WESTERN AUSTRALIA


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 Western Australia (WA) at 30 June 2009 was 2.25 million. In the five years to June 2009, WA's population increased by 13.2% (an average annual growth rate of 2.5%) or 262,400 people. This increase consisted of 141,400 males (53.9%) and 121,000 females (46.1%)

Almost three-quarters (73.9%) of the state's population resided in the Perth Statistical Division (SD) and a further 11.0% resided in the South West SD. In the five years to 2009, only the Perth and South West SDs increased their proportional share of the total WA population.

Nearly half of WA's 139 Local Government Areas (LGAs) had fewer than 2,000 residents at June 2009. The following commentary omits specific reference to such LGAs.

AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION

Compared with the remainder of WA, the Perth SD had a lower proportion of its population aged under 17 years and a higher proportion aged from 17 to 35 years at June 2009. This is indicative of young adults moving to the capital city for work and study purposes.

This difference between the age distributions in the Perth SD and the remainder of the state was evident for both sexes and was most notable for the 20 to 24 year age group. Males aged between 20 and 24 years comprised 4.2% of the Perth SD population compared with 3.1% in the remainder of the state, and females comprised 3.9% of the Perth SD population compared with 2.8% in the remainder of the state.

At June 2009, there were nearly three times as many people living in the Perth SD as in the remainder of the state. Nearly four times as many people aged 20 to 24 years lived in the city as in the remainder of the state.

MEDIAN AGE

The median age in WA (the age at which half the population is younger and half is older) increased slightly to 36.2 years in the five years to June 2009. The median age for males was 35.5 years and for females was 36.9 years.

At the SD level, Midlands had the highest median age (41.5 years) in June 2009 and the highest increase in median age (2.5 years) since June 2004. The Lower and Upper Great Southern SDs, as well as the South West and Central SDs, also had median ages above the state average in 2009. The Kimberley and Pilbara SDs had the lowest median ages (30.5 and 31.5 respectively). The median age of the Perth SD was 35.8 years, the same as in 2004.

The LGAs with the highest median ages in 2009 were Denmark (S) (46.2 years) and Bridgetown-Greenbushes (S) (45.5). In contrast, Halls Creek (S) (26.7) and Derby-West Kimberley (S) (29.2) had the lowest median ages.


CHILDREN (UNDER 15 YEARS OF AGE)

At June 2009, there were 438,600 children under 15 years of age in WA, comprising almost one-fifth of the state's population. Boys outnumbered girls by 13,400. In the five years since 2004, the number of people aged under 15 years increased by 36,400 or 9.1%.

The LGAs with the highest proportion of their population under 15 years of age were in the north of the state and included Halls Creek (S) (29.1%), Derby-West Kimberley (S) (27.3%) and Ashburton (S) (27.2%). In the South West, Capel (S) also had more than one-quarter (26.5%) of its population aged under 15 years.

The LGAs with the lowest proportions of people under 15 years of age were all in the Perth SD. Perth (C), Subiaco (C), Victoria Park (T), Vincent (T), South Perth (C) and Claremont (T) all had less than 14.0% of their resident population under 15 years of age.

WORKING AGE POPULATION (AGED 15-64 YEARS)

At June 2009, an estimated 1.54 million people, representing 68.6% of the total population of WA, were aged 15 to 64 years. In the five years since 2004, the working age population grew by 187,200 or 13.8%. SDs with proportionally higher growth in this age group in the five years to June 2009 included the South West (19.7% increase), the Pilbara (14.5%) and Perth (14.2%).

At the LGA level, 85.9% of the population of Perth (C) was of working age, followed by Vincent (T) (76.0%) and Subiaco (C) (75.5%). This reflects the large number of city workers and tertiary students residing in inner-city accommodation. Outside of the Perth SD, the four shires of the Pilbara SD as well as the Kalgoorlie/Boulder (C) LGA each had more than 70.0% of their populations in the 15 to 64 year age bracket. This reflects employment opportunities in the resources industry.

PEOPLE AGED 65 YEARS AND OVER

Over one-quarter of a million Western Australians (267,300 or 11.9%) were aged 65 years and over in June 2009. Within this group, 32,400 were aged 85 years and over. In the five years since June 2004, the number of people aged 65 years and over increased by 17.0%, while the number aged 85 years and over increased by 32.7%.

Mandurah (C), a popular retirement destination in the South West SD, was the LGA with the highest proportion of its residents aged 65 years and over (20.8%), followed by Claremont (T) (20.1%), a leafy western suburb in the Perth SD and Murray (S) (18.1%), which is adjacent to Mandurah.

SEX RATIO

Across WA the sex ratio (the number of males for every 100 females) was 102.8 in June 2009. This ratio was 1.7 points higher than it had been in 2004. As natural increase (births minus deaths) had been quite similar for males and females in the five years to June 2009, the higher sex ratio was due to higher net migration of males into WA.

The ratio varied markedly within the state, with the highest ratios recorded for the Pilbara SD (129.2), South Eastern SD (114.8) and Kimberley SD (111.2). The sex ratio for the Perth SD was 100.9, reflecting a more even number of males to females.

At June 2009, the LGA of Ravensthorpe (S) had the highest sex ratio (176.1), followed by East Pilbara (S) (151.9) and Ashburton (S) (137.3). Each of these LGAs has extensive resource activity. Coolgardie (S), Port Hedland (T) and Roebourne (S) also had sex ratios above 120.0.

Perth (C) also had a high sex ratio (130.2) while the lowest sex ratios in WA were recorded for the western suburban LGAs of Mosman Park (T) (87.1) and Claremont (T) (93.3).