NEW SOUTH WALES

TOTAL POPULATION

At 30 June 2006, the estimated resident population of NSW was 6.82 million people. This comprised 3.38 million males and 3.44 million females, a ratio of 98.2 males per 100 females. From June 2001 to June 2006, the NSW population grew by 3.7%, with an increase of 113,900 males and 128,100 females.


AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION

Indicating the continuing ageing of the NSW population, the proportions of males and females in most age groups above 55-59 years increased between June 2001 and June 2006. During this five-year period the proportion of older males (aged 65 years and over) increased from 11.6% to 12.2% while for older females it increased from 14.5% to 14.8%. In contrast, the proportion of children (aged 0-14 years) decreased from 21.1% to 20.2% for males and from 19.8% to 18.9% for females.




The age structure of people resident in the Sydney Statistical Division (SD) was generally younger than for those resident elsewhere in NSW. In 2006, the Sydney SD had higher proportions of people in age groups from 20-24 to 40-44 while the balance of NSW had higher proportions of people in all older age groups.

Within the Sydney SD, the largest proportions for both males and females were in the 30-34 year age group (8.1% each). In contrast, males and females in the balance of NSW represented 5.9% and 6.0% of those aged 30-34 years and 5.3% and 5.2% of those aged 25-29 years.




MEDIAN AGE

At June 2006, the median age of the NSW population was 36.8 years, up from 35.9 years in June 2001. The median age was 36.0 years for males and 37.5 years for females.

Overall, the Sydney SD had a median age of 35.5 years. Within the Sydney SD, the lowest median ages were in the west and south-west metropolitan LGAs of Auburn (A) (31.7 years), Campbelltown (C) (31.8 years), Blacktown (C) (32.0 years), Liverpool (C) (32.2 years), and Penrith (C) (32.4 years). Only four of the 43 LGAs in the Sydney SD recorded a median age of over 40 years. These were Ku-ring-gai (A) (41.4 years), Hunter's Hill (A) (41.1 years), Pittwater (A) (40.7 years), and Gosford (C) (40.4 years).

For SDs in the balance of NSW, the lowest median age was recorded in the Murrumbidgee SD (36.1 years), while the Mid-North Coast SD (43.4 years) had the highest median age. At the LGA level, the lowest median ages in the balance of NSW were recorded in the regional centres of Bourke (A) (32.7 years), Wagga Wagga (C) (33.2 years) and Armidale Dumaresq (A) (33.6 years). The highest median ages were located in the coastal and Hunter LGAs of Great Lakes (A) (49.5 years), Eurobodalla (A) (47.2 years), Gloucester (A) (46.5 years), and Nambucca (A) (46.3 years). Over half of the LGAs in the balance of NSW (60 of 110) had a median age of 40 years or more.


CHILDREN (UNDER 15 YEARS OF AGE)

At June 2006, there were 1.33 million children (people aged 0-14 years) in NSW, representing a decrease of 11,400 children (0.9%) since June 2001. Children accounted for 19.6% of the NSW population in 2006. The percentage of the population who were children decreased in all NSW SDs between June 2001 and June 2006, and Sydney SD had the lowest proportion in both years.



In the Sydney SD, the highest proportions of children occurred in the west and south-west metropolitan LGAs of Camden (A) (25.2%), Liverpool (C) (24.4%), and Blacktown (C) (24.2%). The inner city LGAs of Sydney (C) (7.0%) and North Sydney (A) (9.4%) had the lowest proportions of children.

For the balance of NSW, the highest proportions of children were in the inland LGAs of Bourke (A) (25.9%) and Hay (A) (24.5%). The LGAs with the lowest proportions of children were the Great Lakes (A) (16.1%), Newcastle (C) (17.0%) and Eurobodalla (A) (17.4%), all located on the NSW coast.


