Powered by .id (informed decisions) for Australia
.id community is an evidence base for over 250 local government areas in Australia and New Zealand, helping you make informed decisions.
LEARN MORE ABOUT .idIn Greater Sydney, 45.8% of the dwellings were medium or high density, compared to 22% in South Australia.
Dwelling Type is an important determinant of Greater Sydney's residential role and function. A greater concentration of higher density dwellings is likely to attract more young adults and smaller households, often renting. Larger, detached or separate dwellings are more likely to attract families and prospective families. The residential built form often reflects market opportunities or planning policy, such as building denser forms of housing around public transport nodes or employment centres.
Dwelling Type statistics should be viewed in conjunction with Household Size, Household Types, Housing Tenure and Age Structure for a more complete picture of the housing market in Greater Sydney.
If you're looking at this data to prepare a housing strategy, learn more here.
Q:
Derived from the Census:
'Dwelling Structure is derived from the ABS address register supplemented with information from Census Field Officers.'
| Dwelling structure | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Sydney - Dwellings (Enumerated) | 2021 | 2011 | Change | ||||
| Dwelling type | Number | % | South Australia % | Number | % | South Australia % | 2011 to 2021 |
| Separate house | 1,108,781 | 53.4 | 76.8 | 1,013,440 | 58.9 | 78.9 | +95,341 |
| Medium density | 390,251 | 18.8 | 19.8 | 338,186 | 19.7 | 18.6 | +52,065 |
| High density | 561,671 | 27.1 | 2.3 | 356,208 | 20.7 | 1.6 | +205,463 |
| Caravans, cabin, houseboat | 2,233 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 3,363 | 0.2 | 0.6 | -1,130 |
| Other | 8,639 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 6,596 | 0.4 | 0.2 | +2,043 |
| Not stated | 4,706 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 2,564 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +2,142 |
| Total Private Dwellings | 2,076,281 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 1,720,357 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +355,924 |
| Dwelling type | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Sydney | 2021 | 2011 | Change | ||||
| Dwelling type | Number | % | South Australia % | Number | % | South Australia % | 2011 to 2021 |
| Occupied private dwellings | 1,911,653 | 91.9 | 89.5 | 1,601,542 | 92.9 | 88.3 | +310,111 |
| Unoccupied private dwellings | 164,628 | 7.9 | 10.4 | 118,848 | 6.9 | 11.5 | +45,780 |
| Non private dwellings | 3,006 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 2,672 | 0.2 | 0.2 | +334 |
| Total dwellings | 2,079,287 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 1,723,062 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +356,225 |
Dominant groups
In 2021, there were 1,108,781 separate houses in the area, 390,251 medium density dwellings, and 561,671 high density dwellings.
Analysis of the types of dwellings in Greater Sydney in 2021 shows that 53.4% of all dwellings were separate houses; 18.8% were medium density dwellings, and 27.1% were in high density dwellings, compared with 76.8%, 19.8%, and 2.3% in the South Australia respectively.
In 2021, a total of 91.9% of the dwellings in Greater Sydney were occupied on Census night, compared to 89.5% in South Australia. The proportion of unoccupied dwellings was 7.9%, which is smaller compared to that found in South Australia (10.4%).
Emerging groups
The total number of dwellings in Greater Sydney increased by 356,225 between 2011 and 2021.
The largest changes in the type of dwellings found in Greater Sydney between 2011 and 2021 were:
- High density (+205,463 dwellings)
- Separate house (+95,341 dwellings)
- Medium density (+52,065 dwellings)
- Other (+2,043 dwellings)
DISCLAIMER: While all due care has been taken to ensure that the content of this website is accurate and current, there may be errors or omissions in it and no legal responsibility is accepted for the information and opinions in this website.
Please view our Privacy Policy, Terms of use and Legal notices.
ABS Data and the copyright in the ABS Data remains the property of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The copyright in the way .id has modified, transformed or reconfigured the ABS Data as published on this website remains the property of .id. ABS Data can be accessed from the Australian Bureau of Statistics at www.abs.gov.au. ABS data can be used under license - terms published on ABS website. intermediary.management@abs.gov.au if you have any queries or wish to distribute any ABS data.