AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL 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 Australian Capital Territory (ACT) at June 2011 was 367,800 people, an increase of 48,400 people since June 2001. This represents growth of 15% over the ten year period, equal to Australia's growth.

In the ten years to 2011, almost all of the ACT's growth occurred in the three northern SA3s of North Canberra, Belconnen and Gungahlin (up 46,000 people combined). The SA3 of Gungahlin, which contains many newly developed suburbs, had the largest growth (up 25,300 people), followed by North-Canberra (11,600) and Belconnen (9,100). Conversely, the southern SA3s of Tuggeranong and Weston - Creek declined in population over this period (down 1,700 and 340 people respectively).

AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION

At June 2011, the proportion of young adults (particularly those aged between 20 and 29) for both males and females in the ACT was relatively high compared with Australia as a whole. This may reflect the number of people in this age group who move to the ACT for tertiary education or employment.

People aged 20 to 39 years accounted for 33% of the territory's population, compared to 29% of Australia's population. In contrast, the ACT had a lower proportion (16%) of people aged 60 and over than Australia as a whole (19%).

MEDIAN AGE

At June 2011, the ACT's median age (the age at which half the population is older and half is younger) was 34.5 years. This was younger than Australia's median age (37.3 years), and the second lowest of all the states and territories, after the Northern Territory (31.4 years).

Within the ACT, the SA2 of Acton had the youngest population in 2011, with a median age of 21.9 years. This was followed by Civic (24.4), Bruce (25.9) and Campbell (26.9), all of which have large numbers of students or military personnel. In contrast, Isaacs had the highest median age at 47.3 years, followed by Yarralumla (46.3) and Chapman (44.2).
CHILDREN (UNDER 15 YEARS OF AGE)

There were 66,500 children in the ACT at June 2011, representing 18% of the population. This was down from 20% in 2001.

The SA2 with the highest proportion of children in 2011 was Amaroo at 29%, followed by the relatively new northern suburbs of Harrison (28%) and Bonner (26%).

In the ten years to 2011, the proportion of children declined in many SA2s in the ACT. Some of the largest declines were in those SA2s which had the highest proportions of children in 2001, including Conder (down from 33% to 23%), and neighbouring Theodore (32% to 23%) and Banks (32% to 25%).
WORKING AGE POPULATION (AGED 15-64 YEARS)

At June 2011, the ACT's working age population (15 to 64 years) was 262,600 people or 71% of the total population. This was higher than the national proportion of 67% and the second highest of any state or territory.

Many of the SA2s with the highest proportions of people aged 15 to 64 years in 2011 had large student populations or were located near the city centre. These included Acton (99%), where the Australian National University is located, nearby Civic (95%), Braddon (88%), Kingston - Barton (84%) and Turner (84%) near the city centre, and Bruce (83%) and Belconnen (81%) near Canberra University. Phillip, in Woden, also had a high proportion of working age population (82%).
PEOPLE AGED 65 YEARS AND OVER

In the ACT, 11% of the population (38,700 people) were aged 65 years and over at June 2011. This was a lower proportion than Australia as a whole (14%) and the second lowest of all states and territories after the Northern Territory (5.5%).

The SA2s with the highest proportions of people aged 65 years and over in 2011 were Page (24%) in the north of the territory, and Weston (22%), Isaacs (21%) and Hughes (20%) in the south.

SEX RATIO

There were 98.8 males for every 100 females in the ACT at June 2011, similar to the sex ratio for Australia (98.9).

Campbell, which includes the Royal Military College - Duntroon was the SA2 with the highest sex ratio in the ACT, at 144.1 males for every 100 females. This was followed by Braddon (114.7), Macarthur (112.8) and Civic (109.1).

Deakin had the lowest sex ratio of all SA2s in the ACT in 2011 (80.9), followed by Page (85.0) and Hughes (85.6). This may reflect the longer life expectancies of females, as these areas also have relatively high proportions of people in older age groups.