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This analysis uses ABS Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2) boundaries, which can materially differ from Suburbs and Localities (SAL) even when sharing similar names.
SA2 boundaries are defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and are designed to represent communities for statistical reporting (e.g., census and ERP).
Suburbs and Localities (SAL) represent commonly-used suburb/locality names (postal-style areas) and may use different geographic boundaries. For comprehensive analysis, consider reviewing both boundary types if available.
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ABS ERP | -- people | --
2021 Census | -- people
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Tiwi Islands has an estimated 2,767 residents, up from 2,348 at the 2021 Census — a change of 419 people, or 17.8%. Natural increase accounts for 61.9% of that increase. Fewer than ten people live on each square kilometre, across a boundary that takes in surrounding rural land. Population is estimated from ABS Estimated Resident Population releases and GNAF address data, re-based from the 2021 Census and updated annually.
Detail
Demographic evaluations by AreaSearch indicate that the population of Tiwi Islands stands at approximately 2,767 as of Aug 2026. This figure demonstrates an expansion of 419 people (17.8%) compared to the 2,348 people recorded in the 2021 Census. Such movement is derived from the ABS estimated resident population figure of 2,767 as of June 2025 alongside 21 validated new addresses identified following the Census benchmark. With a resulting density of 0.40 persons per square kilometer, residents enjoy substantial physical room. Outpacing both the broader state and the nationwide benchmark of 9.5%, the locality's 17.8% post-2021 census surge positions it as a leading growth area regionally.
Natural increases served as the main catalyst for this expansion, making up roughly 61.9% of total recent demographic additions. Locational projections utilized by AreaSearch incorporate ABS/Geoscience Australia models published in 2024 (using 2022 as baseline data). Where specific SA2 coverage is absent, as well as for extending forecasts beyond 2032 across all districts, age-cohort growth trajectories from the 2023 ABS Greater Capital Region release (grounded in 2022 statistics) are applied. Looking ahead, local demographic expansion is expected to outstrip the median across Australian regional communities, with latest annual ERP benchmarks pointing toward an addition of 407 persons through to 2041, representing an overall increase of 14.7% throughout the 16 years.
Frequently Asked Questions - Population
Detail
Residential building activity across Tiwi Islands remains extremely quiet, averaging under 1 dwelling approvals on an annual basis and amounting to minimal volume throughout the prior five years. Such modest numbers highlight the rural setting of the region, where construction emerges primarily to address targeted local community requirements instead of broader market trends. Furthermore, the limited baseline volume implies that isolated building initiatives can notably distort yearly percentages and relative trends. Compared with Rest of NT, residential building numbers in Tiwi Islands are considerably lower, a pattern that also trails broader nationwide trends.
Frequently Asked Questions - Development
Development applications around Tiwi Islands
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| Lodged | Address | Description | Type | Distance | Status |
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SOURCE: Planning portals and council registers, compiled by AreaSearch. Distance & bearing measured from the suburb midpoint.
AreaSearch tracks 3 current infrastructure and development projects inside Tiwi Islands, worth an estimated $75 million. A further 16 sit in the immediately surrounding suburbs, taking the tracked pipeline within reach of the area to $1.41 billion. 8 are already under construction and 7 are due for completion within three years. The pipeline spans education & training, communities and communities, precincts & urban renewal. Records are compiled from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, council planning portals and public announcements, reviewed and updated daily, then ranked by proximity, construction stage, completion horizon and project scale.
Detail
Local economic and social outcomes are heavily shaped by strategic infrastructure works, capital investments, and regional planning policies. AreaSearch has highlighted a total of 5 projects poised to influence the locality, headlined by the Tiwi Islands Tourism and Residential Development Opportunities, Tiwi Islands Roads Upgrades Program, Tiwi Islands Fire and Carbon Project, and the Tiwi H2 (Hydrogen) Project, with prominent initiatives outlined below.
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Frequently Asked Questions - Infrastructure
Tiwi Islands Roads Upgrades Program
Joint Northern Territory and Australian Government road infrastructure program upgrading key roads across the Tiwi Islands. The Paru Road upgrade has been substantially progressed, including a new bridge and sealed road sections. Planning and procurement for the next stage of Pirlangimpi Road upgrades continue, with the 2026 NT Budget confirming ongoing funding for further road improvements across the Tiwi Islands.
