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Cairns Regional CouncilCommunity profile

Cairns

Five year age groups

In 2021, the largest age group in Cairns was 45 to 49 year olds. The group that changed the most since 2016 was 70 to 74 year olds, increasing by 2,190 people.

The Age Structure of Cairns provides key insights into the level of demand for age based services and facilities such as child care. It is also an indicator of Cairns'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 Cairns'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
Cairns - Total persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
Five year age groups (years)Number%Regional QLD %Number%Regional QLD %2016 to 2021
0 to 49,2155.55.410,2216.56.1-1,006
5 to 910,8866.56.211,2157.16.7-329
10 to 1411,7477.06.710,6676.86.5+1,080
15 to 1910,3036.26.09,8036.26.2+500
20 to 249,1825.55.79,1485.86.0+34
25 to 2910,6806.46.210,3886.66.1+292
30 to 3411,3586.86.310,9397.06.3+419
35 to 3911,4196.86.410,9217.06.1+498
40 to 4411,4406.96.111,7677.56.7-327
45 to 4912,0527.26.511,7277.56.9+325
50 to 5411,7507.06.611,1547.16.8+596
55 to 5911,0056.66.610,2166.56.6+789
60 to 6410,0886.06.48,8055.66.0+1,283
65 to 698,6075.25.77,5274.85.7+1,080
70 to 747,2794.45.25,0893.24.3+2,190
75 to 794,7602.93.73,2582.13.0+1,502
80 to 842,7191.62.32,0591.32.0+660
85 and over2,4571.52.11,9811.31.9+476
Total population166,947100.0100.0156,885100.0100.0+10,062
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information

Dominant groups

Analysis of the five year age groups of Cairns in 2021 compared to Regional QLD shows that there was a higher proportion of people in the younger age groups (under 15) and a lower proportion of people in the older age groups (65+).

Overall, 19.1% of the population was aged between 0 and 15, and 15.5% were aged 65 years and over, compared with 18.3% and 19.1% respectively for Regional QLD.

The major differences between the age structure of Cairns and Regional QLD were:

  • A larger percentage of persons aged 40 to 44 (6.9% compared to 6.1%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons aged 70 to 74 (4.4% compared to 5.2%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons aged 75 to 79 (2.9% compared to 3.7%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons aged 80 to 84 (1.6% compared to 2.3%)

Emerging groups

From 2016 to 2021, Cairns's population increased by 10,062 people (6.4%). This represents an average annual population change of 1.25% per year over the period.

The largest changes in age structure in this area between 2016 and 2021 were in the age groups:

  • 70 to 74 (+2,190 persons)
  • 75 to 79 (+1,502 persons)
  • 60 to 64 (+1,283 persons)
  • 10 to 14 (+1,080 persons)

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