Willoughby (NSW)

Population growth drivers in Willoughby are slightly above average based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium term trends

As of May 2026, the estimated population of the suburb of Willoughby (NSW) is around 8,181. This figure reflects a growth of 1,057 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 7,124. The increase was inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of the resident population at 7,846 in June 2025, based on ABS ERP data release and additional validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 5,019 persons per square kilometer, placing Willoughby in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The suburb's growth rate of 14.8% since the 2021 census exceeded both the SA4 region (5.9%) and the state average. Overseas migration contributed approximately 94.0% of overall population gains during recent periods in Willoughby.

For future projections, AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections released in 2024 with a base year of 2022 for SA2 areas covered by this data, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections released in 2022 with a base year of 2021 for areas not covered. These projections anticipate a population increase just below the median statistical area analysed by AreaSearch, with Willoughby expected to increase by 467 persons to reach approximately 8,650 by 2041, reflecting an overall gain of 1.6% over the 16-year period.

Residential development activity is slightly higher than average within Willoughby when compared nationally

Willoughby has seen around 132 dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling an estimated 663 homes. In FY26 so far, 15 approvals have been recorded. Between FY21 and FY25, an average of 0.4 people moved to Willoughby per dwelling built yearly. New construction has matched or outpaced demand, with new dwellings developed at an average cost of $1,028,000.

There have been $24.9 million in commercial approvals this financial year. Compared to Greater Sydney, Willoughby records 193.0% more development activity per person. New development consists of 9.0% detached houses and 91.0% townhouses or apartments. Population forecasts indicate Willoughby will gain 132 residents by 2041, with current construction levels meeting demand.

Population forecasts indicate Willoughby will gain 132 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). With current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified eight projects likely to impact the region. Key initiatives include Aurora Willoughby, Heart Of Willoughby, Willoughby Grounds, and Flo Northbridge by WINIM. The following details projects likely to be most relevant.

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.

Employment conditions in Willoughby remain below the national average according to AreaSearch analysis

Willoughby has an educated workforce with the technology sector well-represented. The unemployment rate was 4.7% in December 2025, with an estimated employment growth of 0.6% over the previous year, according to AreaSearch's aggregation of statistical area data. As of that date, 4,053 residents were employed while the unemployment rate was 0.5% higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%.

Workforce participation in Willoughby was lower at 66.3%, compared to Greater Sydney's 68.8%. Census responses showed that 62.7% of residents worked from home, potentially influenced by Covid-19 lockdowns. The dominant employment sectors were professional & technical, finance & insurance, and health care & social assistance. Notably, finance & insurance employed 1.9 times the regional average proportion of workers.

Conversely, construction employed only 5.6% of local workers, below Greater Sydney's 8.6%. The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by the lower ratio of Census working population to resident population. Between December 2024 and December 2025, employment levels increased by 0.6%, while labour force grew by 2.1%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate by 1.4 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Sydney recorded higher employment growth of 2.2% and marginal unemployment increase. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project overall national employment expansion by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Willoughby'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 extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not consider localised population projections.

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

The suburb of Willoughby had an exceptionally high income level nationally according to the latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2023. The median income among taxpayers in Willoughby was $79,919 and the average income stood at $164,640. These figures compared to Greater Sydney's median income of $60,817 and average income of $83,003 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.32% since financial year 2023, current estimates for Willoughby would be approximately $88,167 (median) and $181,631 (average) as of March 2026. Census data revealed that household, family and personal incomes in Willoughby all ranked highly nationally, between the 93rd and 96th percentiles. Income brackets indicated that the predominant cohort consisted of 39.3% of locals (3,215 people) in the $4000+ category, unlike trends in the metropolitan region where 30.9% fell within the $1,500 - 2,999 range. Higher earners represented a substantial presence with 49.6% exceeding $3,000 weekly, indicating strong purchasing power within the community. High housing costs consumed 15.5% of income, though strong earnings still placed disposable income at the 96th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking placed it in the 10th decile.