Tiwi Islands Tourism and Residential Development Opportunities
Expressions of interest are being sought for tourism and residential developments across selected sites on Bathurst and Melville Islands under the Tiwi Development Framework Agreement. Concepts promoted include cabin-style accommodation, small eco-lodges and glamping, with the goal of creating local jobs and long-term benefits for Tiwi communities.
Tiwi Islands Fire and Carbon Project
An independent, Indigenous owned carbon enterprise focused on savanna fire management across approximately 8000 square kilometres of Aboriginal land. The project generates Australian carbon credit units and supports the Tiwi community in self-determination, job creation, and cultural stewardship.
Lee Point Master-planned Urban Development
A 131 hectare master-planned community by Defence Housing Australia at Lee Point in Darwin's northern suburbs. The project will deliver around 800 homes including detached houses, townhouses and apartments, with approximately 200 reserved for Defence families. Planned community infrastructure includes a primary school, childcare centre, sports facilities and a mixed-use tourism and retail precinct with hotel, cafes, restaurants and shops. Stage 1A has been completed and planning and design work for the remaining stages continues while legal proceedings are ongoing, with overall completion anticipated around 2033.
Royal Darwin Hospital Expansion
A multi-phase expansion of the Northern Territory's primary tertiary hospital located in Tiwi. Key components under construction include a new $57.7 million three-storey Mental Health Inpatient Facility providing 24 beds delivered by Sitzler, and an $18.2 million 32-bed modular multipurpose ward built by Aspire Design & Construct. The expansion significantly improves acute care capacity for bariatric, renal, and general patients while offering modern therapeutic environments.
Royal Darwin Hospital Mental Health Inpatient Unit and CSSD Upgrade
Construction of a new three-storey mental health inpatient facility providing acute inpatient beds and a Stabilisation Assessment and Referral Area (SARA). The facility connects to the Emergency Department via an elevated enclosed walkway, with internal fitouts currently progressing toward completion. The project also encompasses upgrades to the Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD) to meet modern reprocessing standards and clinical safety requirements.
Edgeview Court Water Main Replacement
Construction of approximately 430 metres of replacement DN150 DICL water main in Edgeview Court, Leanyer, including decommissioning and removal of the existing asbestos water main. The works, tendered as T24-1256 by Power and Water Corporation, involved survey and realignment to minimise clashes with services and trees, traffic management, temporary servicing to existing customers, and testing and commissioning of the new main to ensure a reliable water supply to residents.
CDU - Centre for Better Health Futures
A completed $30.8 million, three-storey health teaching and research facility at Charles Darwin University's Casuarina campus, known as CDU Blue 8. The Centre for Better Health Futures includes clinical and preclinical simulation environments, laboratories, and research infrastructure, including a simulated emergency department and a 10-bed hospital ward. The building is home to CDU's new School of Medicine and the Menzies Medical Program, and more than 2000 students from 10 health disciplines began using the facility throughout 2026.
916 residents of Tiwi Islands are employed, from a labour force of 1,065. Unemployment sits at 14.0%, with participation at 47.2%. Weighted for its industry mix, the area's sectors are forecast to grow about 6.1% nationally over five years. That reflects industry composition only and makes no allowance for local population growth, so in an area growing as fast as this one it understates the likely rise in local jobs. Unemployment and labour force come from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, updated quarterly; the industry and occupation profile is from the 2021 Census.
Detail
The local labour pool across Tiwi Islands shows an even distribution between blue and white collar roles, underpinned by strong representation in core public services, an unemployment rate of 14.0%, and a 3.0% expansion in jobs over the preceding year. Total employed residents reached 916 as of March 2026; however, the local unemployment rate exceeds the 5.9% seen across Regional NT by 8.1%, highlighting opportunities for improvement, while the labour participation rate of 47.2% substantially trails the Regional NT benchmark of 69.8%. Additionally, Census data indicated that a modest 3.0% of local workers operated from home, though Covid-19 restrictions provide important context for these figures.
Community employment is heavily weighted toward education & training, public administration & safety, and health care & social assistance. In particular, education & training represents a distinct local specialty, commanding an employment concentration 2.6 times the regional norm. In contrast, health care & social assistance accounts for 12.9% of jobs, sitting lower than the 18.8% regional baseline. Comparing Census counts of resident workers against the broader local populace suggests that locally based job opportunities are relatively constrained. According to AreaSearch's review of ABS and SALM metrics for the 12 months ending March 2026, workforce numbers increased by 3.0% alongside a 2.7% rise in the labour pool, reducing local unemployment by 0.3 percentage points. Over the same timeframe across Regional NT, employment grew by 2.8%, the labour force climbed by 2.7%, and jobless rates edged down slightly. Longer-term hiring expectations from Jobs and Skills Australia as of Mar-26 provide additional context regarding future labour demand within Tiwi Islands. These national five-year and ten-year models, projected at 6.6% and 13.7% overall across the country, show noticeable variation across different sectors. Applying these industry growth rates to the specific industry distribution in Tiwi Islands indicates potential local workforce expansions of 6.1% over five years and 12.8% over ten years (representing an illustrative weighted calculation that excludes localized demographic projections).
