Sunshine Coast is a Queensland city situated 100km to the north of Brisbane.
With a population of more than 350,000 people, the city is the third most populated city in Queensland in terms of population, following Brisbane and Gold Coast.
Sunshine Coast is very popular for visitors, with greater than 3.2 million visitors each year. The city is the 9th-highest populated town in Australia. It is also the 9th most populous city in Australia.
Based on our study, the Sunshine Coast population will increase to 378,821 by 30th June 2022. We calculate the end of June every year due to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) always following the Australian fiscal year whenever we push the figures.
This calculation is based upon the average growth rate of 1.65 percent over the past ten years, starting in 2011. Using the latest year’s figures (see this table in the following section) will make the calculation more precise.
Table of Contents
Population Growth of Sunshine Coast
In the late 1980s, the Sunshine Coast experienced rapid population expansion. By 2016, it was one of the most rapidly growing regions in Australia.
In the last eight-year period of population growth for Sunshine Coast, the growth rate is constant and steady, with a range of 1.21 percent to 2.24 percent, adding between 4,198 – 7,240 people each year to the total population.
The main reason behind the increase in population is that tourism continues to grow steadily over the years. Tourism has created several employment opportunities on the Sunshine Coast. The growth rate seems to be in line with the national population increase.
| Year | Population | Growth rate |
| 2011 | 316,240 | n/a |
| 2012 | 322,960 | 2.12% |
| 2013 | 330,200 | 2.24% |
| 2014 | 335,130 | 1.49% |
| 2015 | 340,980 | 1.75% |
| 2016 | 346,522 | 1.63% |
| 2017 | 350,720 | 1.21% |
| 2018 | 356,823 | 1.46% |
| 2019 | 361,870 | 1.41% |
| 2020 | 367,180 | 1.64% |
| 2021 | 372,690 | 1.50% |
Demographics of Sunshine Coast
According to census data, 48.3 percent of the people on the Sunshine Coast are male. However, 51.7 percent are female. The median age for people on Sunshine Coast is 44.
The top birth countries comprise: Australia 73.7%, England 6.2 percent, New Zealand 4.5%, South Africa 1.0%, Germany 0.7% and Scotland 0.6 0.7%. Other top languages spoken include: English 89.1%, German 0.6 percent, French 0.3%, Italian 0.3 0.3%, Afrikaans 0.3% and Dutch 0.3 percent.
The major religious groups of Sunshine Coast consist of: No Religion 34.0%, Catholic 18.2 percent, Anglican 16.8%, not listed 9.1 percent, in addition to Uniting Church 5.2%. The statistics for Sunshine Coast, Christianity was the most influential religious group reported in the comprehensive report (59.3 percent).
Population Density Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast population density is 221 people per square kilometer.
Occupations and Industries
According to the census, the most prevalent occupations for people in the Sunshine Coast are Professionals 19.1 percent, Technicians and Trades Workers 16.1 percent, Clerical and Administrative Workers 12.7 percent, Community and Personal Service Workers 12.2 percent and Managers 11.9 percent.
The primary industries that residents of Sunshine Coast work in are 4.2 percent of them working within Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals).
Other prominent employment sectors include Cafes and Restaurants 3.3%, Aged Care Residential Services 2.7 percent, Supermarket and Grocery Stores 2.7 percent, and primary education 2.4 percent.
For working hours, 13.4% worked 1 to 15 hours, 11.0% worked 16 to 24 hours, and 39.6 percent employed 40 hours or more.
Facts About Sunshine Coast
- Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast covers an area of 3,127 square km, which makes roughly the same area as the world-renowned California Yosemite National Park.
- Mount Coolum Mount Coolum is the second-largest rock after the world-renowned Uluru.
- The expression “fair dinkum” was first heard on The Sunshine Coast.
- Four thousand five hundred fifty-eight households along the Coast do not communicate in English in their homes. This includes 1,762 families who only speak German at home and 872 families who only speak Italian, 785 Dutch and 717 French, and 422 who speak Spanish at home.
- The Coast has the most yoga and meditation classes stores organic and juice cleanses bars of any part of the country, per capita.
- Sunshine Coast has many well-known beaches. Kings Beach was voted the state’s top beach in a poll conducted by Surf Life Saving Queensland, while Mooloolaba Beach ranked sixth and Noosa Main Beach polled ninth in the top 25 beaches of TripAdvisor’s list of in Australia.
References
The following links provide data for this topic:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: www.abs.gov.au
- Queensland Government: www.qld.gov.au
- Sunshine Coast Council: www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au