Australian Capital Territory: population, jobs, health, schools, living costs and state government finances

Australian Capital Territory is a territory of Australia, number 7 of 8 by population. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates the resident population of the Australian Capital Territory at 484,630 people on 30 June 2025, which is 1.8% of Australia (2nd smallest of 8 states and territories by population).

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Australian Capital Territory: The economy of the Australian Capital Territory produced gross state product of $59,443 million in 2024-25 at current prices, 2.1% of Australian gross domestic product ($2,778,897 million), 3rd smallest of 8 among states and territories.
• Health in Australian Capital Territory: Boys born in the Australian Capital Territory can expect to live 82.0 years and girls 85.8 years (life expectancy at birth, 2022-2024), compared with 81.1 and 85.1 years for Australia; for males the Australian Capital Territory ranks the highest of 8, for females the highest of 8.
• Education in Australian Capital Territory: The Australian Capital Territory had 139 schools in 2025 (92 government, 32 Catholic and 15 independent) with 77,886 students enrolled, +1.1% on 2024.
• Poverty and living standards in Australian Capital Territory: The 2021 Census estimated 1,780 people were homeless in the Australian Capital Territory, a rate of 39 per 10,000 people (2nd lowest of 8 states and territories).
• Government budget and revenue in Australian Capital Territory: The Australian Capital Territory government raised $7,604 million in revenue and spent $9,008 million in 2024-25 (general government sector), a net operating balance of -$1,403 million.

How territorys are governed in Australia

States (6) and self-governing territories (2). Elected parliaments; premier or chief minister from the majority. Create, merge and supervise local councils through their own Local Government Acts.

Every tier of government in Australia

Other territories of Australia

• New South Wales 8,592,524
• Victoria 7,073,859
• Queensland 5,669,764
• Western Australia 3,044,382
• South Australia 1,902,665
• Tasmania 576,261
• Northern Territory 264,556

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Sources

• Australian Bureau of Statistics: Census of Population and Housing 2021, state and territory results (via ABS Data by region): health conditions, education, housing costs, homelessness, disadvantage, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7f6d87de31d5…)
• Australian Bureau of Statistics: Government Finance Statistics, Australia, 2024-25: state general government operating statement, balance sheet and expenses by purpose, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a22f46e52d4e…)
• Australian Bureau of Statistics: Australian National Accounts: State Accounts, 2024-25, Table 1: Gross state product, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 193fa6f8752b…)
• Australian Bureau of Statistics: Life expectancy 2022-2024: life tables by state and territory of usual residence, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b8ed69c08132…)
• Australian Bureau of Statistics: Labour Force, Australia, September 2026: trend and seasonally adjusted state and territory series, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 72befbbd1b24…)
• Australian Bureau of Statistics: Schools, 2025: Table 90a key information by state, Table 53a student-teacher ratios, Table 64a retention rates, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c3ecf57c8e83…)

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