Our people

Over the next 15 years our population will grow and change in many ways. Understanding these changes helps us think about our different needs.

Who are we, and who will we be?

We’re very young compared to the rest of Melbourne. Our average age is 33.
There will be a lot more of us by 2035 – more than 38,000 extra people.
By 2035, 50% of us will be aged between 25 and 49 years old.
But we’re also getting older. The number of 85+ year olds will double from 1,500 to 3,000.

50% rent privately (it's 29% in Greater Melbourne)
Nearly 10% rent in public housing (it's 2.6% in Greater Melbourne)
37% of our housing is high-density (e.g. apartment buildings). Like all inner urban locations more of us will be living high density in the future
6,000 (15%) of Yarra households are experiencing housing stress. Yarra has the fourth highest homelessness rate in Victoria
We move around a lot too. There’s a trend that shows for everyone that moves into Yarra, over say five years, roughly half that number move out.

Overall our health is pretty good, but there are a few challenges we face in Yarra:

One third of us live alone.
31.1% of family violence incidents are alcohol related – almost double the Victorian average.
We’re much more likely to drink more than four standard drinks daily than other areas.
Assaults in Yarra are much more likely to involve alcohol than in other areas.
More Yarra residents go hungry (7.2%) than the average Victorian (3.6%).
5.2% of Yarra residents over 18 don’t have the recommended fruit and vegetable intake.
We spend more time sitting than the average Victorian – 40% of us sit more than seven hours a day (compared to 27% for the rest of Victoria).