Dulwich Hill - Lewisham
Statistical Area - sa2

Dulwich Hill - Lewisham has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

Dulwich Hill - Lewisham's population is around 19,036 as of Nov 2025. This reflects an increase of 1,088 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 17,948 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 18,684 in Jun 2024 and an additional 195 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 7,050 persons per square kilometer, which places it in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Over the past decade, Dulwich Hill - Lewisham has demonstrated resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 0.8%, outpacing its SA4 region. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 73.2% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on demographic trends and latest population numbers, the area is expected to grow by 315 persons to 2041, with a reduction of 0.2% in total over the 17-year period.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Dulwich Hill - Lewisham, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

Dulwich Hill-Lewisham has seen approximately 36 new homes approved annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25184 homes were approved, with another 139 approved in FY26 so far. On average, 1.4 people have moved to the area for each dwelling built over these five years. However, this figure has increased to 31.2 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, suggesting growing popularity and potential undersupply.

The average construction cost value of new homes is $291,000, aligning with regional patterns. This year, $5.7 million in commercial approvals have been registered, indicating the area's residential character. Compared to Greater Sydney, Dulwich Hill-Lewisham has significantly less development activity, 60.0% below the regional average per person. This constrained new construction typically reinforces demand and pricing for existing dwellings. When examined nationally, this activity reflects market maturity and potential development constraints. New building activity shows 12.0% detached houses and 88.0% medium to high-density housing, offering affordable entry pathways and attracting downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers. This shift from the area's existing housing composition (currently 29.0% houses) indicates decreasing availability of developable sites and reflects changing lifestyles and demand for diverse, affordable housing options.

With around 1962 people per dwelling approval, Dulwich Hill-Lewisham reflects a highly mature market. Given stable or declining population projections, the area should see reduced housing demand pressures, benefiting potential buyers.

Dulwich Hill - Lewisham has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 37 projects likely to impact the area. Notable projects include Cooks to Cove GreenWay, Johnson Park Upgrade, Jack Shanahan Reserve Skatepark Upgrade, and JF Laxton Reserve Upgrade, with the following list detailing those most relevant.

Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.

Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

AreaSearch analysis indicates Dulwich Hill - Lewisham maintains employment conditions that align with national benchmarks

Dulwich Hill-Lewisham has a highly educated workforce with notable representation in the technology sector. Its unemployment rate was 4.9% as of June 2025, with an estimated employment growth of 3.8% over the past year.

As of that date, 12,221 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate of 5.6%, which is 1.4 percentage points higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation was 68.8%, compared to Greater Sydney's 60.0%. The leading employment industries among residents were professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and education & training. Professional & technical services had a particularly strong representation, with an employment share of 1.3 times the regional level.

Conversely, construction showed lower representation at 5.5% compared to the regional average of 8.6%. Employment opportunities locally may be limited as indicated by the count of Census working population versus resident population. Over the 12 months to June 2025, employment increased by 3.8%, while labour force increased by 4.2%, resulting in an unemployment rise of 0.4 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Sydney recorded employment growth of 2.6%, labour force growth of 2.9%, and an unemployment increase of 0.3 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 suggest that national employment is projected to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these industry-specific projections to Dulwich Hill-Lewisham's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.1% over five years and 14.3% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for localised population projections.

Income metrics indicate excellent economic conditions, with the area achieving higher performance than 75% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch

