AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

TERRITORY SUMMARY

In the 12 months to June 2014, the estimated resident population of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) increased by 4,700 people to reach 386,000. The ACT grew by 1.2% over this period, a slower rate than Australia as a whole (1.6%).

Much of the population growth in the ACT occurred in the north. The combined population of the northern SA3s increased by 5,100 people to reach 212,000. The southern SA3s decreased by 360 people to 174,000.

Gungahlin had the largest growth of all SA3s in 2013-14 (up by 4,800 people) and accounted for 71% of the total growth for the ACT. This was followed by the western SA3 of Cotter - Namadgi (up by 920 people) and North Canberra (730). In contrast, the population of the southern SA3 of Tuggeranong decreased by 1,200 people (1.3%) over the same period.

POPULATION CHANGE

Growth in the ACT

Much of the ACT's growth in the 12 months to 2014 occurred in the territory's newer suburbs. The largest population increases were in Crace and Harrison (both up by 1,000), and Casey (930), all of which are within the northern SA3 of Gungahlin. This was followed by the SA2 of ACT - South West (which contains the new suburbs of Wright and Coombs), up by 920 people.

The fastest growth in the ACT was also concentrated in the northern suburbs in 2013-14, with Crace, Casey, Bonner and Harrison each increasing by more than 15%.

Of the established SA2s, the highest growth rates were recorded in Phillip (up by 6.1%), Reid (5.9%), Kingston - Barton (5.3%) and Braddon (4.5%). Most of this growth was due to increases in high- and medium-density dwellings in and around business centres.

SA2s WITH LARGEST AND FASTEST POPULATION GROWTH(a), Australian Capital Territory
	ERP at 30 June	Population Change
	2014p	2013r-2014p
SA2	no.	no.	%
LARGEST GROWTH
Crace	2 900	1 000	57.0
Harrison	6 900	1 000	16.9
Casey	3 800	930	32.4
ACT - South West	1 600	920	134.4
Bonner	4 600	710	18.6
FASTEST GROWTH(b)
Crace	2 900	1 000	57.0
Casey	3 800	930	32.4
Bonner	4 600	710	18.6
Harrison	6 900	1 000	16.9
Franklin	5 600	490	9.6
(a) All population figures presented in this table are rounded. Estimates of population change are based on unrounded numbers.
(b) Excludes SA2s with a population of less than 1,000 at June 2013.

Growth in the surrounding region

Many people commute to Canberra daily from areas of New South Wales immediately surrounding the ACT. Population growth in these surrounding areas continued in 2013-14. The Queanbeyan SA3, to Canberra's east, grew by 530 people. North of the ACT, Goulburn - Yass increased by 440 people.


Population decline in the ACT

Relatively small population decreases occurred in almost 60% of all SA2s in the ACT in 2013-14, many of which were in the SA3s of Tuggeranong, Weston Creek and Belconnen. The largest declines were in the long-established Tuggeranong SA2s of Kambah (down by 210 people), Wanniassa (down by 140) and Calwell (down by 130).


POPULATION DENSITY

At June 2014, the overall population density of the ACT was 164 people per square kilometre (sq km), up slightly from 162 people per sq km in June 2013. However, population density varied widely across the Territory. The SA3s of Weston Creek, North Canberra, Belconnen and Woden each had population densities of over 1,200 people per sq km, while Cotter - Namadgi (which covers over 70% of the geographical area of the ACT) had a population density of 1.0 people per sq km.

The SA2s with the highest population densities were Braddon (4,000 people per sq km) in Canberra's inner-north, Palmerston (3,000) in the Gungahlin SA3, and Turner (2,600) also in the inner-north.

The largest increases in population density in 2013-14 occurred in the new, northern suburbs of Crace (up by 630 people per sq km), Casey (360), Harrison (340) and Bonner (260). More than half of the SA2s in the ACT recorded a decrease in population density in this period. The largest decreases were in Rivett (down by 60 people per sq km), Palmerston (down by 50), and McKellar (down by 40).

CENTRE OF POPULATION

The centre of population in the ACT at June 2014 was located on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin, in the suburb of Yarralumla. In the ten years to 2014, the centre of population moved 1.6 kilometres north. This reflects population growth in the northern suburbs of Canberra, especially within the Gungahlin SA3.