Tiwi Islands

Tiwi Islands is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

As of November 2025, Tiwi Islands' population is approximately 2,750, indicating a rise of 402 individuals since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 2,348. This increase, representing a 17.1% growth rate, is inferred from ABS estimates. The population density stands at 0.40 persons per square kilometer. Tiwi Islands' growth rate surpassed both national (8.9%) and state averages, driven primarily by overseas migration contributing approximately 52.9% of overall gains. AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered, growth rates by age cohort from the latest Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data) are applied.

Future trends project an above median population growth for national regional areas, with Tiwi Islands expected to increase by 453 persons to reach 2041, reflecting a total increase of 16.2% over the 17-year period.

The level of residential development activity in Tiwi Islands is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch

The Tiwi Islands have seen limited development activity, averaging three approvals per year between 2016 and 2020. This resulted in a total of 19 dwellings over the five-year period. The low development levels reflect the rural nature of the area, with housing needs driving development rather than market demand.

Notably, the small number of approvals can significantly impact annual growth statistics. Compared to the Rest of NT and national averages, Tiwi Islands has substantially lower development levels.

By 2041, Tiwi Islands is projected to grow by 447 residents according to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate. If current construction levels continue, housing supply may lag behind population growth, potentially intensifying buyer competition and driving price growth.

Tiwi Islands has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 22ndth percentile nationally

Five projects have been identified by AreaSearch as potentially impacting the area: Tiwi Islands Tourism and Residential Development Opportunities, Tiwi Islands Roads Upgrades Program, Tiwi Islands Fire and Carbon Project, Tiwi H2 Hydrogen Project.

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

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Employment conditions in Tiwi Islands face significant challenges, ranking among the bottom 10% of areas assessed nationally

Tiwi Islands has a balanced workforce with both white and blue collar jobs. Essential services sectors are well represented, and the unemployment rate is 14.2%.

As of September 2025892 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 8.3% higher than the Rest of NT's rate of 5.9%, indicating room for improvement. Workforce participation lags significantly at 34.9%, compared to the Rest of NT's 50.7%. Key industries of employment among residents are education & training, public administration & safety, and health care & social assistance. Education & training shows strong specialization with an employment share 2.6 times the regional level.

Conversely, health care & social assistance has lower representation at 12.9% versus the regional average of 18.8%. The area offers limited local employment opportunities as suggested by the count of Census working population vs resident population. Between September 2024 and September 2025, the labour force decreased by 1.2%, while employment declined by 3.3%, causing unemployment to rise by 1.8 percentage points. This contrasts with the Rest of NT where employment contracted by 1.3%, the labour force fell by 1.2%, and unemployment rose marginally. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Tiwi Islands' employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.1% over five years and 12.8% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for localised population projections.

Income metrics place the area in the bottom 10% of locations nationally according to AreaSearch analysis

The Tiwi Islands SA2 had a median taxpayer income of $39,270 and an average income of $52,420 in financial year 2022, according to the latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch. This was lower than national averages, contrasting with Rest of NT's median income of $51,655 and average income of $61,577. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.01% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $43,986 (median) and $58,716 (average) as of September 2025. Census income data was not available for detailed analysis. In the Tiwi Islands SA2, 27.7% of the population fell within the $400 - $799 income range, contrasting with the broader area where the $1,500 - $2,999 bracket led at 33.6%. The concentration of 53.2% in sub-$800 weekly brackets highlighted economic challenges facing a significant portion of the community. While housing costs were modest with 89.9% of income retained, the total disposable income ranked at just the 3rd percentile nationally.

Tiwi Islands is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Dwelling structure in Tiwi Islands, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 82.2% houses and 17.8% other dwellings. In comparison, Non-Metro NT had 83.6% houses and 16.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Tiwi Islands was 4.5%, with mortgaged dwellings at 0.0% and rented dwellings at 95.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $845, below Non-Metro NT's average of $1,346. Median weekly rent was $80, the same as Non-Metro NT's figure. Nationally, Tiwi Islands' mortgage repayments were significantly lower than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.

Tiwi Islands features high concentrations of family households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 81.0% of all households, including 32.5% couples with children, 20.4% couples without children, and 20.1% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 19.0%, with lone person households at 19.2% and group households making up 1.7%. The median household size is 3.4 people, smaller than the Rest of NT average of 3.5.

Tiwi Islands faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area's university qualification rate is 10.2%, significantly lower than the Australian average of 30.4%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 6.7%, followed by graduate diplomas (2.0%) and postgraduate qualifications (1.5%). Vocational pathways account for 18.1% of qualifications among those aged 15 and above, with advanced diplomas at 2.7% and certificates at 15.4%. Educational participation is high, with 30.6% of residents currently enrolled in formal education.

This includes 14.2% in primary education, 11.4% in secondary education, and 1.4% pursuing tertiary education.

No public transport data available for this catchment area.

Tiwi Islands's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Health outcomes data shows excellent results across Tiwi Islands, with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups. The rate of private health cover is found to be extremely low at approximately 46% of the total population (~1,270 people), compared to the national average of 55.3%.

The most prevalent medical conditions in the area are diabetes and heart disease, affecting 4.5 and 4.4% of residents respectively. A total of 83.6% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, higher than the Rest of NT's figure of 78.5%. As of 2021, 6.0% of Tiwi Islands' residents are aged 65 and over (165 people), lower than the Rest of NT's figure of 9.4%. Health outcomes among seniors in Tiwi Islands are particularly strong, broadly aligning with the general population's health profile.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in Tiwi Islands was found to be slightly above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Tiwi Islands had a cultural diversity rate above average, with 2.4% of its population born overseas and 86.9% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion in Tiwi Islands, comprising 89.4% of people, compared to 61.0% across Rest of NT. The top three ancestry groups in Tiwi Islands were Australian Aboriginal (85.4%), English (4.3%), and Australian (3.6%).

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Tiwi Islands are Australian Aboriginal, comprising 85.4% of the population, which is substantially higher than the regional average of 64.6%, English, comprising 4.3% of the population, which is notably lower than the regional average of 10.2%, and Australian, comprising 3.6% of the population, which is notably lower than the regional average of 9.9%.

Tiwi Islands hosts a very young demographic, ranking in the bottom 10% of areas nationwide

Tiwi Islands' median age is 30 years, close to Rest of NT's 31 and significantly lower than the national average of 38 years. Compared to Rest of NT, Tiwi Islands has a higher proportion of residents aged 15-24 (17.2%) but fewer residents aged 25-34 (16.3%). Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, the population aged 55-64 grew from 9.5% to 11.7%, while those aged 65-74 increased from 3.8% to 5.0%. Conversely, the proportion of residents aged 5-14 decreased from 16.3% to 13.3%, and those aged 45-54 dropped from 14.6% to 13.4%. Demographic modeling suggests that Tiwi Islands' age profile will change significantly by 2041, with the 45-54 age group projected to grow by 37%, reaching 507 people from 369. Meanwhile, both the 85+ and 15-24 age groups are expected to decrease in number.