Powered by .id (informed decisions) for City of Sydney
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LEARN MORE ABOUT .idIn 2021, the largest age group in Sydney was 25 to 29 year olds. The group that changed the most since 2016 was 20 to 24 year olds, decreasing by 948 people.
The Age Structure of Sydney provides key insights into the level of demand for age based services and facilities such as child care. It is also an indicator of Sydney'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 Sydney'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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney - Total persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2016 | Change | ||||
| Five year age groups (years) | Number | % | City of Sydney % | Number | % | City of Sydney % | 2016 to 2021 |
| 0 to 4 | 413 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 476 | 2.7 | 3.3 | -63 |
| 5 to 9 | 256 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 193 | 1.1 | 1.9 | +63 |
| 10 to 14 | 180 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 139 | 0.8 | 1.5 | +41 |
| 15 to 19 | 303 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 599 | 3.4 | 4.0 | -296 |
| 20 to 24 | 1,833 | 10.9 | 10.2 | 2,781 | 15.9 | 13.7 | -948 |
| 25 to 29 | 3,466 | 20.6 | 16.3 | 4,009 | 23.0 | 17.9 | -543 |
| 30 to 34 | 3,132 | 18.6 | 15.9 | 3,219 | 18.5 | 15.1 | -87 |
| 35 to 39 | 2,177 | 12.9 | 11.2 | 1,756 | 10.1 | 9.6 | +421 |
| 40 to 44 | 1,302 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 917 | 5.3 | 6.7 | +385 |
| 45 to 49 | 838 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 708 | 4.1 | 5.5 | +130 |
| 50 to 54 | 687 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 651 | 3.7 | 4.8 | +36 |
| 55 to 59 | 615 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 536 | 3.1 | 4.2 | +79 |
| 60 to 64 | 445 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 459 | 2.6 | 3.5 | -14 |
| 65 to 69 | 401 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 378 | 2.2 | 3.0 | +23 |
| 70 to 74 | 314 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 254 | 1.5 | 2.0 | +60 |
| 75 to 79 | 237 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 157 | 0.9 | 1.4 | +80 |
| 80 to 84 | 131 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 104 | 0.6 | 0.9 | +27 |
| 85 and over | 115 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 111 | 0.6 | 0.9 | +4 |
| Total population | 16,845 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 17,447 | 100.0 | 100.0 | -602 |
Dominant groups
Analysis of the five year age groups of Sydney in 2021 compared to the City of Sydney shows that there was a lower proportion of people in the younger age groups (under 15) as well as a lower proportion of people in the older age groups (65+).
Overall, 5.0% of the population was aged between 0 and 15, and 7.1% were aged 65 years and over, compared with 7.6% and 9.6% respectively for the City of Sydney.
The major differences between the age structure of Sydney and the City of Sydney were:
- A larger percentage of persons aged 25 to 29 (20.6% compared to 16.3%)
- A larger percentage of persons aged 30 to 34 (18.6% compared to 15.9%)
- A larger percentage of persons aged 35 to 39 (12.9% compared to 11.2%)
- A smaller percentage of persons aged 60 to 64 (2.6% compared to 3.9%)
Emerging groups
From 2016 to 2021, Sydney's population decreased by 602 people (3.5%). This represents an average annual population change of -0.7% per year over the period.
The largest changes in age structure in this area between 2016 and 2021 were in the age groups:
- 20 to 24 (-948 persons)
- 25 to 29 (-543 persons)
- 35 to 39 (+421 persons)
- 40 to 44 (+385 persons)
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