VICTORIA


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

Victoria's estimated resident population at June 2011 was 5.53 million people. In the ten years to 2011, Victoria had the second largest population growth of all states and territories, after Queensland, with an increase of 729,800 people. The state grew at a rate of 15% over this period.

In 2011, there were an estimated 4.17 million people living in Greater Melbourne, accounting for 75% of Victoria's population (up from 73% in 2001). The population in Greater Melbourne increased by 647,200 since 2001, which equated to 89% of Victoria's total growth between 2001 and 2011.

AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION

In the ten years to June 2011, there was a rapid increase in the number of people aged 85 and over in Victoria (up 49%).

The most notable difference between the age distribution of Greater Melbourne and the rest of Victoria in 2011 was the larger proportion aged between 20 and 39 years in Greater Melbourne. People within this age group made up 31% of the population in Greater Melbourne compared to 23% in the rest of Victoria. This reflects a pattern of young adults migrating out of regional areas to pursue work, education and other opportunities in the capital city.

MEDIAN AGE

At June 2011, the median age (the age at which half the population is older and half is younger) of Victoria's population was 37.3 years, up from 35.8 years in June 2001. The median age of males increased from 35.0 to 36.2 years. Females continued to have a higher median age than males, increasing from 36.6 in 2001 to 38.2 years in 2011, reflecting their longer life expectancy.

In 2011, the three SA2s with the lowest median ages in Victoria were all in the inner-city of Greater Melbourne. They were Parkville (25.0 years), which contains Melbourne University, followed by the adjacent Carlton (25.5) and Melbourne (26.7). The three SA2s with the highest median ages were Paynesville (56.1 years), Portarlington (54.4) and Queenscliff (54.1), all on the coast in regional Victoria.

The median age in all but two of the SA2s outside of Greater Melbourne increased in the ten years to 2011. The largest increases were in Rushworth (up 8.3 years), Rochester (7.6) and Benalla Region (7.5).
CHILDREN (UNDER 15 YEARS OF AGE)

At June 2011, there were 1.01 million children under 15 years of age in Victoria, with boys outnumbering girls by 26,500. This age group comprised 18% of the total Victorian population, down from 20% in June 2001.

In 2011, Greater Melbourne had a slightly lower proportion of children (18%) than the rest of Victoria (19%). However, in the ten years to 2011, the number of children living in Greater Melbourne increased by 65,800, while the number in the rest of Victoria decreased by 16,900. This may reflect the movement of people of working age, and therefore child-rearing age, from regional Victoria to Greater Melbourne.

Nine of the ten SA2s with the highest proportion of children in Victoria were in Greater Melbourne's growth fringes in 2011. Taylors Hill, Roxburgh Park - Somerton, and Berwick - South had the highest proportions of children (all 28%). In the rest of Victoria, Strathfieldsaye had the highest proportion of children (26%), followed by Maiden Gully and Bannockburn (both 25%).

Some SA2s, particularly in Greater Melbourne's western growth fringes, had large increases in the proportion of children in their populations in the ten years to 2011. The proportion of children in Tarneit doubled from 13% to 26%. However, the majority of SA2s in Victoria had a decrease in the proportion of children in their population. The largest decrease was in Rockbank - Mount Cottrell, down from 24% to 9%.
WORKING AGE POPULATION (AGED 15-64 YEARS)

People of working age (15 to 64 years) accounted for 68% of Victoria's population in June 2011, up slightly from 67% in June 2001.

In 2011, there was a greater proportion of people aged 15 to 64 years in Greater Melbourne (69%) than in the rest of Victoria (64%).

The SA2s containing the highest proportions of people aged 15 to 64 years in 2011 were inner-city Melbourne (93%), Southbank (90%) and Docklands (89%). This reflects the high number of students and professionals living in these areas.

In the ten years to 2011, the largest increases in the proportion of people of working age were in Rockbank - Mount Cottrell (up from 71% to 83%), Lysterfield (65% to 72%) and Laverton (68% to 74%), all on the fringes of Greater Melbourne.

PEOPLE AGED 65 YEARS AND OVER

People aged 65 years and over accounted for 14% of Victoria's population in June 2011, up slightly from 13% in June 2001.

In Greater Melbourne, 13% of the population was aged 65 years and over in 2011, up slightly from 12% in 2001. In the rest of Victoria, the proportion of the population aged 65 years and above increased from 15% to 17%.

The SA2s with the highest proportions of people aged 65 years and over in 2011 were Paynesville (33%), Rosebud - McCrae and Queenscliff (both 32%), all on Victoria's coast.

The largest increases in the proportion of people aged 65 and over in the ten years to 2011 were in Keilor East (up from 13% to 22%), Wheelers Hill (11% to 19%) and Vermont South (10% to 18%), all in Greater Melbourne.

SEX RATIO

The sex ratio for Victoria was 97.8 in June 2011, indicating that there were 97.8 males for every 100 females. The sex ratio in Greater Melbourne (97.4) was lower than in the rest of Victoria (99.0). In the ten years to 2011, the sex ratio increased in both Greater Melbourne and the rest of Victoria.

In 2011, the SA2 of Rockbank - Mount Cottrell had the highest sex ratio (148.5), followed by Rosedale (146.5) and Seymour Region (118.8). These areas have a high concentration of young males due to the presence of military bases or prisons. Burwood in Greater Melbourne's east was the SA2 with the lowest sex ratio (85.2), followed by Mornington (87.6) and Rosebud - McCrae (87.9) on the Mornington Peninsula.