How many people live in Victoria, and where is it growing?
Victoria is the most concentrated of the large states: three in four residents live in one city, and that city is growing outwards along a few corridors.
Victoria had 7,073,859 residents at 30 June 2025, and 76.8% of them live in Greater Melbourne. The state grew 8.2% from 2019 to 2025, on average 1.37% a year, with Melton and Wyndham on Melbourne’s western fringe growing three to five times faster. Residents spend about A$52,000 a head a year, slightly below the Australian average.
What are the key figures for Victoria?
| Indicator | Victoria | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Residents, 30 June 2025 | 7,073,859 | 27,613,654 |
| Average yearly change, 2019–2025 | 1.37% | 1.50% |
| Residents added since 2019 | 536,554 | 2,278,828 |
| Area | 227,496 km² | 7,688,095 km² |
| Residents per km² | 31.1 | 3.6 |
| Share in Greater Melbourne | 76.8% | — |
| Median age | 38.0 | 38.5 |
| Aged under 15 | 17.3% | 17.4% |
| Aged 65 and over | 17.0% | 17.5% |
| Income index | 98.8 | 100.0 |
| Consumption index | 98.9 | 100.0 |
| Spending per resident, a year | A$52,000 | A$52,582 |
| Resident spending, a year | A$367.8 billion | A$1,452.0 billion |
| Families (Census 2021) | 1,718,785 | 6,730,182 |
| Homes rented (Census 2021) | 30.7% | 33.6% |
| Flats and apartments (Census 2021) | 16.9% | 19.6% |
- Residents: ABS Estimated Resident Population at 30 June 2025, by council (2025 boundaries). Change: ABS Estimated Resident Population by council, 2019 to 2025; average yearly change as in the K-Stra area dashboard.
- Age: ABS population by five-year age group at 30 June 2025; median age worked out from the age groups. Capital: Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (ABS ASGS Edition 3), residents counted by K-Stra on the address points inside them.
- Indices: Income index from ABS Personal Income 2022–23 (tax data), measured or estimated; consumption index derived from it; 100 = Australia. Spending: Spending per resident from the consumption index and ABS national accounts (5204.0) for 2024–25. Housing and families: ABS Census 2021 (families, rented homes, flats and apartments).
Where do people live in Victoria?
Greater Melbourne holds 5,431,267 residents, 76.8% of Victoria, against 65.6% for Sydney in New South Wales. The largest councils are not in the centre but on the edge: Casey has 414,929 residents and Wyndham 347,830.
Geelong is the largest market outside Melbourne, with 355,450 residents in its region, followed by Latrobe–Gippsland with 313,759. Ballarat and Bendigo each count fewer than 190,000, and every region outside Melbourne has an income index below 100.
| Area (capital city, then SA4 regions) | Residents 2025 | Share | Median age | Income index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Melbourne | 5,431,267 | 76.8% | 36.8 | 102.1 |
| Geelong | 355,450 | 5.0% | 40.1 | 97.4 |
| Latrobe – Gippsland | 313,759 | 4.4% | 46.2 | 84.1 |
| Hume | 193,147 | 2.7% | 45.4 | 87.6 |
| Ballarat | 185,059 | 2.6% | 42.3 | 90.6 |
| Bendigo | 174,494 | 2.5% | 43.3 | 91.2 |
| North West | 153,689 | 2.2% | 43.7 | 83.3 |
| Shepparton | 138,653 | 2.0% | 43.7 | 84.4 |
| Warrnambool and South West | 128,341 | 1.8% | 46.0 | 86.1 |
Residents counted by K-Stra on the address points inside each area; median age from the five-year age groups, income index weighted by residents. The income index comes from ABS personal income tax data for 2022–23, measured for councils and SA2 areas and estimated elsewhere; 100 is the Australian average.
One city has a page of its own, with residents within 15, 30 and 45 minutes of the centre and incomes by postcode: Greater Melbourne.
Which councils in Victoria are growing fastest, and which are shrinking?
Melton grew 39.9% from 2019 to 2025, on average 6.65% a year, and Wyndham 4.55% a year: together they added 140,661 residents in six years. Mitchell, north of Melbourne, and Cardinia, to the south-east, follow, both on the edge of the metropolitan area.
Brimbank, in Melbourne’s west, lost residents at −0.69% a year, the largest fall of any council over 20,000 in the state, while Melton and Wyndham next door grew fastest: the west of Melbourne is two markets a few kilometres apart.
| Council | Residents 2019 | Residents 2025 | Change a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melton | 165,535 | 231,567 | 6.65% | Fastest |
| Wyndham | 273,201 | 347,830 | 4.55% | Fastest |
| Mitchell | 46,373 | 58,459 | 4.34% | Fastest |
| Cardinia | 112,002 | 133,472 | 3.19% | Fastest |
| Bass Coast | 37,440 | 44,377 | 3.09% | Fastest |
| Brimbank | 206,771 | 198,181 | −0.69% | Slowest |
| Swan Hill | 21,407 | 20,962 | −0.35% | Slowest |
| Nillumbik | 64,464 | 63,797 | −0.17% | Slowest |
Councils with more than 20,000 residents in 2025. Average yearly change = (residents 2025 ÷ residents 2019 − 1) ÷ 6, on 2025 council boundaries.
How much do residents of Victoria spend, and on what?
Victoria’s consumption index is 98.9: residents spend A$52,000 each a year, about A$582 less than the average Australian. The inner city earns most — Yarra at an income index of 131.5, Stonnington at 128.0 — and the growth councils sit just below 100.
| Category | Per resident, VIC | Per resident, Australia | Total, VIC (A$ million) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food and non-alcoholic beverages | A$5,009 | A$5,032 | 35,433 |
| Alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics | A$1,500 | A$1,509 | 10,611 |
| Clothing and footwear | A$1,858 | A$1,869 | 13,143 |
| Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels | A$12,673 | A$12,788 | 89,647 |
| Furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance | A$2,206 | A$2,243 | 15,605 |
| Health | A$3,775 | A$3,823 | 26,704 |
| Transport | A$5,494 | A$5,558 | 38,864 |
| Information and communication | A$946 | A$956 | 6,692 |
| Recreation, sport and culture | A$5,299 | A$5,380 | 37,484 |
| Education services | A$1,827 | A$1,862 | 12,924 |
| Restaurants and accommodation services | A$4,374 | A$4,447 | 30,941 |
| Insurance and financial services | A$4,098 | A$4,146 | 28,989 |
| Personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods and services | A$2,941 | A$2,969 | 20,804 |
| All categories | A$52,000 | A$52,582 | 367,841 |
Spending per resident from the consumption index and ABS national accounts (5204.0) for 2024–25. Spending of residents, wherever it happens; visitors are not included.
How many businesses of each kind does Victoria have?
Victoria has fewer outlets per 10,000 residents than the national figure in most sectors counted here: 2.45 pharmacies against 2.63, 4.48 real estate agencies against 5.34, 2.14 aged care sites against 2.50. Childcare and restaurants are the exceptions, at 5.59 against 5.24 and 12.61 against 12.17.
| Sector | Locations in VIC | Per 10,000 residents | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 2,023 | 2.86 | 2.92 |
| Pharmacies | 1,735 | 2.45 | 2.63 |
| Gyms & fitness centers | 4,674 | 6.61 | 7.06 |
| Bars & cafés | 8,379 | 11.85 | 12.00 |
| Restaurants | 8,917 | 12.61 | 12.17 |
| Hairdressers | 6,519 | 9.22 | 9.31 |
| Childcare & early learning | 3,955 | 5.59 | 5.24 |
| Aged care & retirement living | 1,514 | 2.14 | 2.50 |
| Fuel stations | 2,115 | 2.99 | 3.74 |
| Real estate agencies | 3,167 | 4.48 | 5.34 |
| Hotels & accommodation | 10,425 | 14.74 | 15.11 |
K-Stra places catalogue, October 2026, as the app classifies each business; residents at 30 June 2025. A higher count per resident can mean smaller outlets, visitors or a crowded market: the catchment of each site tells which.
What can you see about Victoria without an account?
No account neededOn the map of Australia, a click on “Victoria” opens this dashboard; zooming in, the same click works on every council, postcode and suburb in VIC. Browsing them costs nothing.
Figures for the whole of Victoria are a starting point: credits start when you measure the catchment of one of its addresses — the residents within a drive, their spending and the competitors already there.
What does this mean for choosing a location in Victoria?
In Victoria the question is less which city than which corridor. The western and northern growth areas add tens of thousands of residents a year at incomes close to the average, and services follow them with a delay.
A lower count of outlets per resident can mean larger stores or an underserved market; the state figure cannot tell which. The answer is in the catchment of each candidate site, where competitors are counted against the residents who can reach them.
Outside Melbourne, Geelong behaves like an extension of the city, while Ballarat, Bendigo and Shepparton are regional centres serving wide rural areas with older, lower-income residents.
What else do people ask about Victoria?
What is the population of Victoria?
7,073,859 at 30 June 2025 (ABS estimate). Greater Melbourne accounts for 5,431,267, or 76.8%; the rest of the state for 1,642,592.
Which is the fastest-growing council in Victoria?
Melton, at 6.65% a year on average from 2019 to 2025 (39.9% in all), followed by Wyndham at 4.55%, Mitchell at 4.34% and Cardinia at 3.19%, among councils with more than 20,000 residents.
Where is the youngest population in Victoria?
In the City of Melbourne, with a median age of 29.5, driven by students and young renters, and in the growth councils of Melton (33.3) and Wyndham (33.4).
Open Victoria
on the map.
The app opens on the state: click a council for its free dashboard, or draw the catchment of a site in a growth corridor.
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