QUEENSLAND


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 Queensland at 30 June 2009 was 4.43 million. From June 2004 to June 2009, the Queensland population grew by 13.4% (524,200 people), making it the fastest growing state or territory in that period with an average annual growth rate of 2.6%.

In June 2009, south-east Queensland, comprising the Statistical Divisions (SDs) of Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and West Moreton, was home to 2.94 million people, or around two-thirds of Queensland's population. This was an increase of 356,900 people since June 2004 and accounted for 68.1% of Queensland's total population growth in that period.

In the five years to June 2009, the SDs outside of south-east Queensland with the fastest growth were Mackay and Wide Bay-Burnett, which increased by 24,200 people (16.3%) and 38,900 people (15.6%) respectively. Central West and South West were the only SDs to decline in population in the five years to June 2009 (-4.8% and -0.8% respectively).

The following commentary omits specific reference to Local Government Areas (LGAs) with populations of less than 2,000 at 30 June 2009.

AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION

Compared with the remainder of the state, south-east Queensland had a lower proportion of its population aged 19 years or less, and a higher proportion aged 20 to 44 years. This reflects a pattern of young adults migrating out of regional areas to pursue work, education and other opportunities.

Despite these proportional differences, for every five-year age group, more than 63.0% of the state's population resided in south-east Queensland. This has remained relatively consistent since June 2004.

MEDIAN AGE

In the five years to June 2009, the median age of Queensland's population increased from 35.7 years to 36.1 years. In the same five-year period, the median age of males increased to 35.5 years (up from 35.1 years in June 2004) and females to 36.8 years (up from 36.3).

The three LGAs with the highest median ages were Blackall Tambo (R) (44.2 years) in the Central West SD, Hinchinbrook (S) (43.9) on the coast of Northern SD, and Fraser Coast (R) (42.9) in the Wide Bay-Burnett SD.

The LGA with the lowest median age, at 22.0 years, was the Aboriginal Shire Council of Yarrabah (S) which is adjacent to Cairns (R) in the Far North SD. An additional six LGAs had median ages below 30.0 years, many of which also had high proportions of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander populations.

Among the LGAs which do not have predominantly Indigenous populations, Mount Isa (C) reported the lowest median age (29.5 years), closely followed by Cloncurry (S) (29.8). This most likely reflects the high proportion of workers in the mining industry in these areas.

CHILDREN (UNDER 15 YEARS OF AGE)

At June 2009, 20.1% of the population in Queensland were children (under 15 years of age). Despite this proportion declining from 20.7% in June 2004, it was still the second-highest proportion of all states and territories in 2009 (behind the Northern Territory at 23.4%). In June 2009, south-east Queensland had a lower proportion of children (19.5%) compared with that of the remainder of the state (21.3%).

The LGAs with the highest proportions of children also had a high proportion of Indigenous people. The three LGAs with the highest proportions were Yarrabah (S) (38.2%), Northern Peninsula Area (R) (35.3%) and Torres Strait Island (R) (33.9%).

Of those LGAs which do not have predominantly Indigenous populations, the mining town of Weipa (T) had the highest proportion of children in its population (27.1%), followed by Mount Isa (C) (25.9%) in the North West SD.


WORKING AGE POPULATION (AGED 15-64 YEARS)

At June 2009, more than two-thirds (67.6%) of the Queensland population were aged 15 to 64 years. In south-east Queensland, the proportion of the population in this age group was 68.3%, which was higher than the remainder of the state (66.2%).

Five LGAs had more than 70% of their population of working age: Whitsunday (R), Brisbane (C), Isaac (R), Weipa (T), and Central Highlands (R).

PEOPLE AGED 65 YEARS AND OVER

At June 2009, over half a million Queenslanders (545,800 people or 12.3% of the population) were aged 65 years or older. This represents an increase of 81,200 people since June 2004, when the proportion of people aged 65 years and over in Queensland was 11.9%.

The LGAs of Hinchinbrook (S) and Fraser Coast (R), both popular coastal retirement destinations, had the highest proportion of residents in this age group (20.1% and 18.9% respectively).

The three LGAs with the lowest proportions of people aged 65 years and over were Weipa (T) (2.0%), Palm Island (S) (2.1%) and Yarrabah (S) (3.5%). Weipa (T) is predominantly a mining area located in the Far North SD, while Palm Island (S) and Yarrabah (S) are Aboriginal Shire Councils in the Northern and Far North SDs respectively.


SEX RATIO

In the five years to June 2009, the sex ratio (number of males per 100 females) for Queensland increased from 99.4 to 100.0. At June 2009, the sex ratio for south-east Queensland (98.4) was lower than that of the remainder of the state (103.2).

In June 2009, Queensland had more males than females in each five-year age group from 0 to 29 years. The only other age groups where males outnumbered females were 60 to 64 years and 65 to 69 years. A greater number of females than males were particularly evident in the older age groups (70 years or above), reflecting the longer life expectancy of Australian women.

The LGA with the highest sex ratio was Isaac (R) (127.0), a coastal LGA in the Mackay SD with long established agricultural and mining industries. This was followed by Weipa (T) in the Far North SD, with a sex ratio of 123.6.

Many of the LGAs with the lowest sex ratios such as Northern Peninsula Area (R) (86.0), Yarrabah (S) (95.1) and Palm Island (S) (96.1) had predominantly Indigenous populations. Other LGAs with low sex ratios included Blackall Tambo (R) (94.8), Sunshine Coast (R) (96.4) and Toowoomba (R) (97.2).