AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY


Total population

Age and sex distribution

Median age

Children (under 15 years of age)

Working age population (aged 15-64 years)

People aged 65 years and over

Sex ratio


TOTAL POPULATION

The estimated resident population of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) at June 2013 was 381,500 people, an increase of 33,100 people since June 2008. This represents growth of 9.5% over the five year period, just above Australia's growth rate of 8.9%.

In the five years to 2013, almost all of the ACT's growth occurred in the three northern SA3s of North Canberra, Belconnen and Gungahlin (up by 31,800 people combined). The SA3 of Gungahlin, which contains many newly developed suburbs, had the largest growth (up by 19,500 people), followed by Belconnen (6,400) and North Canberra (5,900). Conversely, the southern SA3 of Tuggeranong declined in population over this period (down by 2,500 people).

AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION

At June 2013, the proportion of young adults (particularly those aged between 20 and 34 years) for both males and females in the ACT was relatively high compared with Australia as a whole. This may reflect the number of people in this age group who move to the ACT for tertiary education or employment.

People aged 20 to 34 years accounted for 26% of the territory's population, compared to 22% of Australia's population. In contrast, the ACT had a lower proportion (11%) of people aged 65 years and over than Australia as a whole (14%).

MEDIAN AGE

At June 2013, the ACT's median age (the age at which half the population is older and half is younger) was 34.6 years. This was younger than Australia's median age (37.3 years), and the second youngest of all states and territories, after the Northern Territory (31.6).

Within the ACT, the SA2 of Acton had the youngest population in 2013, with a median age of 22.8 years. This was followed by Civic (24.9 years), Bruce (26.1) and Campbell (26.8), all of which have large numbers of students or military personnel. In contrast, Yarralumla had the highest median age at 47.4 years, followed by Isaacs (46.8 years) and Chapman (44.6).

CHILDREN (UNDER 15 YEARS OF AGE)

There were 70,500 children under 15 years of age in the ACT at June 2013, representing 18% of the population. This was a slightly lower proportion of children than in Australia as a whole (19%)

The SA2 with the highest proportion of children in 2013 was Forde at 30%, followed by Bonner (29%) and Harrison (28%). These are all relatively new suburbs in the Gungahlin region.

WORKING AGE POPULATION (AGED 15-64 YEARS)

At June 2013, the ACT's working age population (15 to 64 years) was 267,700 people or 70% of the total population. This was higher than the national proportion of 67% and the second highest of any state or territory, after the Northern Territory (71%).

Many of the SA2s with the highest proportions of people aged 15 to 64 years in 2013 had large student populations or were located near the city centre. These included Acton (98%), where the Australian National University is located, Civic (94%) and Braddon (88%) near the city centre, and Bruce (84%), which contains the University of Canberra.

PEOPLE AGED 65 YEARS AND OVER

Just over 11% of the ACT's population (43,300 people) were aged 65 years and over at June 2013. This was a lower proportion than Australia as a whole (14%) and the second lowest of all states and territories, after the Northern Territory (6.2%).

The SA2s with the highest proportions of people aged 65 years and over in 2013 were Page (25%) in northern Canberra, followed by Isaacs (23%), Yarralumla (also 23%) and Weston (22%) in southern Canberra.

SEX RATIO

There were 99.0 males for every 100 females in the ACT at June 2013, similar to the sex ratio for Australia (99.1).

Campbell, which contains the Royal Military College - Duntroon was the SA2 with the highest sex ratio in the ACT, at 153.8 males for every 100 females. This was followed by Braddon (116.6), Macarthur (116.0) and Acton (111.7).

Deakin had the lowest sex ratio of all SA2s in the ACT in 2013 (81.8), followed by Page (82.4). This may reflect the longer life expectancies of females, as these areas also have relatively high proportions of people in older age groups.