Population

The department prepares population projections for the state, regions and all local government areas in NSW. The department has also released household and implied dwelling projections (a measure of likely demand for housing). The 2019 NSW population projections are the government’s common planning assumptions until they are updated in 2022.

The NSW Government is delivering more housing, infrastructure and services and has in place strong and aligned strategic land use, infrastructure and transport plans to support future generations while also maintaining the local character of communities across the state.

The current Population Projections show:

• NSW is expected to grow on average by over 100,000 people each year until 2041
• Based on recent trends regional NSW population will increase by 400,000 to 3.5m in 2041
• Greater Sydney’s population will grow to approximately 6.6 million in 2036 – about 133,000 more people than estimated in the 2016 projections.

Find out more about the 2019 NSW population projections.

For the first time, the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment and the NSW Government have also prepared an easy-to-read insights resource to provide commentary on the changes in population and community over the past 12 months and in between projection releases. View the 2020 insights.