Nakara

Nakara 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 Feb 2026, the estimated population of Nakara is around 1,910 people. This reflects an increase of 4 individuals since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 1,906. The current population was inferred from AreaSearch's resident count of 1,910, based on their examination of ABS' latest ERP data release (June 2024) and address validation since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 2,273 persons per square kilometer, exceeding the average seen across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration primarily drove population growth, contributing approximately 82.0% 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 and to estimate growth post-2032, AreaSearch applies growth rates by age cohort to each area, as provided by the ABS in their latest Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data). Future population trends project an above median growth for statistical areas analysed by AreaSearch. Nakara is expected to increase by 366 persons to 2041, reflecting a total increase of 18.5% over the 17 years.

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

Nakara has recorded no new dwelling approvals between 2017 and present. This indicates a mature suburb where available land for new construction is limited. For buyers, this scarcity typically supports property values and may mean competition is primarily among existing homes.

Compared to Greater Darwin, Nakara's building activity is markedly lower, indicating constrained new construction which usually reinforces demand and pricing for existing homes. This level is also under the national average, suggesting the area's established nature and potential planning limitations.

Nakara has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 13thth percentile nationally

Five projects identified by AreaSearch are expected to impact the area, significantly influencing its performance. These key projects include Casuarina Square Redevelopment, CDU - Centre for Better Health Futures, Royal Darwin Hospital Mental Health Inpatient Unit and CSSD Upgrade, and CDU - Trades Training Centre. The following list details those considered most relevant.

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

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The labour market in Nakara shows considerable strength compared to most other Australian regions

Nakara has a highly educated workforce with essential services sectors well represented. The unemployment rate was 2.6% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 1.3%. As of September 2025, 1,084 residents were in work, and the unemployment rate was 0.5% below Greater Darwin's rate of 3.1%.

Workforce participation was somewhat lower at 71.4%, compared to Greater Darwin's 76.0%. According to Census responses, 6.9% of residents worked from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered. Key industries of employment among residents were health care & social assistance, education & training, and public administration & safety. Health care & social assistance had notably high concentration with employment levels at 1.4 times the regional average.

In contrast, public administration & safety employed just 12.5% of local workers, below Greater Darwin's 19.5%. The area appeared to offer limited employment opportunities locally, as indicated by the count of Census working population vs resident population. Over a 12-month period ending in May-25, employment increased by 1.3%, labour force increased by 1.6%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.2 percentage points. By comparison, Greater Darwin recorded employment growth of 1.9%. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia projected a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Nakara's employment mix suggested local employment should increase by 6.9% over five years and 14.3% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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

Nakara suburb has a median taxpayer income of $59,662 and an average income of $69,482 in the latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2023. This is slightly above national averages, contrasting with Greater Darwin's median income of $66,956 and average income of $77,199. By September 2025, estimated incomes would be approximately $64,697 (median) and $75,346 (average), based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.44% since financial year 2023. Census 2021 income data ranks Nakara's household, family, and personal incomes highly, between the 78th and 88th percentiles nationally. Income distribution shows that 32.4% of locals (618 people) fall into the $1,500 - 2,999 category, reflecting surrounding region patterns where 36.7% occupy this range. A substantial proportion of high earners (39.4% above $3,000/week) indicates strong economic capacity in the area. After housing costs, residents retain 87.5% of income, reflecting strong purchasing power and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

Nakara is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Nakara's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 91.7% houses and 8.3% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Darwin metro had 63.5% houses and 36.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Nakara stood at 30.8%, with mortgaged dwellings at 32.9% and rented ones at 36.3%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,000, lower than Darwin metro's average of $2,100. The median weekly rent in Nakara was $420, compared to Darwin metro's $385. Nationally, Nakara's mortgage repayments were higher at $2,000 than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Nakara features high concentrations of group households and family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households comprise 78.1% of all households, including 39.2% couples with children, 25.3% couples without children, and 11.3% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 21.9%, with lone person households at 15.5% and group households comprising 6.4%. The median household size is 3.0 people, larger than the Greater Darwin average of 2.6.

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

Nakara's educational attainment exceeds broader benchmarks significantly. Among residents aged 15+, 41.0% hold university qualifications, compared to NT's 27.3% and Australia's 30.4%. This educational advantage positions Nakara strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees lead at 24.1%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (12.9%) and graduate diplomas (4.0%).

Trade and technical skills feature prominently, with 27.5% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (8.5%) and certificates (19.0%). Educational participation is notably high, with 35.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 11.4% in primary education, 9.5% in secondary education, and 7.9% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Nakara has seven operational public transport stops, served by a mix of buses along 21 different routes. These routes facilitate 1,493 weekly passenger trips in total. The area's transport accessibility is considered excellent, with residents typically situated 173 meters from the nearest stop. Predominantly residential, Nakara sees most commuters traveling outward. Cars are the primary mode of transportation, used by 80% of residents, while buses account for 7%, and walking makes up 5%. On average, there are 1.6 vehicles per dwelling.

According to the 2021 Census, a relatively low 6.9% of residents work from home, which may be influenced by COVID-19 conditions. The service frequency averages 213 trips per day across all routes, translating to approximately 213 weekly trips per individual stop.

Nakara'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 Nakara. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence were very low across all age groups.

The rate of private health cover was found to be fairly high at approximately 54% of the total population (~1,036 people), compared to 57.8% across Greater Darwin. The most common medical conditions in the area were arthritis and mental health issues, impacting 6.3 and 4.9% of residents respectively. 76.8% of residents declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 77.1% across Greater Darwin. As of June 20XX (the exact year is not specified), 15.5% of Nakara's residents were aged 65 and over (296 people), which was higher than the 10.8% in Greater Darwin. Health outcomes among seniors in Nakara were particularly strong, with national rankings even higher than the general population.

Nakara is among the most culturally diverse areas in the country based on AreaSearch assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Nakara's cultural diversity is high, with 43.5% speaking a language other than English at home and 46.2% born overseas. Christianity is the predominant religion in Nakara, making up 45.5%. Buddhism is overrepresented in Nakara at 5.4%, compared to Greater Darwin's 3.3%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (18.2%), Australian (17.7%), and Other (17.4%). Some ethnic groups have notable divergences: Filipino is equally represented at 3.8%, Greek is overrepresented at 4.3% compared to the regional average of 2.3%, and Sri Lankan is also overrepresented at 0.9%.

Nakara's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

Nakara has a median age of 36, which is slightly higher than Greater Darwin's figure of 34 but lower than Australia's median age of 38. Compared to Greater Darwin, Nakara has a higher proportion of residents aged 65-74, at 8.5%, and a lower proportion of residents aged 15-24, at 10.4%. Between the 2021 Census and the present day, the population aged 25 to 34 in Nakara has grown from 16.5% to 17.9%. Conversely, the proportion of residents aged 5 to 14 has declined from 15.3% to 13.7%, and the proportion of residents aged 45 to 54 has dropped from 14.0% to 12.4%. Population forecasts for Nakara in 2041 indicate significant demographic changes, with the strongest projected growth in the 45 to 54 age group, expected to grow by 34% and add 81 residents to reach a total of 318. The 0 to 4 age cohort is projected to grow by a modest 9%, adding 8 people to its current size.