G21 region community profile

The G21 Region Community Profile website provides community groups, investors, business, students and others with information about the people of the G21 region. It includes data from the 2006, 2001, 1996, 1991 and 2006 Censuses of Population and Housing.

Click here to visit the G21 Region Community Profile 

Likely population change

All municipalities within the G21 region are expected to increase in population between 2001 and 2016. The G21 Region Population Forecast website shows that the largest increases in population are expected in the City of Greater Geelong and to a lesser extent Surf Coast Shire.

The forecasts are based on an analysis of:

• Current population and household structure
• The role and function of an area and the degree to which an area may be going through some form of demographic transition
• Demographic changes, such as birth, death and migration rates
• Scrutiny of urban development drivers (residential development opportunities, vacancy rates etc).

Click here to visit the G21 Region Population Forecast website

Growth projections - quick summary

Population forecasts prepared by Department of Planning and Community Development indicate that most of the growth in the G21 region to 2026 will occur in the Surf Coast and Golden Plains shires, with the City of Greater Geelong also contributing a significant proportion to the future growth.

Growth Projections are as follows:

• Surf Coast – East (at 3.0% pa)
• South Barwon-Inner (2.6% pa)
• Golden Plains – South East (2.3% pa)
• Greater Geelong – Pt B (Bellarine Peninsula – 1.7% pa)
• Greater Geelong – Pt C (1.3% pa). 

This growth reflects the lifestyle attractiveness of the region and the planned growth in the City of Greater Geelong’s Armstrong Creek urban growth area.  Although not mentioned above, Colac-Otway is expected to have marginal growth, while Queenscliff is not expected to grow significantly from its current population.

An Ageing Population

An important feature of the projected population growth is the anticipated ageing of the population, with the region expected to have a significantly older population than the Victorian and Australian average.  The G21 region’s population over 65 is expected to:

• Make up 26.9% in 2031  

compared with

• Victoria - 23.8%
• Australia – 21.3%.

Between 2006 and 2026, the number of people in the G21 region aged 60 and over is projected to nearly double, from 55,113 in 2006 to 99,787 in 2026.

This will mean that by 2026 it is expected that:

• Those aged 60+ will rise to 28.1% (up from 20.4% in 2006)
• Those aged 0 to 19 will increase by 15,453 persons (from 71,641 in 2006 to 87,094 in 2026). Nevertheless,  it is projected that there will be a slight decrease in the proportion of 0 to 19 year olds between 2006 and 2026, from 26.5% of the population down to 24.5%.
• Those aged 20 to 59, will increase by 25,162 (from 143,234 in 2006 to 168,396 in 2026). Nevertheless, the percentage of the population in this age cohort will drop from 53.0% in 2006 to 47.4% in 2026.

Click here to view other key G21 region statistics

Regional Economic Output

Estimated total output for the G21 region in 2009 was $27.7 billion. Output refers to gross revenue generated by businesses and organisations in the region. The largest contributors to these figures are

1. Manufacturing at $11.5 billion
2. Property & Business Services at $2.4 billion
3. Construction at $2.4 billion
4. Retail Trade at $2.0 billion
5. Wholesale Trade at $1.3 billion
6. Health & Community Services at $1.3 billion) and
7. Transport & Storage at $1.0 billion

Major Industry

The top seven industries in the G21 region by share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are manufacturing, retail trade, health care and social services, construction, education and training, accommodation and food services and public administration and safety.

Over 26% of all industry employment in the G21 region is in the retail and manufacturing industries.

High growth industry sectors contributing 19.5% of output, 29.6% of Gross Regional Product (GRP) and 31.8% of direct jobs include:

• Education
• Health and Community Services
• Financial and Insurance Services
• Communication Technology Services
• Property and Business Services.

Medium growth industry sectors contributing 17.7% of output, 16.4% of GRP and 19.1% of direct jobs include:

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Personal Services
• Agricultural Crops and Agricultural Services
• Tourism (accommodation, cafes and restaurants)
• Tourism (cultural and recreational services)
• Viticulture and Wine Making
• Aquaculture
• Non-Metal Mineral products
• Aerospace Technology
• Forestry and Logging
• Wood and Wood Products
• Paper/Printing and Publishing
• Fabricated Metal Products
• Beef, Sheep, Pig, Poultry and Dairy Farming.

Major Businesses (employers)