WORKING AGE POPULATION (AGED 15-64 YEARS)

Over two-thirds of the NSW June 2006 population (67.0% or 4.57 million people) were of working age (15-64 years). This represents an increase of 192,500 people (4.4%) since June 2001. The Sydney SD at 68.9% (2.95 million people) was the only SD in NSW with a proportion of people aged 15-64 above that of the state as a whole. The Mid-North Coast SD recorded the lowest proportion of working age population in the state, with 61.3% (182,200 people) in this age group.

All but nine of Sydney's 43 LGAs had proportions of working age population above that of the state. Four LGAs in the Sydney SD had over three-quarters of their population in the 15-64 years age group. These were the inner city LGAs of Sydney (C) (85.0%), North Sydney (A) (79.0%), Leichhardt (A) (76.6%), and Marrickville (A) (76.3%). The lowest proportions of working age residents were in the Central Coast LGAs of Wyong (A) (61.0%) and Gosford (C) (62.8%).

Only ten of the 110 LGAs in the balance of NSW had proportions of working age population above the state level of 67.0%. The non-metropolitan LGA with the highest proportion of working age people was Snowy River (A) (70.8%), followed by Queanbeyan (C) (69.6%) and Palerang (A) (69.4%), which are both adjacent to the ACT. The lowest proportions were in the LGAs of Great Lakes (A) (56.7%), Wellington (A) (58.4%), Coolamon (A) (59.1%) and Nambucca (A) (59.2%).




OLDER PEOPLE (AGED 65 YEARS AND OVER)

At June 2006, there were 918,900 older people (those aged 65 years and over) in NSW, an increase of 60,900 people (7.1%) since June 2001. Older people accounted for 13.5% of the NSW population in 2006. Only the Sydney SD (12.0%, 512,500 people) recorded a proportion of older people lower than the state as a whole. The highest proportion was recorded in the Mid-North Coast SD, where nearly one in five residents was aged 65 years and over (19.1% or 56,700 people). The percentage of the population who were aged 65 years and over increased in all NSW SDs between June 2001 and June 2006.

For the Sydney SD, the highest proportions of older people were located in the northern metropolitan LGA of Hunter's Hill (A) (18.3%) followed by Wyong (A) (17.8%), and Gosford (C) (17.7%) on the Central Coast. The lowest proportion occurred in Campbelltown (C) (7.3%) in the south-west, followed by Penrith (C) and Blacktown (C) in the west of Sydney and the inner-city LGA of Sydney (C) (all 8.0%).

Reflecting the older age structure of the balance of NSW, 72% of the 110 non-metropolitan LGAs had proportions of older people above that of the state as a whole. The highest proportions of older people occurred in the coastal LGAs of the Great Lakes (A) (27.2%), Eurobodalla (A) (22.4%), Hastings (A) (22.3%), and Nambucca (A) (22.1%). The non-metropolitan LGAs with the lowest proportions of older people were adjacent to the ACT and in the Hunter. These were Queanbeyan (C) (8.9%), Singleton (A) (9.3%) and Palerang (A) (9.4%).



SEX RATIO

In June 2006, NSW had 98.2 males for every 100 females, down from the June 2001 sex ratio of 98.6. The highest age-specific sex ratio was for the 0-4 year age group, with 105.8 males per 100 females, and males continued to outnumber females until the 25-29 year age group. For age groups between 30-34 and 60-64 years, the sex ratio ranged from 98.1 to 100.4 males per 100 females. The sex ratio declined for people in age groups over 65-69 years, reaching its lowest level of 47.3 for people aged 85 years and over.

For most five-year age groups the sex ratio was higher in the balance of NSW than in the Sydney SD.





In the Sydney SD, the highest sex ratios were recorded in Sydney (C) (114.3 males per 100 females) and Auburn (A) (109.3). The lowest sex ratios occurred in the harbour-side LGAs of Mosman (A) (85.5) and Woollahra (A) (88.2). For the balance of NSW, Junee (A) (134.4) and Walgett (A) (128.5) had the highest sex ratios, while Armidale Dumaresq (A) (93.8) and Ballina (A) (94.2) had the lowest sex ratios.