Sydney is the capital city of New South Wales. Sydney is Australia’s most populated city with an estimated population of over 6 million people. The metropolitan area has about 650 suburbs that sprawl about 70 km to the west, 40 km to the north, and 60 to the south. People move in and out of Sydney every year, but the number of newcomers usually exceeds that of people who leave.
Based on our research Sydney population will reach 6.811 million by June of 2024. We use end of June each year due to Australia Bureau Statistics ABS always follow Australia financial year when pushed the data. The calculation is based on the average growth rate of 4.15% 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 Sydney
Looking back last twelve years of Sydney’s population, the growth rate is very consistent and strong ranging from 1.89% to 10.88%, adding around 90,000 to 467,000 people each year to the overall population. Lot of workers was moving to Sydney to take advantage of employment opportunities there, which contributes to the population growth. Sydney has recorded the strong population growth in 2013 (10.88%), which is the highest in Australia.
Year | Population | Growth rate |
2011 | 4.029 million | n/a |
2012 | 4.293 million | 6.55% |
2013 | 4.76 million | 10.88% |
2014 | 4.85 million | 1.89% |
2015 | 5.05 million | 4.12% |
2016 | 5.25 million | 3.96% |
2017 | 5.37 million | 2.29% |
2018 | 5.48 million | 2.05% |
2019 | 5.73 million | 4.56% |
2020 | 5.90 million | 2.97% |
2021 | 6.13 million | 3.90% |
2022 | 6.33 million | 3.26% |
2023 | 6.54 million | 3.32% |
Demography of Sydney
According to Australia census, Sydney is an extremely diverse city, with a huge number of ethnic and cultural groups living there .The top five ancestries for people in Sydney are: Australian, English, Irish, Scottish and Chinese. The top five languages (other than English) spoken in Sydney are: Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Greek. The top six countries of birth for people in Sydney are: Australia, England, China, New Zealand, India and Vietnam.
The religious makeup of Sydney is: 26.6% No religion, 22.6% Religious affiliation not stated, 16.1% Buddhism, 14.6% Catholic, 4.7% Anglican, 2.4% Hinduism, 2.3% Christian, 1.8% Presbyterian and Reformed, 1.8% Uniting Church, 1.6% Islam.
Population Density of Sydney
Sydney’s population density is 400 people per kilometer, which is ranking 3nd most populated city in Australia after Melbourne and Adelaide.
Position | City | Population Density |
1 | Melbourne | 453/km2 |
2 | Adelaide | 404.205/km2 |
3 | Sydney | 400/km2 |
4 | Perth | 317.736/km2 |
5 | Canberra | 173.3/km² |
6 | Brisbane | 145/km2 |
7 | Hobart | 124.8/km2 |
8 | Darwin | 44.976/km2 |
Occupations and Industries
According to Australia Bureau of Statistics, the main occupations of people living in Sydney are 32.9% Professionals, 14.9% Managers, 12.0% Clerical & administrative workers, 11.7% Community & personal service workers, 8.8% Sales workers, 8.4% Technicians & trades workers, 7.4% Labourers, 3.0% Occupation inadequately described/ Not stated, 1.0% Machinery operators & drivers.
The main industries people from Sydney work in are 21.6% Accommodation and food services, 15.9% Professional, scientific and technical services, 13.3% Financial and insurance services, 9.3% Retail trade, 5.6% Health care and social assistance, 4.5% Administrative and support services, 3.5% Information media and telecommunications, 3.4% Education and training, 3.3% Manufacturing.
Facts About Sydney
- Someone who lives in Sydney and its suburbs is colloquially known as a “Sydneysider”.
- Sydney is actually the 12th most expensive city in the world with prices of properties averaging around quite high.
- Perhaps Sydney’s most famous icon, the Sydney Opera House was completed in 1973, taking 14 years and 10 thousand construction workers to build, with a final total cost of $102 million – more than 14 times the originally intended price.
- The Sydney Tower is the tallest building in Sydney and the third tallest building in Australia.
- Sydney was the site of the first British colony in Australia, which was set up in 1788.
- The Sydney Harbour Bridge measures 1,149 meters and it is considered to be the largest steel arch bridge in the whole world.
- Sydney is still referred to as ‘Sin City’ for its ‘convict’ past.
- The biggest national holiday in Sydney is celebrated on the 26th of January because it marks the day of the very first landing of British convicts in the Australian city.
References
The following links provide data for this topic:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: www.abs.gov.au
- New South Wales Government: www.nsw.gov.au
- City of Sydney: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au