Townsville population: how many people live in Townsville?

The Townsville Significant Urban Area had an estimated resident population of 190,551 at 30 June 2025. That made it the fourth-largest of the 19 urban areas in Queensland, behind Brisbane at 2,745,086 people, Gold Coast - Tweed Heads at 761,634 and the Sunshine Coast at 424,741, and the largest of the state's other 16 urban areas². Townsville accounted for 3.4 per cent of Queensland's estimated 5,669,764 people and 0.7 per cent of Australia's 27,613,654 people³.

The ABS publishes population estimates annually for 30 June. In the 2024-25 release, the estimates are final for 2001 to 2021, revised for 2022 to 2024 and preliminary for 2025⁴. The next release, covering 30 June 2026, is due on 25 March 2027¹.

Net overseas migration was the largest component of population growth in the City of Townsville council area in 2024-25, adding 1,225 people. Natural increase (the excess of births over deaths) added 890 people. Net internal migration (moves to and from elsewhere in Australia) added 173⁶. Together, the three components accounted for the council area's increase of 2,288 people, and net overseas migration accounted for about 54 per cent of that increase.

The ABS publishes components of change for council areas and smaller statistical areas, but not directly for urban areas, so this section uses both.¹

Net overseas migration was the largest component in each of the three years from 2022-23 to 2024-25. In 2021-22, natural increase was the largest. Births in the council area fell from 2,571 in 2021-22 to 2,315 in 2024-25. Deaths rose from 1,247 to 1,425 across the four years. Natural increase, the difference between births and deaths, fell from 1,324 to 890. Net internal migration stayed between 164 and 348 people a year⁷.

Townsville was the fourth largest of the 19 urban areas in Queensland at 30 June 2025, behind Brisbane, Gold Coast - Tweed Heads and the Sunshine Coast, and held fourth place in every year from 2001 to 2025. Cairns, at 164,149 people, and Toowoomba, at 153,781, were the next largest, followed by Mackay at 89,761. Gold Coast - Tweed Heads crosses the Queensland and New South Wales border, so its population includes residents of both states².

The gap between Townsville and Cairns was 25,645 people at 30 June 2001 and 26,402 at 30 June 2025, after reaching its widest point of 29,433 at 30 June 2014. Cairns had the highest percentage growth of the three urban areas over the 24 years, increasing by 55.8 per cent from a smaller population base. Townsville grew by 45.4 per cent and Toowoomba by 42.4 per cent.²

In 2024-25, Townsville grew by 0.93 per cent, against 0.86 per cent for Cairns and 1.28 per cent for Toowoomba. Its rate ranked 12th among the state's 19 urban areas, of which Mount Isa was the only one to lose population². Queensland as a whole grew by 1.76 per cent over the year, from 5,571,890 to 5,669,764 people. The population outside Greater Brisbane grew by 1.42 per cent, from 2,796,589 to 2,836,240, and Greater Brisbane grew by 2.10 per cent¹.

Brisbane's population data is covered in the Brisbane population article.

The urban area added 59,533 people between 30 June 2001 and 30 June 2025, growing from 131,018 to 190,551. That is an increase of 45.4 per cent².

Townsville first exceeded 150,000 at 30 June 2007, 160,000 at 30 June 2009, 170,000 at 30 June 2012, 180,000 at 30 June 2019 and 190,000 at 30 June 2025². The intervals between these milestones were two years to 160,000, three years to 170,000, seven years to 180,000 and six years to 190,000.

The City of Townsville council area grew from 142,012 at 30 June 2001 to 200,930 at 30 June 2023, the first 30 June at or above 200,000. It had 206,260 people at 30 June 2025, the seventh-largest population among Queensland's 78 council areas².