NORTHERN TERRITORY


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 the Northern Territory (NT) at 30 June 2010 was 229,700. In the five years to June 2010, the NT's population increased by 23,300 people or 11.3% (an average of 2.2% per year compared to 1.8% for Australia).

At June 2010, just over one-third (33.6%) of the NT's population resided in the Local Government Area (LGA) of Darwin (C), followed by Palmerston (C) (13.1%) and Alice Springs (T) (12.2%). The population of every LGA in the NT grew in the five years to June 2010. Palmerston (C) was the fastest growing in these five years, increasing by 4.6% per year on average.

For LGAs or Statistical Local Areas (SLAs), this summary excludes those with a population of less than 1,000 as at 30 June 2010.

AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION

At June 2010, the age structure of people residing in Darwin Statistical Division (SD) was generally older than for those living in Northern Territory - Bal SD. Darwin SD had a higher proportion of males aged 20 to 24 years and above and females aged 35 to 39 years and above. In contrast, Northern Territory - Bal SD had a higher proportion of both males and females in the younger age groups, particularly for 5 to 9 years.

Within Darwin SD, the 25 to 29 year age group accounted for the largest proportion of the population of any age group, both for males and females (4.8% and 4.5% respectively). In contrast, in Northern Territory - Bal SD, the 5 to 9 year age group accounted for the largest proportion of males (4.6%), while the 25 to 29 year age group accounted for the largest proportion of females (4.7%).

MEDIAN AGE

At June 2010, the median age (the age at which half the population is older and half the population is younger) for the NT was 31.2 years. Despite increasing from 30.7 years at June 2005, the NT continues to have the lowest median age of all states and territories, with the next lowest being the Australian Capital Territory (34.6 years). The median age for both males (31.3) and females (31.1) in the NT were also the lowest of all states and territories at June 2010.

The LGA with the highest median age at June 2010 was Coomalie (S) (45.0 years), which includes the towns of Batchelor and Adelaide River, followed by Litchfield (M) (36.7) and Darwin (C) (33.9). Over the five years to June 2010, the largest increase in median age also occurred in Coomalie (S) (5.5 years). In the same period, Alice Springs (T) and Katherine (T) were the only LGAs in the NT to record a decrease in median age.

The LGA with the lowest median age in the NT at June 2010 continued to be Victoria-Daly (S) (24.7 years), followed by Roper Gulf (S) (25.2) and East Arnhem (S) (25.8).

CHILDREN (UNDER 15 YEARS OF AGE)

At June 2010, there were 53,100 children in the NT, with boys outnumbering girls by 1,500. This age group represented 23.1% of the total NT population. There has been a gradual decline in the proportion of children residing in the NT since 2005 (24.9%), however the NT still had the highest proportion of this age group of all states and territories at June 2010.

In the five years to June 2010, the LGA of Palmerston (C) recorded the fastest increase in the number of children (13.0%), followed by Litchfield (M) (11.5%) and Roper Gulf (S) (4.4%). The three LGAs with the highest proportions of their population under 15 years of age at June 2010 continued to be Victoria-Daly (S) (32.2%), Roper Gulf (S) (30.5%) (both in Lower Top End NT SSD) and East Arnhem (S) (30.1%).

The SLA of Victoria-Daly (S) - Wadeye and OS (37.0%) had the highest proportion of children in the NT at June 2010. Within the three LGAs of Palmerston (C), Darwin (C) and Alice Springs (T), the SLAs with the highest proportion of children were Moulden (30.5%), City - Remainder (29.8%) which includes a large boarding school and two defence married quarter areas, and Alice Springs (T) - Larapinta (26.1%).

WORKING AGE POPULATION (AGED 15-64 YEARS)

At June 2010, there were 163,900 people of working age residing in the NT, representing 71.4% of the total population. This was an increase of 12.2% (17,800 people) since June 2005.

The LGA with the highest proportion of working age population at June 2010 was Darwin (C) (73.9%), followed by Litchfield (M) (73.1%) and Alice Springs (T) (72.1%). All LGAs in the NT experienced an increase in the number of people in this age group in the five years to June 2010, with Palmerston (C) having the fastest increase (28.5%).

The SLA of Litchfield (M) - Pt A (on the outskirts of Darwin and Palmerston), continued to have the highest proportion of its population aged 15 to 64 years (88.8%) at June 2010, mainly due to the presence of a large defence base. The remaining SLAs had proportions ranging from 58.9% in Victoria-Daly (S) - Wadeye and OS to 85.8% in Stuart Park (a suburb of Darwin).

PEOPLE AGED 65 YEARS AND OVER

At June 2010, there were 12,700 people aged 65 years and over in the NT, representing 5.5% of the total NT population. This was the lowest proportion of all states and territories. The proportion of people aged 65 years and over has increased slightly from 4.3% in 2005, in line with the national trend for this period.

The LGA with the highest proportion of its population aged 65 years and over at June 2010 was Coomalie (S) (12.3%), followed by Darwin (C) (7.2%) and Alice Springs (T) (6.0%). In the five years to June 2010, the proportion of people aged 65 years and above increased in all LGAs in the NT.

In the LGA of Darwin (C), the SLAs of Marrara and Fannie Bay (both 10.5%) had the highest proportion of people aged 65 years and over at June 2010, whilst in the LGA of Alice Springs (T) it was in the SLA of Alice Springs (T) - Heavitree (14.2%).

SEX RATIO

At June 2010, males outnumbered females in the NT by 8,500, with the population consisting of 119,100 males and 110,600 females. The NT's sex ratio (the number of males per 100 females) was 107.7, down from 108.0 in 2005.

The LGA with the highest ratio of males per 100 females at June 2010 was Litchfield (M) (126.6), followed by West Arnhem (S) (110.2) and MacDonnell (S) (109.5). Alice Springs (T) (96.9), East Arnhem (S) (97.8) and Central Desert (S) (97.9) were the only LGAs which had more females than males in 2010.

At June 2010, Litchfield (M) - Pt A (which contains a large military base) remained the SLA with the highest sex ratio (295.2) in the NT and Australia. The next highest sex ratios in the NT were in West Arnhem (S) - Jabiru (151.7) and Finniss-Mary (150.2), which have both overtaken City - Inner (145.5) since June 2005. Alice Springs (T) - Charles had the lowest sex ratio (86.2) at June 2010.