Canberra has the fastest growing population in Australia. Our community is increasingly diverse and ageing.

In 2021, there were 62,203 people over the age of 65 living in the ACT, roughly 13.3% of the total population. Of these, 45.5% were men and 54.5% were women[1]. By 2060, there are expected to be over 114,000 people over the age of 65 living in Canberra. The 65+ years age group across all genders is expected to increase from 13.3% of the population in June 2021 to 14.6% in June 2060.

More than 41.7% of the people over the age of 65 living in the ACT were born overseas (46% men and 54% women).

There are 388 people over the age of 65 (49.2% men and 50.8% women) who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander in the ACT. Overall, 4.3% of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander are above the age of 65, which is significantly lower than the 13.7% for the wider ACT population. When we include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the age of 55 and 50, the percentage increases to 10.8% and 15.4% respectively.

There are 5,595 people over the age of 65 who have served in the Australian Defence Force (roughly 9% of the total population over the age of 65).

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[1] The ABS census data currently does not provide figures for individuals who are non-binary and/or do not identify as male or female. ACT has recently finalised the Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics, and Sexual Orientation Variables Data – Common Data Standard, which will improve future data collection and provide more inclusive data.