AreaSearch released postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022. Dulwich Hill - Lewisham's median income among taxpayers was $68,733, with an average of $89,883. Nationally, this is extremely high compared to Greater Sydney's median of $56,994 and average of $80,856. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $77,400 (median) and $101,217 (average) as of September 2025. Census 2021 income data shows household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Dulwich Hill - Lewisham, between the 76th and 91st percentiles nationally. Income analysis reveals that the largest segment comprises 32.3% earning $1,500 - 2,999 weekly (6,148 residents), mirroring the metropolitan region where 30.9% occupy this bracket. The substantial proportion of high earners, at 34.2% above $3,000/week, indicates strong economic capacity throughout the suburb. High housing costs consume 18.5% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 73rd percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Dulwich Hill - Lewisham features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Dulwich Hill-Lewisham's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, had 28.7% houses and 71.4% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Sydney metro's 33.5% houses and 66.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Dulwich Hill-Lewisham was 24.0%, with mortgaged dwellings at 28.9% and rented dwellings at 47.2%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,600, above Sydney metro's average of $2,436. Median weekly rent in Dulwich Hill-Lewisham was $480, compared to Sydney metro's $465. Nationally, Dulwich Hill-Lewisham's mortgage repayments were higher at $2,600 versus the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Dulwich Hill - Lewisham features high concentrations of group households and lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 59.2% of all households, including 23.2% couples with children, 25.5% couples without children, and 9.3% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 40.8%, with lone person households at 33.6% and group households comprising 7.2%. The median household size is 2.2 people, smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 2.5.

Dulwich Hill - Lewisham shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Educational attainment in Dulwich Hill-Lewisham is higher than national and state averages. Among residents aged 15 and above, 52.0% hold university qualifications, compared to 30.4% nationally and 32.2% in NSW. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 33.0%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (14.4%) and graduate diplomas (4.6%). Vocational pathways account for 22.0% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas at 10.5% and certificates at 11.5%.

Educational participation is high, with 28.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 8.3% in tertiary education, 7.5% in primary education, and 6.3% pursuing secondary education. There are seven schools operating within Dulwich Hill-Lewisham, educating approximately 2,858 students. The area has above-average socio-educational conditions, with an ICSEA score of 1066. The educational mix includes three primary, two secondary, and two K-12 schools.

Transport servicing is high compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility

Dulwich Hill - Lewisham has 52 active public transport stops. These include train, light rail, and bus services. There are 40 individual routes operating weekly, providing a total of 11,455 passenger trips.

Residents have excellent accessibility to these stops, with an average distance of 131 meters from their nearest stop. Daily service frequency averages 1,636 trips across all routes, equating to around 220 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Dulwich Hill - Lewisham is notably higher than the national average with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Dulwich Hill-Lewisham shows higher-than-average health outcomes for both younger and older residents. Common health conditions have low prevalence: mental health issues affect 10.9%, asthma impacts 8.5%, and 69.8% report no medical ailments. Private health cover is high, at approximately 67% (12,697 people), compared to Greater Sydney's 57.3% and the national average of 55.3%.

The area has 13.1% residents aged 65 and over (2,489 people), lower than Greater Sydney's 14.5%. Senior health outcomes are above average, mirroring the general population's profile.

Dulwich Hill - Lewisham was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets in Australia, upon assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Dulwich Hill-Lewisham had a higher cultural diversity than most local areas, with 33.5% of its population born overseas and 27.9% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the dominant religion in Dulwich Hill-Lewisham, comprising 38.9%. However, Judaism was overrepresented, making up 0.4%, compared to 0.2% across Greater Sydney.

The top three ancestry groups were English (20.6%), Australian (17.8%), and Other (12.9%). Notably, Hungarian (0.5%) and Greek (4.4%) were overrepresented, while Lebanese (2.0%) was underrepresented compared to regional averages.

Dulwich Hill - Lewisham's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

Dulwich Hill - Lewisham has a median age of 37, matching Greater Sydney's figure and remaining comparable to Australia's median age of 38 years. The 25-34 age group is strongly represented at 20.9%, higher than Greater Sydney's percentage, while the 5-14 cohort is less prevalent at 8.1%. This concentration in the 25-34 age group is well above the national figure of 14.5%. From 2021 to present, the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 10.0% to 11.2%, and the 35 to 44 cohort has increased from 17.4% to 18.5%. Conversely, the 5-14 cohort has declined from 9.2% to 8.1%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant shifts in Dulwich Hill - Lewisham's age structure. The 75-84 group is projected to grow by 41%, reaching 1,160 people from the current 824. This growth will be led by those aged 65 and above, comprising 86% of the projected population increase. Meanwhile, the 55-64 and 15-24 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.