Frequently Asked Questions - Employment
Median household income in Tiwi Islands is $757 a week (about $39,000 a year), with median personal income at $240 a week. ATO records put median taxable income at $41,141 a year against an average of $54,961. Household income is from the 2021 Census; taxable income is from ATO Taxation Statistics for the latest financial year available, indexed forward using the ABS Wage Price Index.
Detail
Postcode taxation statistics from the ATO for financial year 2023, compiled by AreaSearch, show that the Tiwi Islands SA2 recorded a median individual taxpayer income of $41,141 and an average income of $54,961. These earnings sit below nationwide levels as well as the respective medians and averages of $53,572 and $63,776 across Regional NT. Factoring in a Wage Price Index rise of 9.41% since financial year 2023, updated estimates as of March 2026 stand at roughly $45,012 for the median and $60,133 for the average. Detailed Census income breakdowns remain unavailable.
In terms of earnings brackets, 27.7% of residents (766 individuals) earn between $400 - 799, diverging from the broader region where the $1,500 - 2,999 cohort forms the largest segment at 33.6%. Overall household finances remain constrained, with 53.2% maintaining weekly budgets under $800. Even though housing expenses remain low, leaving 89.9% of earnings unspent on shelter, total net income places in just the 3rd percentile across Australia.
Frequently Asked Questions - Income
Tiwi Islands had 604 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, 82% detached houses and 10% apartments. 0% are owned with a mortgage, 96% rented and 5% owned outright. At that Census the median rent was $80 a week and the median mortgage repayment $845 a month. Rent absorbs 10.6% of household income here and mortgage repayments 25.8%. Dwelling stock, tenure and housing costs are 2021 Census measures — the only source that counts dwellings at this boundary size.
Detail
At the most recent Census, the dwelling stock in Tiwi Islands was made up of 82.2% standalone houses and 17.8% other dwellings (encompassing apartments, semi-detached properties, and 'other' dwellings), differing from Regional NT where houses comprised 75.6% and other dwellings accounted for 24.5%. Outright home ownership stood at 4.5%, lower than across Regional NT, with the balance consisting of rented properties (95.5%) and no properties carrying a mortgage. Monthly median mortgage costs were recorded at $845, substantially lower than the Regional NT figure of $1,733, while weekly median rental payments were $80 compared to $150 across Regional NT.
On a national scale, mortgage payments in Tiwi Islands sit well below the Australian standard of $1,863, with local rents also far below the nationwide $375 average.
Frequently Asked Questions - Housing
Tiwi Islands counted 604 households at the 2021 Census, an estimated 712 today, averaging 3.4 people each. 33% are couples with children, against 20% couples without children. 19% of households are people living alone, and families average 1.7 children. Household and family composition is measured only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Families constitute the vast majority of local living arrangements at 81.0%, divided among couples with children (32.5%), couples without children (20.4%), and single parent families (20.1%). The remaining 19.0% consists of non-family living structures, with lone person households representing 19.2% and group arrangements making up 1.7%. At 3.4 people, the median household size exceeds the Regional NT benchmark of 3.1.
Frequently Asked Questions - Households
10.2% of adults in Tiwi Islands hold a university qualification, including 6.7% with a bachelor degree and 1.5% with postgraduate qualifications, lower than 97% of areas nationally. A further 15.4% hold a vocational qualification. 5 schools serve the area, with 418 enrolment places and an average ICSEA of 650 against a national benchmark of 1,000. Qualifications come from the 2021 Census; school enrolments, ICSEA and results come from ACARA's current release.
Detail
Educational attainment presents noticeable hurdles locally, with university qualification levels at 10.2%, substantially below the nationwide rate of 30.4%, creating a distinct opening for focused learning programs. Among tertiary graduates, bachelor degrees account for 6.7%, graduate diplomas comprise 2.0%, and postgraduate awards represent 1.5%. Technical and vocational training encompasses 18.1% of residents aged 15+, consisting of certificates (15.4%) and advanced diplomas (2.7%). General schooling and tertiary engagement is particularly elevated, as 30.6% of the local population is actively engaged in formal study. Within this group, primary school attendees make up 14.2%, secondary students comprise 11.4%, and higher education scholars account for 1.4%.
