Australia's outer suburbs were home to some of the highest concentrations of kids in the country in 2018, according to data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Children under 15 years of age made up less than a fifth of the population in Australia's capital cities, but in some suburbs the proportion of children rose to close to a third.
ABS Director of Demography Beidar Cho said the areas with the highest concentration of kids were generally located on the outskirts of our capitals, such as Bonner on the northern fringe of Canberra where children made up 32 per cent of the population, and Point Cook - South in outer Melbourne (31 per cent).
"In contrast, capital city areas with the largest proportions of people aged 15 to 64, the traditional working ages, were mostly inner cities. This reflects adults wanting to live near their places of work or study and includes Sydney - Haymarket - The Rocks (88 per cent), inner Adelaide (85 per cent) and Darwin City (85 per cent)," Ms Cho said.
Areas with the biggest concentrations of elderly Australians were more dispersed, including long established suburbs, retirement destinations and areas with aged care facilities. Brisbane's Bribie Island (41 per cent), Mandurah - South in Perth (28 per cent) and Lindisfarne - Rose Bay in Hobart (27 per cent) had some of the highest proportions of people aged 65 and over in the capitals.
| Capital City | Children (0–14 years) | % | Working age (15–64 years) | % | Elderly (65 years and over) | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | Lethbridge Park - Tregear | 26.8 | Sydney - Haymarket - The Rocks | 88.1 | Castle Hill - East | 30.6 |
| Melbourne | Point Cook - South | 30.9 | Melbourne | 93.5 | Rosebud - McCrae | 31.6 |
| Brisbane | Marsden | 29.6 | Fortitude Valley | 89.5 | Bribie Island | 40.8 |
| Adelaide | Davoren Park | 27.3 | Adelaide | 84.9 | West Lakes | 28.3 |
| Perth | Byford | 27.4 | Perth City | 83.1 | Mandurah - South | 28.3 |
| Hobart | Bridgewater - Gagebrook | 26.6 | Hobart | 74.2 | Lindisfarne - Rose Bay | 27.4 |
| Darwin | Palmerston - South | 28.7 | Darwin City | 84.6 | Fannie Bay - The Gardens | 16.8 |
| Canberra | Bonner | 32.3 | Acton | 97.9 | Yarralumla | 27.3 |
To find out more about your area, see Regional Population by Age and Sex, Australia, 2018 (cat. no. 3235.0) available for download from the ABS website.