 yrs
- 2021: 27 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 26.4% of the population, which is well above the national figure. Meanwhile, those aged 65 and over are much lower than most areas at 10.1%, falling 11 points since 2011.
10.1% ▼ -52.0%
Lower than 88% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 21.1%
- 2016: 6.6%
- 2021: 10.1%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
26.4% ▲ +22.4%
Higher than 92% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 21.5%
- 2016: 28.5%
- 2021: 26.4%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Mer (Murray) Island splits fairly evenly between Children (0–14) (25%) and Young adults (25–44) (25%), with Youth (15–24) at 20%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
Indigenous identity is very strong here, with 90.6% of people identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, a massive 87 point gap above the Australian average. De facto relationships are also far more common than elsewhere, rising to 36.8% of residents.
90.6% ▲ +1730.1%
Higher than 99% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 5.0%
- 2016: 95.1%
- 2021: 90.6%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
36.8% ▲ +455.3%
Higher than 99% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 6.6%
- 2016: 27.0%
- 2021: 36.8%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Mer (Murray) Island, Never married is the majority at 74%; Married is next at 17%.
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Mer (Murray) Island
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Mer (Murray) Island [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ucl/UCL322077/mer-island/topic/demographics-identity