Frequently Asked Questions - Education
Schools Detail
Frequently Asked Questions - Transport
Transport Stops Detail
83.6% of residents in Tiwi Islands report no long-term health condition. 3.5% need daily assistance with core activities, and 46.8% hold private health cover. The standardised death rate runs at 14.4 per 1,000 residents. Health conditions, assistance needs and insurance are 2021 Census measures; the death rate comes from current ABS releases.
Detail
Health indicators across Tiwi Islands generally align with nationwide standards regarding mortality rates and the incidence of long-term illnesses, showing typical frequencies across both younger and older cohorts, though private health insurance coverage is notably restricted to roughly 47% of residents (~1,294 people). This remains lower than the 51.6% observed across Regional NT and the Australian average of 55.7%. Diabetes and heart disease represent the primary chronic ailments in the district, recorded among 4.5 and 4.4% of the population, respectively, while 83.6% of residents reported having no medical ailments at all, outperforming the 78.4% recorded across Regional NT.
Those aged 65 and over make up 6.9% of the local population (190 people), below the Regional NT level of 8.5%. Health measures among the older demographic remain especially positive, exceeding broader national rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions - Health
Tiwi Islands is largely Australian-born, at 97.6% of residents, with 86.9% speaking a language other than English at home. The largest reported ancestries are Australian Aboriginal (85.4%) and English (4.3%). 85.4% of residents identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Ancestry, language and country of birth are counted only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Cultural metrics show above-average diversity across Tiwi Islands, where 2.4% of the community was born overseas and 86.9% utilize a non-English language at home. Christianity forms the dominant faith, followed by 89.4% of residents in Tiwi Islands compared to 54.1% across Regional NT. Regarding ancestral background based on parental birthplace, the primary cohort in Tiwi Islands is Australian Aboriginal at 85.4%, far exceeding the 43.6% average for the region. This is followed by English ancestry at 4.3% (below the 14.3% regional rate) and Australian ancestry at 3.6% (trailing the 14.9% regional proportion).
Frequently Asked Questions - Diversity
The median resident of Tiwi Islands is 30, younger than 97% of areas nationally. 35.0% of residents are aged 15 to 34. Age cohorts are not raw Census counts: the Census split is re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections.
Detail
Age distributions in Tiwi Islands align closely with Regional NT across all major categories, with no broad band deviating by more than 3.2 percentage points from regional proportions. The median age remains estimated at 30, matching the 2021 Census figure and sitting 1 year below the Regional NT median of 31 from the same benchmark (while the national Census median was 38). The most pronounced change since the Census occurred in the 0 - 24 demographic, which decreased from 39.7% to an estimated 36.2% of the populace. Through to 2041, the largest numerical gain is anticipated in the 45 - 64 bracket, climbing by 197 residents (29%) to 878, while the 65+ cohort is projected to expand fastest in relative terms, rising 59% to 303 residents as younger demographics contract.
Frequently Asked Questions - Age
Data & MethodBoundaries, Sources & Method for Tiwi Islands
9 of 14 data sections on this page were updated within the last 12 months — the newest current to Sep 2026.
Everything is aggregated to the SA2 boundary shown above, on a 2021 Census baseline. Only 3 sections — housing, households and cultural diversity — still wait on the 2026 Census.