Willoughby displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Dwelling structure in Willoughby, as evaluated at the latest Census conducted on 28 August 2016, comprised 56.5% houses and 43.5% other dwellings including semi-detached properties, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This compares to Sydney metropolitan area's 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Willoughby stood at 33.9%, with mortgaged dwellings accounting for 34.8% and rented dwellings making up 31.3%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $3,500, exceeding Sydney metro's average of $2,427. Median weekly rent in Willoughby was recorded at $583, compared to Sydney metro's $470. Nationally, Willoughby's median monthly mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while median weekly rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Willoughby has a typical household mix, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households constitute 75.6% of all households, including 41.0% couples with children, 22.5% couples without children, and 10.8% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 24.4%, with lone person households at 21.8% and group households making up 2.7%. The median household size is 2.7 people, which aligns with the Greater Sydney average.

Willoughby demonstrates exceptional educational outcomes, ranking among the top 5% of areas nationally based on AreaSearch's comprehensive analysis of qualification and performance metrics

Willoughby's educational attainment significantly exceeds broader benchmarks. In the area, 53.3% of residents aged 15+ hold university qualifications, compared to 30.4% in Australia and 32.2% in NSW. This high level of educational attainment positions Willoughby strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees are most common at 34.1%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (15.6%) and graduate diplomas (3.6%).

Vocational pathways account for 20.0% of qualifications among those aged 15+, with advanced diplomas at 9.8% and certificates at 10.2%. Educational participation is notably high, with 32.6% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 11.7% in primary education, 9.0% in secondary education, and 6.3% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Willoughby has 36 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 55 different routes that together facilitate 2,963 weekly passenger trips. The average distance from a resident's home to the nearest transport stop is 138 meters, indicating excellent transport accessibility in the area. Most residents commute outwards due to Willoughby being primarily residential. The dominant mode of transport for these outward commutes is by car at 70%, with buses used by 13% and walking by 7%. The average vehicle ownership per dwelling is 1.0, which is below the regional average.

According to the 2021 Census, 62.7% of residents work from home, a figure that may be influenced by COVID-19 conditions. On average, there are 423 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 82 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Willoughby's health outcomes show impressive results based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. The area has a very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups. Approximately 92% of Willoughby's total population (7,496 people) have private health cover, compared to 59.9% in Greater Sydney and the national average of 55.7%.

Asthma and arthritis are the most common medical conditions, affecting 6.8 and 5.9% of residents respectively. Notably, 75.8% of Willoughby's residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 74.6% in Greater Sydney. Working-age residents in Willoughby have low chronic condition prevalence. The area has 16.7% of residents aged 65 and over (1,366 people), higher than the 15.5% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors in Willoughby are strong, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

Willoughby 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

Willoughby has a high level of cultural diversity, with 28.9% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 35.9% born overseas. Christianity is the predominant religion in Willoughby, making up 51.4% of people. However, Judaism is overrepresented compared to Greater Sydney, comprising 0.6% versus 0.8%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (21.7%), Australian (19.6%), and Other (11.5%). Some ethnic groups have notable divergences in representation: Croatian at 1.3% versus 0.7%, French at 0.8% versus 0.5%, and Hungarian at 0.4% versus 0.3%.

Willoughby's population is slightly older than the national pattern

Willoughby has a median age of 40, which is slightly higher than Greater Sydney's figure of 37 and Australia's figure of 38 years. The 45-54 age cohort is notably over-represented in Willoughby at 16.4%, compared to the Greater Sydney average, while the 25-34 age cohort is under-represented at 8.6%. Between 2021 and present, the 15-24 age group has increased from 10.7% to 14.2% of the population. Conversely, the 35-44 age cohort has declined from 16.4% to 14.7%, and the 0-4 age group has dropped from 6.1% to 4.9%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests Willoughby's age profile will significantly evolve. The 65-74 age cohort is projected to expand by 164 people (25%), from 646 to 811. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups are expected to account for 52% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. Meanwhile, the 0-4 and 5-14 age cohorts are expected to experience population declines.