New South Wales: population, jobs, health, schools, living costs and state government finances

New South Wales is a state of Australia, the largest of 8 by population. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates the resident population of New South Wales at 8,592,524 people on 30 June 2025, which is 31.1% of Australia (the largest of 8 states and territories by population).

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in New South Wales: The economy of New South Wales produced gross state product of $855,408 million in 2024-25 at current prices, 30.8% of Australian gross domestic product ($2,778,897 million), the largest of 8 among states and territories.
• Health in New South Wales: Boys born in New South Wales can expect to live 81.2 years and girls 85.3 years (life expectancy at birth, 2022-2024), compared with 81.1 and 85.1 years for Australia; for males New South Wales ranks 4th highest of 8, for females 4th highest of 8.
• Education in New South Wales: New South Wales had 3,139 schools in 2025 (2,158 government, 597 Catholic and 384 independent) with 1,257,730 students enrolled, +0.1% on 2024.
• Poverty and living standards in New South Wales: The 2021 Census estimated 34,982 people were homeless in New South Wales, a rate of 43 per 10,000 people (joint 3rd highest of 8 states and territories).
• Government budget and revenue in New South Wales: The New South Wales government raised $119,019 million in revenue and spent $118,975 million in 2024-25 (general government sector), a net operating balance of +$44 million.

How states 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 states of Australia

• Victoria 7,073,859
• Queensland 5,669,764
• Western Australia 3,044,382
• South Australia 1,902,665
• Tasmania 576,261
• Australian Capital Territory 484,630
• 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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