Lewisham (NSW)

Population growth drivers in Lewisham are strong compared to national averages based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

As of November 2025, the estimated population of Lewisham NSW is around 4,129, reflecting a growth of 69 people since the 2021 Census. This increase represents a 1.7% change from the previous population count of 4,060. AreaSearch validated these figures by examining ABS ERP data released in June 2024 and considering an additional 68 new addresses since the Census date. The estimated resident population was 4,047 based on this analysis. This results in a high population density ratio of 6,451 persons per square kilometer, placing Lewisham within the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch.

Overseas migration contributed approximately 73.0% to the recent population gains in the suburb. For projections, AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia data released in 2024 with a base year of 2022 for SA2 areas covered, and NSW State Government's SA2-level projections from 2022 with a base year of 2021 for uncovered areas. Growth rates by age group are applied to all areas until 2041. According to these projections, Lewisham is expected to grow by 35 persons by the year 2041, reflecting a total gain of 3.5% over the 17-year period.

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

Based on AreaSearch analysis, Lewisham has seen approximately 11 dwelling approvals annually. From FY-21 to FY-25, around 55 homes were approved, with an additional 21 approved in FY-26 so far. This results in about 1.6 new residents per year per dwelling constructed over the past five financial years. However, recent data shows this has increased to 37 people per dwelling over the past two financial years.

The average construction value for new properties is $443,000. In FY-26, commercial approvals totalled $2.9 million, indicating limited commercial development focus. Recent building activity consists solely of townhouses or apartments, offering affordable entry pathways and attracting downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers. This shift reflects reduced availability of development sites and changing lifestyle demands and affordability requirements.

Lewisham's current housing mix is 29.0% houses, with around 2105 people per dwelling approval. Population forecasts indicate Lewisham will gain 144 residents by 2041. With current construction levels, housing supply should meet demand adequately, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

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

Changes in local infrastructure significantly affect an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified four projects likely to impact the area: Cooks to Cove GreenWay, Inner West Housing Investigation Areas, Sydney Metro Sydenham to Bankstown Conversion (2015-2024), and Petersham Village Precinct Rezoning and Masterplan (scheduled for 2025).

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

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The labour market in Lewisham demonstrates typical performance when compared to similar areas across Australia

Lewisham has a highly educated workforce. The technology sector is notably represented.

As of June 2025, the unemployment rate was 4.4%. Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 3.6%, according to AreaSearch's aggregation of statistical area data. In Lewisham, 2,939 residents were in work, with an unemployment rate of 0.2% higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation was high at 71.4%, compared to Greater Sydney's 60.0%.

Key industries for employment among residents were professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and education & training. Lewisham showed strong specialization in professional & technical services, with an employment share of 1.6 times the regional level. Manufacturing had limited presence, with only 2.4% employment compared to the regional average of 5.7%. The area appeared to offer limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by the count of Census working population versus resident population. In the 12-month period ending June 2025, employment increased by 3.6%, while labour force grew by 4.0%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate of 0.4 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Sydney saw employment grow by 2.6%, labour force expand by 2.9%, and unemployment rise by 0.3 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 offer insights into potential future demand within Lewisham. These projections suggest that national employment should increase by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. However, growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to Lewisham's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.4% over five years and 14.7% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for localised population projections.

The economic profile demonstrates exceptional strength, placing the area among the top 10% nationally based on comprehensive AreaSearch income analysis

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year 2022 shows Lewisham's median income among taxpayers is $77,173. The average income in Lewisham during this period was $100,921. Nationally, these figures are exceptionally 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 $86,905 (median) and $113,647 (average) as of September 2025. Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Lewisham, between the 88th and 95th percentiles nationally. Income brackets indicate 29.8% of the population (1,230 individuals) fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 income range. This is similar to the metropolitan region where 30.9% occupy this range. Lewisham demonstrates considerable affluence with 41.3% earning over $3,000 per week. High housing costs consume 19.3% of income, but strong earnings still place disposable income at the 82nd percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Lewisham features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Lewisham's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 28.7% houses and 71.3% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In contrast, Sydney metro had no recorded houses or other dwellings at that time. Home ownership in Lewisham stood at 19.2%, with mortgaged dwellings at 32.9% and rented dwellings at 47.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,817, aligning with the Sydney metro average. The median weekly rent was $520, compared to Sydney metro's figures of $0 for both mortgage repayments and rents. Nationally, Lewisham's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Lewisham features high concentrations of group households and lone person households, with a median household size of 2.2 people

Family households account for 59.2% of all households, including 22.6% couples with children, 28.2% couples without children, and 7.6% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 40.8%, with lone person households at 30.7% and group households comprising 9.5%. The median household size is 2.2 people.

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

Lewisham's educational attainment exceeds national averages: 59.6% of residents aged 15+ hold university qualifications, compared to Australia's 30.4% and NSW's 32.2%. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 37.5%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (17.6%) and graduate diplomas (4.5%). Vocational pathways account for 19.1% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas at 9.1% and certificates at 10.0%. Educational participation is high, with 31.0% of residents currently enrolled in formal education: 11.0% in tertiary, 7.1% in primary, and 5.2% in secondary education.

Lewisham's five schools have a combined enrollment of 1,777 students, serving both local and surrounding communities with 43.0 school places per 100 residents. The area has above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1063), offering a mix of two primary, one 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

Lewisham has 17 active transport stops operating. These include train, light rail, and bus services. There are 32 individual routes serving these stops, providing a total of 6,368 weekly passenger trips.

The average distance from residents to the nearest transport stop is 101 meters. Service frequency averages 909 trips per day across all routes, resulting in approximately 374 weekly trips per individual stop.

Lewisham's residents are extremely healthy with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Lewisham. Prevalence of common health conditions is very low across all age groups.

Private health cover rate is exceptionally high at approximately 67% of the total population (2,754 people), compared to the national average of 55.3%. The most common medical conditions are mental health issues and asthma, impacting 11.1 and 8.6% of residents respectively. 71.5% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 0% across Greater Sydney. Lewisham has 12.1% of residents aged 65 and over (499 people). Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

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

Lewisham's population, as per the 2016 Census, showed high cultural diversity with 25.2% speaking a language other than English at home and 34.3% born overseas. Christianity was the predominant religion, comprising 33.5%. Judaism, however, was overrepresented at 0.3%, compared to None% in Greater Sydney.

The top three ancestry groups were English (20.8%), Australian (19.1%), and Other (11.2%). Notable divergences existed for Hungarian (0.4%), Spanish (0.7%), and Russian (0.5%) groups, all overrepresented compared to regional averages of None%.

Lewisham hosts a young demographic, positioning it in the bottom quartile nationwide

Lewisham's median age is 34 years, which is lower than Greater Sydney's average of 37 and Australia's national average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Sydney, Lewisham has a higher proportion of residents aged 25-34 (26.2%) but fewer residents aged 5-14 (7.3%). This concentration of 25-34 year-olds is significantly higher than the national average of 14.5%. Between the 2021 Census and present, the proportion of residents aged 35 to 44 has increased from 17.7% to 18.9%, while the proportion of residents aged 5 to 14 has decreased from 8.3% to 7.3%. By 2041, Lewisham's population is projected to undergo substantial demographic changes. The cohort aged 85 and above is expected to grow by 98%, adding 96 residents to reach a total of 196. Residents aged 65 and above will drive 81% of the population growth, indicating a trend towards an aging population. Conversely, population declines are projected for the cohorts aged 0-4 and 25-34.