Narrabeen

An assessment of population growth drivers in Narrabeen reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

As of Feb 2026, the estimated population of Narrabeen is around 8,441, reflecting an increase of 186 people since the 2021 Census. This growth represents a 2.3% increase from the previous figure of 8,255 residents. The change is inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of 8,245 residents following examination of ABS data released in June 2024, along with an additional 82 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 3,836 persons per square kilometer, placing Narrabeen in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The suburb's 2.3% growth since census is within 1.0 percentage points of its SA3 area (3.3%), indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Overseas migration was primarily responsible for population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022, and NSW State Government's SA2-level projections for areas not covered by this data, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Based on aggregated SA2-level projections, Narrabeen is expected to increase by 580 persons to 2041, reflecting an increase of 4.5% over the 17 years.

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

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers allocated from statistical area data shows Narrabeen experienced around 16 dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years to June 2021, totalling an estimated 82 homes. As of February 2026, two approvals have been recorded. The area has seen population decline, yet development activity has remained adequate relative to its size. New properties are constructed at an average expected construction cost value of $717,000, indicating developers target the premium market segment with higher-end properties.

This financial year has seen $2.0 million in commercial approvals, suggesting a predominantly residential focus. Compared to Greater Sydney, Narrabeen records approximately 67% of the building activity per person and ranks among the 16th percentile nationally, implying limited buyer options while demand for established homes strengthens. This reflects market maturity and possible development constraints. New development consists of 47.0% detached dwellings and 53.0% townhouses or apartments, demonstrating a trend towards denser development to provide accessible entry options for downsizers, investors, and entry-level buyers. However, new construction favours detached housing more than current patterns suggest, indicating ongoing robust demand for family homes despite increasing density pressures.

The location has approximately 1026 people per dwelling approval, suggesting an established market. Looking ahead, Narrabeen is projected to grow by 381 residents by 2041, according to the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

Narrabeen has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

AreaSearch has identified eight projects that could impact the area, with key ones being Cromer Village Green's proposed mixed-use precinct, The Narrabeen Village, Narrabeen Surf Life Saving Club Redevelopment, and Narrabeen Lakeside Estate.

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 reveals Narrabeen recording weaker employment conditions than most comparable areas nationwide

Narrabeen has a well-educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. Its unemployment rate is 5.1% according to AreaSearch's aggregation of statistical area data. As of September 2025, there are 4,226 employed residents, with an unemployment rate of 6.2%, which is 1.0% higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%.

Workforce participation in Narrabeen is lower at 60.9% compared to Greater Sydney's 70.0%. Census data shows that 44.8% of residents work from home, potentially influenced by Covid-19 lockdowns. Dominant employment sectors include construction, professional & technical services, and health care & social assistance. Narrabeen has a significant employment specialization in construction, with a share of 1.5 times the regional level.

Conversely, transport, postal & warehousing employs only 2.8% of local workers, below Greater Sydney's 5.3%. The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by the difference between Census working population and resident population numbers. Over the 12 months to September 2025, labour force levels decreased by 0.6%, with employment decreasing by 3.2%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate of 2.5 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment grow by 2.1% and labour force expand by 2.4%, with unemployment rising by only 0.2 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can provide further insight into potential future demand within Narrabeen. These projections estimate national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these industry-specific projections to Narrabeen's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.9% over five years and 14.0% over ten years, though these are simple weighting extrapolations for illustrative purposes and do not account for localized population projections.

Income analysis reveals strong economic positioning, with the area outperforming 60% of locations assessed nationally by AreaSearch

The suburb of Narrabeen had a median taxpayer income of $60,211 and an average income of $93,560 in the latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for the financial year 2023. This places Narrabeen among the highest income suburbs in Australia, compared to Greater Sydney's median income of $60,817 and average income of $83,003. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% since financial year 2023, current estimates would be approximately $65,546 (median) and $101,849 (average) as of September 2025. According to the 2021 Census, individual earnings in Narrabeen stand at the 81st percentile nationally ($1,025 weekly), while household income ranks at the 51st percentile. The majority of residents, 28.7% or 2,422 people, fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 weekly income bracket, aligning with regional levels where this cohort represents 30.9%. Housing affordability pressures are severe in Narrabeen, with only 78.0% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 45th percentile. The suburb's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

