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 2021, the largest age group in Greater Melbourne was 30 to 34 year olds. The group that changed the most since 2001 was 35 to 39 year olds, increasing by 126,092 people.
The Age Structure of Greater Melbourne provides key insights into the level of demand for age based services and facilities such as child care. It is also an indicator of Greater Melbourne's residential role and function and how it is likely to change in the future.
Five year age groups present a classic age profile of the population. Each age group covers exactly five years, which enables direct comparison between each group.
To get a more complete picture Greater Melbourne's Age Structure should be viewed in conjunction with Household Types and Dwelling Types.
Q:
Derived from the Census question:
'What is the person's date of birth or age?'
| Age structure - Five year age groups | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Melbourne - Total persons (Enumerated) | 2021 | 2001 | Change | ||||
| Five year age groups (years) | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | 2001 to 2021 |
| 0 to 4 | 290,242 | 5.9 | 6.0 | 218,309 | 6.4 | 6.5 | +71,933 |
| 5 to 9 | 306,813 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 229,126 | 6.8 | 6.9 | +77,687 |
| 10 to 14 | 292,787 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 225,961 | 6.7 | 6.8 | +66,826 |
| 15 to 19 | 274,512 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 233,489 | 6.9 | 7.1 | +41,023 |
| 20 to 24 | 327,541 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 245,705 | 7.3 | 7.2 | +81,836 |
| 25 to 29 | 381,676 | 7.8 | 7.4 | 260,554 | 7.7 | 7.5 | +121,122 |
| 30 to 34 | 404,216 | 8.3 | 7.9 | 279,120 | 8.2 | 7.9 | +125,096 |
| 35 to 39 | 394,826 | 8.1 | 7.8 | 268,734 | 7.9 | 7.8 | +126,092 |
| 40 to 44 | 338,297 | 6.9 | 6.8 | 260,186 | 7.7 | 7.7 | +78,111 |
| 45 to 49 | 319,388 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 235,592 | 7.0 | 7.0 | +83,796 |
| 50 to 54 | 307,436 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 220,079 | 6.5 | 6.6 | +87,357 |
| 55 to 59 | 275,810 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 168,306 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +107,504 |
| 60 to 64 | 248,708 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 134,250 | 4.0 | 3.9 | +114,458 |
| 65 to 69 | 210,766 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 112,372 | 3.3 | 3.3 | +98,394 |
| 70 to 74 | 185,752 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 105,124 | 3.1 | 3.1 | +80,628 |
| 75 to 79 | 135,118 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 86,601 | 2.6 | 2.6 | +48,517 |
| 80 to 84 | 96,483 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 55,785 | 1.6 | 1.7 | +40,698 |
| 85 and over | 99,619 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 47,828 | 1.4 | 1.4 | +51,791 |
| Total population | 4,889,990 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 3,387,121 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +1,502,869 |
Dominant groups
Analysis of the five year age groups of Greater Melbourne in 2021 compared to Greater Capital Cities shows that there was a similar proportion of people in the younger age groups (under 15) and a lower proportion of people in the older age groups (65+).
Overall, 18.2% of the population was aged between 0 and 15, and 14.9% were aged 65 years and over, compared with 18.5% and 15.4% respectively for Greater Capital Cities.
There were no major differences between Greater Melbourne and Greater Capital Cities in 2021.
Emerging groups
From 2001 to 2021, Greater Melbourne's population increased by 1,502,869 people (44.4%). This represents an average annual population change of 1.85% per year over the period.
The largest changes in age structure in this area between 2001 and 2021 were in the age groups:
- 35 to 39 (+126,092 persons)
- 30 to 34 (+125,096 persons)
- 25 to 29 (+121,122 persons)
- 60 to 64 (+114,458 persons)
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. Stats NZ Data and the copyright in the Stats NZ Data remains the property of the Statistics New Zealand.
The copyright in the way .id has modified, transformed or reconfigured the Stats NZ Data as published on this website remains the property of .id. Stats NZ Data can be accessed on the Statistics New Zealand website at www.stats.govt.nz. Unless otherwise specified, content that Stats NZ produce is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. For further information see https://www.stats.govt.nz/about-us/copyright/.