Australia’s older population, were do they live?

As with just about every country in the work, Australia’s population is growing. The key reason for the population growth is a simple one.. People are living longer. Due to advances in medicine and health care the average age a person will live to in Australia is now 82 years of age. Compared to an average age of just 71 in 1970, a staggering 11 years difference in less than half a century. With this increase in life expectancy comes the potential for more people to spend more of their later years alone.

With the passing of a partner and relationship breakdowns, the thought of finding yourself single and alone in your 60’s or even older is a daunting prospect. This post will look at the spread of senior singles across Australia and where the best place to live is if you want to have the best chance of finding love again.

Number of senior citizens in Australia

Senior citizens (aged 75+) make up approximately 7 percent of the total population of Australia, some 1.6 million senior males and females according to 2016 census data.

Where do they live?

To make more sense of the data we need to understand that the highest concentration of seniors resides in the state capitals. This trend is understandably similar to the population as a whole.

Highest populations by area (source)

Sydney and Melbourne continue to top the list, a long way ahead of even third place. Our two biggest cities, combined, make about 40% of the nation’s population.

Rank City (Significant Urban Area) 2017 Population 5-year growth 5 year growth % 1 year growth 1 year growth %
1 Sydney 4,741,874 433,750 10.1% 98,079 2.1%
2 Melbourne 4,677,157 557,346 13.5% 119,975 2.6%
3 Brisbane 2,326,656 203,040 9.6% 46,366 2.0%
4 Perth 2,004,696 141,620 7.6% 19,789 1.0%
5 Adelaide 1,315,346 55,749 4.4% 9,535 0.7%
6 Gold Coast – Tweed Heads 663,321 68,091 11.4% 16,338 2.5%
7 Newcastle – Maitland 481,183 23,063 5.0% 4,529 1.0%
8 Canberra – Queanbeyan 447,457 33,746 8.2% 6,914 1.6%
9 Central Coast 329,437 12,254 3.9% 2,413 0.7%
10 Sunshine Coast 325,399 36,616 12.7% 7,995 2.5%
11 Wollongong 299,203 15,531 5.5% 3,534 1.2%
12 Geelong 260,138 28,415 12.3% 6,869 2.7%
13 Hobart 208,324 8,743 4.4% 2,227 1.1%
14 Townsville 180,346 9,321 5.5% 1,486 0.8%
15 Cairns 151,925 9,701 6.8% 1,884 1.3%
16 Toowoomba 135,631 7,056 5.5% 1,594 1.2%
17 Darwin 132,708 12,281 10.2% 663 0.5%
18 Ballarat 103,481 8,508 9.0% 1,893 1.9%
19 Bendigo 97,096 8,148 9.2% 1,509 1.6%
20 Albury – Wodonga 91,923 6,721 7.9% 1,347 1.5%
21 Launceston 86,788 863 1.0% 453 0.5%
22 Mackay 80,427 – 238 -0.3% – 353 -0.4%
23 Rockhampton 78,871 1,522 2.0% 76 0.1%
24 Bunbury 74,478 4,480 6.4% 376 0.5%
25 Coffs Harbour 70,857 3,599 5.4% 723 1.0%
26 Bundaberg 70,578 727 1.0% 269 0.4%
27 Melton 65,423 13,741 26.6% 3,306 5.3%
28 Wagga Wagga 56,181 1,767 3.2% 221 0.4%
29 Hervey Bay 53,492 2,935 5.8% 686 1.3%
30 Mildura – Wentworth 51,473 2,410 4.9% 475 0.9%
31 Shepparton – Mooroopna 51,142 2,778 5.7% 449 0.9%
32 Port Macquarie 46,948 3,005 6.8% 701 1.5%
33 Gladstone – Tannum Sands 44,984 1,290 3.0% – 102 -0.2%
34 Tamworth 42,347 1,852 4.6% 369 0.9%
35 Traralgon – Morwell 41,626 796 1.9% 293 0.7%
36 Orange 40,079 1,864 4.9% 324 0.8%
37 Bowral – Mittagong 39,300 2,714 7.4% 538 1.4%
38 Busselton 38,289 5,156 15.6% 693 1.8%
39 Geraldton 37,931 269 0.7% – 358 -0.9%
40 Dubbo 37,666 2,111 5.9% 541 1.5%
41 Nowra – Bomaderry 37,027 2,121 6.1% 318 0.9%
42 Warragul – Drouin 36,538 5,235 16.7% 1,185 3.4%
43 Bathurst 36,448 2,343 6.9% 435 1.2%
44 Warrnambool 34,912 1,504 4.5% 294 0.8%
45 Albany 34,151 1,628 5.0% 236 0.7%
46 Kalgoorlie – Boulder 30,541 – 1,997 -6.1% – 141 -0.5%
47 Devonport 30,153 -73 -0.2% 87 0.3%
48 Mount Gambier 29,472 871 3.0% 15 0.1%
49 Lismore 28,764 – 560 -1.9% -215 -0.7%
50 Nelson Bay 27,606 1,269 4.8% 246 0.9%

Proportion of these over 65

“In the next decade, one in five people in Australia will be over the age of 65, and in a state like South Australia, an already ageing population is having an impact.”

South Australia has the highest percent of its total population over 65. Unsurprisingly, Adelaide (the largest city in South Australia) has the most people over 65 being the most populated city in Southern Australia, followed by Whyalla and Mount Barker. So, if you are single, over 65 and looking for love, better head South!


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