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AUST R A L I A N BUR E A U OF STA T I S T I C S

EMBA R G O : 11 . 3 0 A M (CAN B E R R A T IME ) WED 23 JUL 2008

Australian Social Trends

2008

Article: Population distribution

w w w . a b s . g o v . a u

Australia's population is spread across adiverse range of places, from largemetropolitan cities to isolated, outbacklocations. The distribution of the populationis an important issue as it influences policiesaround service provision, economicperformance and the socio-economic wellbeingof communities. Between 1996 and 2006,Australia's population grew by 2.4 millionpeople. As the population grows, itsdistribution and composition changes.

Population distribution In 2006, Australia's population reached 20.7million people. More than two-thirds of peoplelived in Major Cities (68%) and the remainder(32%) were in Regional and Remote areas. Theproportion of the population living in each ofthe Remoteness Areas (broad geographicalareas sharing common characteristics ofremoteness – see box on this page) variedconsiderably across the states and territories.For most of the large states, including NewSouth Wales, Victoria, South Australia andWestern Australia, people were concentratedin the Major Cities. Queensland had arelatively high proportion of its population inthe Inner and Outer Regional areas (37%)compared with the other large states. All of thepeople living in the Northern Territory werelocated in either Outer Regional areas(including Darwin) (55%), Remote areas (22%)or Very Remote areas (23%).

Population growth

Between 1996 and 2006, Australia’spopulation grew by 2.4 million people, anaverage annual growth rate of 1.2%. Duringthis decade, the population in Major Citiesgrew at a faster rate than the national averagewith an annual average growth rate of 1.6%,followed by Inner Regional areas (0.8%). Incontrast, the population in Outer Regionalareas remained stable and the population

A B S • A U S T R A L I A N S O C I A L T R E N D S • 4 1 0 2 . 0 • 2 0 0 8 1

Population distribution

Data sources and definitionsThe analysis in this article is based on thepreliminary estimated resident population (ERP)data for 30 June 2006, based on the 2006 Census ofPopulation and Housing.

Remoteness Area (RA) is a structure of theAustralian Standard Geographical Classification(ASGC). It classifies areas sharing commoncharacteristics of remoteness into six broadgeographical regions (Remoteness Areas). Theremoteness of a point is measured by its physicaldistance by road to the nearest urban centre. Asremoteness is measured nationally, not allRemoteness Areas are represented in each state orterritory. The six Remoteness Areas are: MajorCities of Australia; Inner Regional Australia; OuterRegional Australia; Remote Australia; Very RemoteAustralia; and Migratory. The Remoteness Areanames used in this article are abbreviated versionsof these names with 'Australia' omitted. For furtherinformation about Remoteness Areas see Chapter 8of Australian Standard Geographical Classification(ASGC), July 2007 (ABS cat. no. 1216.0).

Between 1996 and

2006, the population in

Australia's big cities

grew faster (1.6% per

year) than the national

average (1.2%), while

the number of people

living in Australia's

remote areas fell.

(a) Hobart is classified as Inner Regional.(b) Darwin is classified as Outer Regional.(c) Includes Other Territories.

Source: ABS preliminary Estimated Resident Population, based on the 2006 Census of Population and Housing.

20 701.50.81.59.519.768.4Australia(c)

334.2. .. .. .0.299.8Australian CapitalTerritory

210.723.521.754.8. .. .Northern Territory(b)

489.90.51.533.264.7. .Tasmania(a)

2 059.02.34.59.312.571.5Western Australia

1 568.20.92.911.512.072.7South Australia

4 091.51.22.115.221.959.6Queensland

5 128.3. .0.14.920.274.8Victoria

6 817.20.10.56.520.372.6New South Wales

‘000%%%%%State or territory

TotalVery RemoteRemoteOuter RegionalInner RegionalMajor Cities

Distribution of the population across Remoteness Areas — 30 June 2006

declined in Remote (–0.4%) and Very Remote(–0.3%) areas during the decade to 2006. Thepopulation declines in these areas wereparticularly evident in areas that have beenaffected by drought. For example, the NewSouth Wales local government areas of MoreePlains and Walgett declined by 1,700 (–2.1%)and 1,100 people (–2.9%) respectivelybetween 2001 and 2006. Moree Plainsrecorded the largest population decline ofany local government area in inland NewSouth Wales.1

The largest variation in average annualgrowth between 1996–2001 and 2001–2006was in Outer Regional areas with an averageannual growth rate of –0.7% for 1996–2001and 0.8% for 2001–2006. The growth of Major

Cities slowed in the second half of thedecade, while the growth rate of all otherRemoteness Areas increased.

