Compared to 2020 there were 55,742 fewer 18 to 30 year-olds living in NSW. This is unprecedented in recent history.
While NSW has long-term structural ageing, the change in median age had been slowing since the late 1990s. In the last 2 years, however, the rate of ageing has quickened, exacerbated by the decline in the number of young people.
| Years | Median age | Average yearly change in median age |
|---|---|---|
| 1980's | 31.7 | 0.255 |
| 1990's | 34.2 | 0.306 |
| 2000's | 36.6 | 0.166 |
| 2010-2019 | 37.6 | 0.039 |
| 2020 | 37.8 | 0.308 |
| 2021 | 38.3 | 0.451 |