Nunawading

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

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Nunawading's population is around 13,532 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 1,119 people (9.0%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 12,413 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 13,230 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 197 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 2,663 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Nunawading's 9.0% growth since the 2021 census exceeded the SA3 area (4.8%) and the SA4 region, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which contributed approximately 91.4% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch is utilising the VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023, with adjustments made employing a method of weighted aggregation of population growth from LGA to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are also applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Looking at population projections moving forward, an above-median population growth relative to national areas is projected, with the area expected to grow by 2,448 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting an increase of 15.9% in total over the 17 years.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Nunawading when compared nationally

Nunawading has averaged around 57 new dwelling approvals per year, with 288 homes approved over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25) and 30 so far in FY-26. Given an average of 1.4 new residents per year per dwelling constructed over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), supply and demand appear well-balanced, creating stable market conditions, with recent figures showing this has accelerated to 4.3 people per dwelling over the past 2 financial years, suggesting increasing demand and tightening supply. New homes are being built at an average construction cost of $432,000—slightly above the regional average—suggesting a focus on quality developments. Additionally, $46.3 million in commercial approvals have been registered this financial year, suggesting robust local business investment.

When measured against Greater Melbourne, Nunawading has slightly more development (28.0% above regional average per person over the 5 year period), maintaining good buyer choice while supporting existing property values. New building activity shows 45.0% detached dwellings and 55.0% attached dwellings. This skew toward compact living offers affordable entry pathways and attracts downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers. This represents a considerable change from the current housing mix (currently 69.0% houses), reflecting reduced availability of development sites and addressing shifting lifestyle demands and affordability requirements. With around 215 people per dwelling approval, Nunawading shows a developing market.

Population forecasts indicate Nunawading will gain 2,146 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). Building activity is keeping pace with growth projections, though buyers may experience heightened competition as the population grows.

Nunawading has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 40thth percentile nationally

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects and planning initiatives. In total 18 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include the Nunawading Activity Centre Cluster, Tunstall Village, Brand Smart Nunawading Retail Redevelopment, and the Strathdon House Davy Lane Jolimont Reserve Precinct Master Plan, with the list below detailing those likely to be of most relevance.

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 places Nunawading well above average for employment performance across multiple indicators

Nunawading has a highly educated workforce, with professional services showing strong representation, an unemployment rate of just 2.8%, and 1.3% in estimated employment growth over the past year. As of December 2025, 7,339 residents are in work while the unemployment rate is 2.0% below Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.8%, and workforce participation is somewhat below standard (68.3% compared to Greater Melbourne's 71.3%). Based on Census responses, a high 39.5% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

Leading employment industries among residents comprise health care & social assistance, professional & technical, and education & training. The area shows particularly strong specialization in finance & insurance, with an employment share of 1.4 times the regional level. Meanwhile, construction has a limited presence with 7.3% employment compared to 9.7% regionally. While local employment opportunities exist in the area, it appears many residents commute elsewhere for work, based on the count of Census working population to local population.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, over the 12 months to December 2025, employment increased by 1.3% while the labour force increased by 1.6%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.3 percentage points. This contrasts with Greater Melbourne, where employment rose by 2.4%, the labour force grew by 2.8%, and unemployment rose 0.3 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Nunawading. These projections, covering five and ten-year periods, have been mapped against the local employment profile to estimate growth patterns. While national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to Nunawading's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.9% over five years and 14.1% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

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

As per AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data released for FY-23, the Nunawading SA2's median income among taxpayers is $59,451, with an average of $75,130. This is well above average nationally, and compares to Greater Melbourne's median of $57,688 and average of $75,164. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.25% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $64,356 (median) and $81,328 (average) as of September 2025. Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes in Nunawading cluster around the 59th percentile nationally. The earnings profile shows the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket dominates with 30.6% of residents (4,140 people), reflecting patterns seen at regional levels where 32.8% similarly occupy this range. High housing costs consume 15.5% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 62nd percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

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

Dwelling structure within Nunawading, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 68.9% houses and 31.1% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), in comparison to Melbourne metro's 67.9% houses and 32.1% other dwellings. Meanwhile, the level of home ownership within Nunawading was higher than that of Melbourne metro, at 33.4%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (36.5%) or rented (30.1%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was above the Melbourne metro average at $2,167, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $391, compared to Melbourne metro's $2,000 and $390. Nationally, Nunawading's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents exceed the national figure of $375.

Nunawading features high concentrations of group households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households dominate at 69.6% of all households, comprising 35.0% couples with children, 23.8% couples without children, and 9.3% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 30.4%, with lone person households at 26.3% and group households comprising 4.1% of the total. The median household size of 2.6 people matches the Greater Melbourne average.

Educational achievement in Nunawading places it within the top 10% nationally, reflecting strong academic performance and high qualification levels across the community

Educational attainment in Nunawading significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 45.2% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 30.4% in Australia and 31.2% in the SA4 region. This substantial educational advantage positions the area strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees lead at 28.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (12.7%) and graduate diplomas (4.2%). Vocational pathways account for 24.3% of qualifications among those aged 15+ – advanced diplomas (11.2%) and certificates (13.1%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 30.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.5% in primary education, 7.0% in secondary education, and 6.9% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 73 active transport stops operating within Nunawading, comprising a mix of buses. These stops are serviced by 25 individual routes, collectively providing 5,633 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 184 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward; the car remains the dominant mode at 80%, with 12% by train. Vehicle ownership averages 1.2 per dwelling. A high 39.5% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 804 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 77 weekly trips per individual stop.

Nunawading's residents are extremely healthy with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Nunawading, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. Younger cohorts in particular see very low prevalence of common health conditions, and the rate of private health cover is very high at approximately 57% of the total population (~7,659 people).

The most common medical conditions in the area were found to be asthma and mental health issues, impacting 7.4% and 7.3% of residents, respectively, while 72.8% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 72.6% across Greater Melbourne. Working-age residents are notably healthy with low chronic condition prevalence. The area has 19.6% of residents aged 65 and over (2,653 people), which is higher than the 15.1% in Greater Melbourne, though ranking lower nationally than the broader population.

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

Nunawading scores highly on cultural diversity, with 39.7% of its population born overseas and 38.8% speaking a language other than English at home. The main religion in Nunawading is Christianity, which makes up 41.1% of people. However, the most apparent overrepresentation is in Buddhism, which comprises 5.8% of the population, compared to 4.2% across Greater Melbourne.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Nunawading are English, comprising 19.9% of the population, Australian, comprising 18.2% of the population, and Chinese, comprising 16.5% of the population, which is substantially higher than the regional average of 6.5%. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: Sri Lankan is notably overrepresented at 0.6% of Nunawading (vs 0.8% regionally), Vietnamese at 1.6% (vs 1.9%) and Indian at 4.3% (vs 4.2%).

Nunawading's population aligns closely with national norms in age terms

The 39-year median age in Nunawading is somewhat higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 and similarly very close to the 38-year national average. Compared to the Greater Melbourne average, the 75 - 84 cohort is notably over-represented (7.5% locally), while 25 - 34 year-olds are under-represented (13.0%). Post-2021 Census data shows the 75 to 84 age group has grown from 6.2% to 7.5% of the population, while the 55 to 64 cohort increased from 9.9% to 10.9%. Conversely, the 25 to 34 cohort has declined from 14.6% to 13.0% and the 0 to 4 group dropped from 6.0% to 4.8%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes for Nunawading. Leading the demographic shift, the 75 to 84 group will grow by 44% (445 people), reaching 1,456 from 1,010. On the other hand, both 0 to 4 and 5 to 14 age groups will see reduced numbers.