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

Narrabeen dwellings, as per the latest Census, were 15.9% houses and 84.1% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Sydney metro's 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Narrabeen was 32.2%, with mortgaged dwellings at 25.1% and rented ones at 42.6%. Median monthly mortgage repayments were $2,600, exceeding Sydney metro's average of $2,427. Median weekly rent in Narrabeam was $565, higher than Sydney metro's $470. Nationally, Narrabeen's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Narrabeen features high concentrations of lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 58.3% of all households, including 19.4% couples with children, 28.9% couples without children, and 9.4% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 41.7%, with lone person households at 38.5% and group households comprising 3.0%. The median household size is 2.0 people, which is smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

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

Narrabeen trail residents aged 15+ have 34.3% with university degrees, compared to the SA4 region's 41.5%. This gap suggests potential for educational development. Bachelor degrees are most common at 24.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (7.1%) and graduate diplomas (2.9%). Vocational credentials are held by 36.5% of residents aged 15+, with advanced diplomas at 14.0% and certificates at 22.5%.

Currently, 21.1% of the population is actively pursuing formal education, including 5.9% in primary, 5.3% in secondary, and 4.2% in tertiary education.

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

Narrabeen has 46 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 64 different routes that together facilitate 6,542 weekly passenger trips. The accessibility of these transport services is rated as excellent, with residents on average located just 119 meters from the nearest stop. Most residents commute outward due to Narrabeen's primarily residential nature. Car remains the dominant mode of transportation at 84%, while bus use stands at 8%. Vehicle ownership averages 1.0 per dwelling, which is below the regional average.

According to the 2021 Census, a high proportion of residents, at 44.8%, work from home, possibly due to COVID-19 conditions. The service frequency across all routes averages 934 trips per day, equating to approximately 142 weekly trips per individual stop.

Narrabeen's residents are relatively healthy in comparison to broader Australia with the level of common health conditions among the general population somewhat typical, though higher than the nation's average among older cohorts

Narrabeen's health metrics are close to national benchmarks. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence are somewhat typical of the general population, but higher than the national average among older cohorts. Private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 64% of the total population (5,387 people), compared to 59.9% across Greater Sydney and a national average of 55.7%.

The most common medical conditions are arthritis and mental health issues, affecting 9.6 and 8.3% of residents respectively. 64.4% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 74.6% across Greater Sydney. Working-age residents have low chronic condition prevalence. The area has 32.0% of residents aged 65 and over (2,701 people), higher than the 15.4% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors present some challenges but rank lower nationally than the broader population.

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

Narrabeen, as per data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2016, exhibited above-average cultural diversity with 11.2% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 25.7% born overseas. Christianity was identified as the predominant religion in Narrabeen, comprising 55.6% of the population. Judaism, however, showed an overrepresentation in Narrabeen, making up 0.4% compared to the Greater Sydney average of 0.8%.

In terms of ancestry, the top three groups were English (31.2%), Australian (23.8%), and Irish (9.6%), all substantially higher than their respective regional averages of 19.0%, 17.8%, and 4.5%. Notable divergences included French (1.0% vs regional 0.5%), Welsh (0.7% vs 0.4%), and Spanish (0.6% vs 0.6%).

Narrabeen hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

Narrabeen's median age is 48 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and Australia's national average of 38 years. The age profile shows that those aged 85 years and above make up 8.9% of the population, compared to a smaller proportion of those aged 5-14 years at 6.5%. This concentration of the elderly is well above the national average of 2.2%. Between 2021 and present, the percentage of the population aged 55-64 has increased from 11.5% to 12.7%, while those aged 75-84 have grown from 10.3% to 11.5%. Conversely, the proportion of those aged 45-54 has decreased from 11.6% to 10.7%. Population forecasts for Narrabeen in 2041 indicate significant demographic changes. The number of residents aged 85 years and above is projected to increase by 71%, adding 530 people to reach a total of 1,282. Senior residents aged 65 years and above will drive 98% of population growth, demonstrating the trend towards an aging demographic. Conversely, population declines are projected for those aged 15-24 and 5-14 years.