Cities in Australia Ranked by Population density
Population divided by land area, both as recorded in Wikidata for the city proper. Cities without a recorded area are left out. Source: Wikidata (CC0 1.0 (public domain)).
Summary
Darwin ranks #1 with 1,249 people per km². Townsville is second with 1,239 people per km², 0.8% behind. The top five are Darwin, Townsville, Adelaide, Ballarat and Launceston. The median across all 21 is 535.4 people per km²; Orange is last at 144.7 people per km².
- #1
- Darwin · 1,249 people per km²
- Median
- 535.4 people per km²
- Coverage
- 21 cities in Australia
- Data year
- As recorded in Wikidata
- Last updated
- 2026-11-14
Full ranking
| Rank | City | Country | Population density (people per km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darwin | Australia | 1,249 |
| 2 | Townsville | Australia | 1,239 |
| 3 | Adelaide | Australia | 1,071 |
| 4 | Ballarat | Australia | 1,022 |
| 5 | Launceston | Australia | 851.1 |
| 6 | Canberra | Australia | 808.6 |
| 7 | Bendigo | Australia | 705.7 |
| 8 | Port Macquarie | Australia | 691.8 |
| 9 | Newcastle | Australia | 584.4 |
| 10 | Bunbury | Australia | 542.1 |
| 11 | Melbourne | Australia | 535.4 |
| 12 | Sydney | Australia | 448.8 |
| 13 | Gold Coast | Australia | 433.4 |
| 14 | Wollongong | Australia | 382.9 |
| 15 | Perth | Australia | 333.7 |
| 16 | Cairns | Australia | 300.7 |
| 17 | Ipswich | Australia | 213.7 |
| 18 | Brisbane | Australia | 171 |
| 19 | Hobart | Australia | 145.5 |
| 20 | Geelong | Australia | 145.4 |
| 21 | Orange | Australia | 144.7 |
About the top 10
#1 Darwin
Darwin ranks #1 on this list with 1,249 people per km².
- Country
- Australia
- Population
- 139,902 people (2021)
- Area
- 112 km²
- Density
- 1,249 people per km²
- Elevation
- 0 m
- Founded
- 1869
- Coordinates
- 12.44° S, 130.84° E
#2 Townsville
Townsville ranks #2 on this list with 1,239 people per km².
- Country
- Australia
- Population
- 173,724 people (2021)
- Area
- 140.2 km²
- Density
- 1,239 people per km²
- Elevation
- 6 m
- Founded
- 1865
- Coordinates
- 19.26° S, 146.82° E
#3 Adelaide
Adelaide ranks #3 on this list with 1,071 people per km².
- Country
- Australia
- Population
- 1,387,290 people (2021)
- Area
- 1,295 km²
- Density
- 1,071 people per km²
- Elevation
- 1 m
- Founded
- 1836
- Coordinates
- 34.93° S, 138.60° E
Also ranks #12 in elevation · #174 in founded · #330 in population density.
#4 Ballarat
Ballarat ranks #4 on this list with 1,022 people per km².
- Country
- Australia
- Population
- 116,201 people (2021)
- Area
- 113.7 km²
- Density
- 1,022 people per km²
- Elevation
- 435 m
- Founded
- 1838
- Coordinates
- 37.56° S, 143.85° E
#5 Launceston
Launceston ranks #5 on this list with 851.1 people per km².
- Country
- Australia
- Population
- 80,943 people (2021)
- Area
- 95.1 km²
- Density
- 851 people per km²
- Elevation
- 0 m
- Founded
- 1806
- Coordinates
- 41.44° S, 147.14° E
#6 Canberra
Canberra ranks #6 on this list with 808.6 people per km².
- Country
- Australia
- Population
- 381,488 people (2014)
- Area
- 471.8 km²
- Density
- 809 people per km²
- Elevation
- 578 m
- Founded
- 1913
- Coordinates
- 35.29° S, 149.13° E
#7 Bendigo
Bendigo ranks #7 on this list with 705.7 people per km².
- Country
- Australia
- Population
- 103,034 people (2021)
- Area
- 146 km²
- Density
- 706 people per km²
- Elevation
- 221 m
- Founded
- 1851
- Coordinates
- 36.75° S, 144.27° E
#8 Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie ranks #8 on this list with 691.8 people per km².
- Country
- Australia
- Population
- 44,830 people (2016)
- Area
- 64.8 km²
- Density
- 692 people per km²
- Elevation
- 5 m
- Coordinates
- 31.43° S, 152.92° E
#9 Newcastle
Newcastle ranks #9 on this list with 584.4 people per km².
- Country
- Australia
- Population
- 152,984 people (2016)
- Area
- 261.8 km²
- Density
- 584 people per km²
- Elevation
- 9 m
- Founded
- 1804
- Coordinates
- 32.92° S, 151.75° E
#10 Bunbury
Bunbury ranks #10 on this list with 542.1 people per km².
- Country
- Australia
- Population
- 75,196 people (2021)
- Area
- 138.7 km²
- Density
- 542 people per km²
- Elevation
- 5 m
- Coordinates
- 33.33° S, 115.64° E
Profile facts: Wikidata (CC0).
Source and method
Population divided by land area, both as recorded in Wikidata for the city proper. Cities without a recorded area are left out.
Source: Wikidata. Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain). Retrieved: 2026-11-14.
Data: Wikidata (CC0)
Values are shown as published. Provider terms: Wikidata. All licences: Sources & licences.