Demographic characteristicsIn 2006, there were 99 males for every 100females in Australia. Women outnumberedmen in Major Cities and Inner Regional areas,but the reverse was true in more remoteareas. The highest ratio of males to femalesoccurred in Very Remote areas, where therewere 113 males for every 100 females. This islikely to be due to the types of industriescommon in Very Remote areas, such asagriculture and mining, which tend to bedominated by men.

In 2006, the median age of the Australianpopulation was 37 years. In Inner Regionalareas the median age was highest at 39 years,followed by Outer Regional areas at 38 yearsand Major Cities at 36 years.

In 2006, Remote and Very Remote areas hadthe highest percentage of children (aged0–14 years) as a proportion of thepopulation. This is likely to be partly due tothe younger age profile of IndigenousAustralians (who make up nearly half thepopulation in very remote areas) and therelatively high fertility rates of women inremote areas. Very Remote areas also had thehighest proportion of young people (aged20–34 years), followed by Major Cities. Theindustry structure of very remote areas mayaffect the age structure, with some miningtowns having relatively young populations

2 A B S • A U S T R A L I A N S O C I A L T R E N D S • 4 1 0 2 . 0 • 2 0 0 8

Source: ABS preliminary Estimated Resident Population, based on the 2006 Census of Population and Housing.

1 dot = 1000 people

Darwin

Perth

Adelaide

Melbourne

Hobart

Canberra

Sydney

Brisbane

Remoteness Areas

Very Remote AustraliaRemote Australia

Outer Regional Australia

Inner Regional AustraliaMajor Cities of Australia

Adelaide

Kalgoorlie

Perth

Broome

Darwin

Alice SpringsMt Isa

Townsville

Brisbane

Sydney

Canberra

Hobart

Melbourne

Kilometres

0 1000

Remoteness Areas and population distribution — 30 June 2006

(a) 1996 Remoteness Areas derived at Statistical Local Area level.

Source: ABS 1996, 2001 and preliminary 2006 Estimated Resident Population.

1.21.31.22 390.8Australia

–0.3–0.2–0.5–5.7Very Remote

–0.40.0–0.7–12.2Remote

0.00.8–0.79.3Outer Regional

0.81.40.3330.2Inner Regional

1.61.41.82 069.2Major Cities

%%%‘000Remoteness Areas

1996–20062001–20061996(a)–20011996–2006

Average annual growth ratePopulation change

Population change — 1996–2001 and 2001–2006

(see Australian Social Trends 2008, Towns ofthe mineral boom, pp. 13–18), while MajorCities attract and retain young people byoffering greater opportunities for highereducation, employment and social interaction.

Regional areas had the highest proportions ofpeople aged 50–79 years, partially includingthe baby boomer generation (aged 41 to 60years in 2006). The lower cost of housing ininner and outer regional areas compared withcity areas, in combination with the largernumber of services for the aged comparedwith remote areas, may have contributed tothis pattern.2 There is also a counter-flow ofyoung people moving from regional areas toMajor Cities for employment and education.3

The median age of regional areas is likely toincrease in the future with baby boomersexpected to live longer4 and regional areasbeing able to provide specific services forolder people, such as aged care and specialisthealth care.

Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander population

At 30 June 2006, the preliminary estimatedresident population of Indigenous Australianswas 517,200 people, comprising 2.5% of thetotal population.5 The distribution of theIndigenous population was notably differentfrom the population as a whole. In 2006, justunder a third of Indigenous people lived inMajor Cities (32%), which was much less thanthe proportion living in Major Cities forAustralia as a whole (68%). A further 43% ofIndigenous people lived in Inner or OuterRegional areas, 10% lived in Remote areasand 16% lived in Very Remote areas. As aresult, Indigenous people comprised 48% ofthe total population in Very Remote areas,and 16% of the total population in Remoteareas.

After the Australian Capital Territory, Victoriaand South Australia had the highestproportion of Indigenous people living inMajor Cities (50% and 49% respectively),followed by New South Wales (43%). Incontrast, 79% of Indigenous people from theNorthern Territory lived in Remote and VeryRemote areas combined. Similarly, in WesternAustralia a relatively high proportion ofIndigenous people lived in Remote and VeryRemote areas (42% combined).

