Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory. Darwin is home to an estimated 140,000 residents, accounting for 0.60 percent of the total Australian population.
Darwin is the most populated capital of Australia. The total area that is Darwin is 3,163.9 square kilometers.
More than half of the Northern Territory population lives in Darwin. By the year 2016, Litchfield has taken over Palmerston as the second most extensive municipality in the metropolitan area of Darwin.
Based upon our research, Darwin’s population will increase to 164,796 by the close of June 2022.
We calculate the end of June every year because ABS always follows Australia’s financial year as they push the figures.
The calculation is based on an average growth rate of 2.25 percent over the last ten years, starting in 2011. We believe that using the most recent numbers from the previous years (see this table in the next section) will help to make the calculation more precise.
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Population Growth of Darwin
Darwin is among the cities with the fastest growth in Australia and has had an annual rate of 2.6 percent since the census of 2006.
In the last ten years, the population growth rate has been steady and robust, with a range of 1.35 percent to 3.08 percent, adding between 1,900-4,200 residents each year to the total population.
| Year | Population | Growth Rate |
| 2011 | 129,100 | n/a |
| 2012 | 132,300 | 2.48% |
| 2013 | 136,200 | 2.95% |
| 2014 | 140,400 | 3.08% |
| 2015 | 142,300 | 1.35% |
| 2016 | 145,804 | 2.46% |
| 2017 | 148,393 | 1.78% |
| 2018 | 150,880 | 1.68% |
| 2019 | 154,280 | 2.25% |
| 2020 | 157,920 | 2.36% |
| 2021 | 161,178 | 2.06% |
Demography of Darwin
According to the census, 51.7 percent of people living in Darwin are males, and 48.3 percent are female. The top five ancestral ancestries for those living in Darwin include Australian, English, Australian Aboriginal, Irish and Scottish.
Five of the top languages (other than English) spoken within Darwin include Kriol, Djambarrpuyngu, Greek Warlpiri, Greek Murrinh Patha.
The top six birth countries for those living in Darwin include Australia, England, New Zealand, the Philippines, India, and the United States of America.
Christianity is the main religion in Darwin. The city has 49.5 percent of the total population of Darwin.
There was 23.3 percent of the population who had no faith. The most popular beliefs in Christianity comprise Roman Catholicism (21.5%), Anglicanism 12.3%, and Greek Orthodoxy (2.6%). Other religions such as Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and Jews comprise 3.2 percent of Darwin’s populace.
The principal occupations of those who reside in Darwin include Technicians, Professionals and merchants, and administrative workers, Clerical and Administrative and personal and community Service workers, Managers and Labourers, Sales employees, and drivers of machinery.
Population Density of Darwin
Darwin Population density of 44.98 inhabitants per sq kilometer. This is the most sparsely populated Capital city of Australia. The population density of Darwin is 10% of Melbourne’s. It’s one of the most sparsely populated cities according to world standards.
| Position | State | 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 | 44.98/km2 |
Facts About Darwin
- Darwin is twice as big as Sydney Harbour.
- The majority of the population lives around The Darwin or Alice Springs metropolitan areas.
- Darwin is closer than Dili, Denpasar, and Jakarta in Indonesia and Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, more than every city in the Australian capital city.
- Darwin was adopted as the official name for the city in 1911.
- National Park is named after Charles Darwin, a famous researcher who invented the concept of Darwinism.
- The Aboriginal people from the Larrakia group of languages are the traditional custodians and the first to live in the larger Darwin area.
- Darwin has constructed a minimum of four times. The first time was when the air raid from Japan had hit Japan during the Second World War. Another one was built after it was struck by an 1897 cyclone, the cyclone of 1937, and the 1974 cyclone Trac.
- Following the 1974 Cyclone Tracy, 70 percent of Darwin’s homes were destroyed or severely damaged. The city’s public services were shut off, including power, communications, and water.
References
The following links provide data for this topic:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: www.abs.gov.au
- Northern Territory Government: www.nt.gov.au
- Northern Territory Tourism Central: www.nttc.com.au