SEQ Females outnumber males – but different story in rest of state

Females in South East Queensland outnumber males - although in the rest of the state it’s a different story with the numbers reversed.

Treasurer Andrew Fraser said statistical data from the Gender in Queensland report – prepared by the State Government’s Office of Economic and Statistical Research – provided a valuable snapshot of gender distribution throughout the state.

Based on the results of the 2006 Census, the report shows the south east corner boasts a higher proportion of females while the highest proportion of males can be found in the north and west.

Within South East Queensland, the highest proportion of females lived at the Sunshine Coast (51.3 per cent), followed by Brisbane (50.9 per cent) and Gold Coast (50.8 per cent).

“Males outnumber females in the areas of western, central and northern Queensland,” Mr Fraser said.

“The statistics show the number of males and females in the population were similar - 1.94 million males and 1.97 million females - but the distribution differed with age.

“For instance of Queenslanders under the age of 25, there were more males than females although the number of women aged 65 and over outranked the number of men in that age category.”

Mr Fraser said Queensland blokes were not forgotten in the statistics.

“Their life expectancy is on the up. Figures show they are living longer with the average life expectancy for a Queensland man now 78.5 years compared with 75.1 years a decade ago.

“And while nearly 50 per cent of Queensland men are married, there are 37 per cent of Queensland men who haven’t yet taken the marital plunge.”

Mr Fraser said the future for the 4 million who call Queensland home shows a changing picture.

“Over the next twenty years, the most common living arrangement is predicted to change from a couple family with children to a couple family without children.

“And, the number of lone person households in Queensland is expected to be the most rapid growing of all states, with lone households expected to be 304,300 for men and 391,200 for women by 2026.”

The Gender in Queensland bulletin is based on 2006 ABS data and is available from the Office of Economic and Statistical Research at www.oesr.qld.gov.au

17th February 2008

Media Contact: Chris Taylor 3224 5982 or 0419 710 874