Most Indigenous people lived in New SouthWales (29%), Queensland (28%), WesternAustralia (15%) and the Northern Territory(13%).

Indigenous Australians comprise only a smallpercentage of the total population in thestates and the Australian Capital Territory. Inthe Northern Territory, in contrast, almostone in three people are of Aboriginal orTorres Strait Islander origin.

A B S • A U S T R A L I A N S O C I A L T R E N D S • 4 1 0 2 . 0 • 2 0 0 8 3

(a) Males per 100 females.

Source: ABS preliminary Estimated Resident Population, based on the 2006 Census ofPopulation and Housing.

98.836.637.435.9Australia

113.030.129.131.0Very Remote

111.435.034.435.5Remote

104.438.338.638.1Outer Regional

98.939.139.938.3Inner Regional

97.635.936.735.1Major Cities

ratioyearsyearsyearsRemoteness Areas

Sex ratio(a)PersonsFemalesMales

Median age

Median age and sex ratio across Remoteness Areas — 2006

Source: ABS preliminary Estimated Resident Population, based on the 2006 Census of Population and Housing.

0–4 10–14 20–24 30–34 40–44 50–54 60–64 70–74 80–84Age (years)

%

0

2

4

6

8

10 Major Cities Inner RegionalOuter RegionalRemote Very Remote

Age structure of Remoteness Areas, Australia — 2006

Looking ahead

Australia's population is projected to increaseto between 24.9 million and 33.4 millionpeople in 2051 (depending on the prevailingfertility and migration). The ageing ofAustralia's population, already evident in thecurrent age structure, will also continue. Themedian age of Australia's population, 36.6 yearsat June 2006, is projected to increase tobetween 44.6 years and 48.2 years in 2051. Allcapital cities are projected to experiencehigher growth (in percentage terms) than therespective balance of each state and territory,resulting in further concentration ofAustralia's population within the capitalcities.6

Endnotes1 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007, Regional

Population Growth, Australia, 1996 to 2006,cat. no. 3218.0, ABS, Canberra.

2 Sparrow, L 2006, 'Migration and ReturnMigration in the Older Population of theSouthern Fleurieu Peninsula – an overview',Ageing-in-place: Implications for localgovernment, Australian Local GovernmentAssociation, Occasional Paper 1, July 2006, pp. 6–10.

3 Ward, G and Barker, R 1997, 'PopulationChange Between 1986 and 1996 in Australia:Population numbers, components of changeand age profiles', People and Place, vol. 5, no.3, pp. 1–11.

4 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2003, WesternAustralia's Baby Boomers, cat. no. 4149.5, ABS,Canberra.

5 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006, PopulationCharacteristics, Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander Australians, cat. no. 4713.0, ABS,Canberra.

6 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006, PopulationProjections, Australia, 2004 to 2101, cat. no. 3222.0, ABS, Canberra. This publicationpresents three main series of projections (seriesA, B and C), based on different assumptions.The projections for median age are based onseries A and C and projections for capital citiesare based on series B.

4 A B S • A U S T R A L I A N S O C I A L T R E N D S • 4 1 0 2 . 0 • 2 0 0 8

(a) Preliminary estimated resident population data. Estimates are subject to revision once 2006 Census-based population estimates have been finalised.(b) Hobart is classified as Inner Regional. Darwin is classified as Outer Regional.(c) Includes Other Territories, so components may not add to total.

Source: ABS Population Characteristics, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2006 (cat. no. 4713.0).

2.5100.0517.2100.015.89.621.920.931.8Australia(c)

1.20.84.0100.0–––0.199.9Australian Capital Territory

31.612.966.6100.056.023.320.7––Northern Territory(b)

3.43.316.9100.01.22.442.553.9–Tasmania(b)

3.815.177.9100.025.017.415.08.034.6Western Australia

1.75.026.0100.014.44.223.39.248.8South Australia

3.628.3146.4100.013.78.629.120.628.1Queensland

0.66.030.8100.0–0.115.434.849.6Victoria

2.228.7148.2100.00.84.318.333.343.3New South Wales

%%'000%%%%%%State or territory

Proportion ofstate/territory

population

Proportionof total

Indigenouspopulation

IndigenouspopulationTotal

VeryRemoteRemote

OuterRegional

InnerRegional

MajorCities

Proportion by Remoteness Area

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population(a) — 30 June 2006

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