Population of South Australia 2024

South Australia Population

South Australia has population of over 1.7 million, which accounts for 7.14% of Australia population. According to Australia census, 49.3 percent of the South Australian population is male and 50.7 percent are female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 1.9 percent of South Australia’s population. Adelaide (the capital city of South Australia) has an estimated population of over 1.2 million people. South Australia has an area of 983,482 km². This accounts for 12.7 percent of Australia. It is the country’s fourth largest state. The South Australian border is 3,185 km long.

Based on our research South Australia population will reach 1.792 million by the June 2024. The calculation is based on the average growth rate of 0.69% over last 12 years since 2011. We believe using the recent years’ figures (see the table in next section) will make the estimation more accurate.

Population Growth of South Australia

Looking back last twelve years of South Australia’s population, the growth rate is very consistent ranging from 0.23% to 1.21%, adding around 4,000 to 20,000 people each year to the overall population. Last two years, the population growth declined thanks to high unemployment rate and people were moving to interstate for job opportunities. The population growth in South Australia is very slow in Australia compared to other states.

Year Population Growth rate
2011 1.64 million n/a
2012 1.65 million 0.61%
2013 1.67 million 1.21%
2014 1.688 million 1.08%
2015 1.696 million 0.47%
2016 1.706 million 0.59%
2017 1.71 million 0.23%
2018 1.72 million 0.58%
2019 1.731 million 0.64%
2020 1.74 million 0.66%
2021 1.753 million 0.75%
2022 1.77 million 0.97%
2023 1.78 million 0.56%

 

Demography of South Australia

The latest available Australian Bureau of Statistics’ population estimates for local areas indicate that for 83% of South Australia’s population are living in the Greater Adelaide Planning Region accounting.

Of the Local Government Areas within the Greater Adelaide Planning Region, Onkaparinga had the highest population, followed by Salisbury and Port Adelaide Enfield. Mount Gambier, Whyalla and Port Pirie had the highest populations of the Regional Local Government Areas.

The top five ancestries for people in South Australia are: English, Australian, Scottish, German and Irish. The top five languages (other than English) spoken in South Australia are: Italian, Greek, Mandarin, Vietnamese and Cantonese. The top six countries of birth for people in South Australia are: Australia, England, Italy, India, China and Scotland.

Population Density of South Australia

South Australia’s density is 1.62 people per kilometer, which is ranking 6th most populated state in Australia. SA is one of the least densely populated states in the world.

Position State Population Density
1 Australian Capital Territory 151.49
2 Victoria 23.54
3 New South Wales 8.64
4 Tasmania 7.24
5 Queensland 2.50
6 South Australia 1.62
7 Western Australia 0.89
8 Northern Territory 0.16

Occupations and Industries  

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics , the main occupations of people living in South Australia are Professionals (19.6%), Clerical & administrative workers, Technicians & trades workers,  Managers, Labourers, Community & personal service workers,  Sales workers, Machinery operators & drivers.

The main industries people from South Australia work in are  Health care and social assistance, Retail trade, Manufacturing, Education and training, Construction, Public administration and safety, Accommodation and food services, Professional (5%), scientific and technical services, Transport, postal and warehousing.

It is interesting to see Professional only accounts for 5% of the main industries people from South Australia work in but takes up 19.6% of the main occupations.

Facts About South Australia

  1. South Australia is the only state has no convict origins.
  2. Australian most famous cricketer, Sir Donald Bradman, lived in Adelaide with his family.
  3. South Australia has a nick name as the ‘Festival State’ due to the number of festivals she hosts each year.
  4. People living in Adelaide are sometimes known as ‘crow eaters’.
  5. South Australia’s Cooper Pedy mine is the world’s largest producer of opals.
  6. The highest recorded temperature (50.7°C) in Australia was in 1960 in Oodnadatta in South Australia.
  7.  Lake Eyre, in the outback of South Australia, is the largest salt lake in the world. While it does flood it is normally dry. It has been the location for many attempts at breaking the world land-speed record.
  8. South Australia the only state shares borders with all of the mainland states as well as the Northern Territory.
  9. Around $70,000 is the typical annual salary in South Australia.

References

The following links provide data for this topic: