Population growth is one of the drivers affecting the Region. The increasing number of people living close to the coast may intensify pressure on the Reef, primarily due to coastal development and recreational fishing.
Population growth is higher in the Region than elsewhere in the country
In June 2022, the Catchment population was 1,251,818 persons, with an annual growth rate of one per cent over 5 years (0.8 per cent over 10 years). Townsville had the largest population with 198,143 persons, and Fraser Coast and Whitsunday had the fastest population growth over 5 years of 1.9 per cent.1504 The Catchment population is aging with a median age of 41 years in 2021, an increase of 3.3 years since 2011.1504 The percentage of First Nations peoples in the Catchment is 7.9 per cent compared to 4.6 per cent for Queensland.1504
The Catchment population is expected to rise to 1.53 million by 2046, an increase of 0.9 per cent per year over 25 years.1504 Townsville is projected to have the largest population, rising to 264,899 persons by 2046, and Livingstone is projected to have the fastest growth in population with an average annual growth rate of 1.8 per cent.1504
Behaviour changes triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a flow of people from major cities to regional cities, with the largest internal migration to Queensland, which received 29 per cent of all interstate migration arrivals in 2020.1505,1506 Queensland’s and the Reef Catchment’s annual population growth rates in 2022 were higher than those of any of the other states and territories.1504,1507
The growth of coastal communities generates a variety of impacts, including increased recreational fishing (Section 5.4) and other direct uses of the Region (Section 6.6), coastal development (Section 6.4), and pollution (land-based runoff; Section 6.5). Coastal infrastructure, such as roads, marinas and boat ramps, housing development and the demand for more urban support services, such as sewage and stormwater treatment and energy infrastructure, will increase with an expanding population.
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