The ledger — source, cycle and currency by section
| Section | Source & update cycle | Currency |
|---|---|---|
| Updated within the last 12 months 9 sections | ||
| Population | ABS, GNAF, Geoscience Australia Annual (ABS ERP) | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release) and updated with new dwellings from GNAF address data. Current to Aug 2026, with the 2021 Census supplying the small-area baseline. | ||
| Age profile | ABS, Geoscience Australia, State governments Annual | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Age cohorts are re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections, current to Aug 2026. Each cohort is held as a Census baseline and a current estimate. | ||
| Development & approvals | ABS, GNAF Monthly (ABS approvals) | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · Jul 2026 baseline |
| Property sales & rents | Valuer General, Rental Board, ABS Weekly sales, quarterly rents | Sep 2026 this month all 21 measures |
| Sales from the state Valuer General register, refreshed weekly, and rents from quarterly rental bond lodgements. Both are read live each time this page loads, current to Sep 2026. | ||
| Infrastructure projects | Infrastructure Australia, State agencies, Local governments Daily | Jul 2026 2 months ago all 3 projects tracked here |
| Project pipeline maintained continuously from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, local government and public announcements. Records are added and revised daily; this area was last updated Jul 2026. | ||
| Employment | ABS, DEWR, JSA Quarterly (ABS SALM) | Mar 2026 6 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Unemployment and labour force from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, current to Mar 2026. The growth outlook applies Department of Employment (now Jobs and Skills Australia) forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to the local industry mix, so it measures sector composition rather than local expansion and makes no allowance for population growth. Job demand comes from the same agency via its Internet Vacancy Index; industry and occupation structure from the 2021 Census. | ||
| Education | ABS, ACARA Annual (ACARA) | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Transport | ABS, State Transport Departments Each timetable release | Jul 2026 2 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Services & amenities | Provider directories, ACECQA Continuous | Jul 2026 2 months ago all 14 measures |
| Annual and financial-year sources 2 sections | ||
| Income | ABS, ATO Annual (ATO) | FY 2023 3 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| ATO taxable income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index. Census household income provides the distribution detail. | ||
| Health | ABS, ATO Annual | 2024 2 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Census-measured — next update: 2026 Census 3 sections No more current small-area source exists for these, so they are labelled as Census-measured rather than implied to be current. | ||
| Housing | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 30 measures |
| Households | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 18 measures |
| Cultural diversity | ABS, Geoscience Australia 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 44 measures |
"Currency" is the most recent release feeding that section. Where the Census supplies the structural baseline underneath a current headline figure, the row says so.
How the numbers are built
Population
The Census provides the small-area baseline, aggregated from mesh blocks to this boundary. It is then re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release), and new dwellings built since Census night are counted from address data — 21 validated new addresses here. The headline figure is therefore a current estimate for Aug 2026, not a 2021 count (2,348 at the 2021 Census → 2,767 now). Annual growth rates are compound (CAGR), not simple averages.
Age profile
Cohort shares are not raw Census counts. Every cohort is held as a pair — the Census baseline and a current estimate — and the split is re-based using ERP and state population projections, current to Aug 2026. Median age is the Census median plus modelled change since. Charts that show both are labelled "2021 Census vs Current Estimate".
Property sales
Sourced from the state valuation authority's sales register — current, not Census, and refreshed weekly. Medians are calculated from settled transactions in the period shown; periods with very low transaction counts are flagged or suppressed, because a handful of sales can move a median substantially.
Rents
Derived from state rental bond lodgement data, by dwelling type and bedroom count. Bonds are lodged at the start of a new tenancy, so this reflects new lettings, not the whole rented stock.
Development & infrastructure
Building approvals come from current ABS releases; development applications are collected from council and state planning portals; the infrastructure pipeline is compiled from Infrastructure Australia and local government sources. Applications are matched to this boundary by address or coordinates, so very recent lodgements may not yet appear.
Employment & income
Industry and occupation structure comes from the Census, but the headline labour-market indicators do not. Unemployment and labour force are derived from ABS Small Area Labour Markets (quarterly). The employment outlook applies Department of Employment forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to this area's own industry mix (the agency is now Jobs and Skills Australia), as does the Internet Vacancy Index used for job demand. Because it is weighted on industry composition alone, that outlook carries no allowance for local population growth — in fast-growing areas the real rise in local jobs will typically be higher. Income combines Census household income with ATO taxable-income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index.
Education, transport & amenities
School enrolments, ICSEA and performance come from ACARA's current release, not the Census. Public transport stops and service frequency are derived from GTFS timetable feeds published by state transport departments. Services and amenities are proximity and count scores built from provider directories, refreshed on their own cycle. The Census contributes only the travel-to-work and qualification measures.
Rankings and benchmarks. Where we rank this area, the comparison set is every area of the same boundary type — suburbs against suburbs, SA2s against SA2s. Benchmarks compare this area against its greater capital city region and the national figure for the same measure and period.
Limits worth knowing. Small areas carry larger error margins, and the ABS introduces small random adjustments to Census counts to protect confidentiality — so totals may not sum exactly. Estimates re-based from regional data describe the area's expected trajectory, not a direct count of it. Figures are indicative for research and are not financial, planning or valuation advice.
Cross-check us. The Census baseline for this boundary is at ABS 2021 Census QuickStats (702031060). QuickStats reports 2021 only — the figures on this page are more current wherever the ledger shows a later date.