Suburb report · QLD 4101
South Brisbane
Prepared by the property strategists at Chase Wealth Australia
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Population
17,177
South Brisbane suburb profile
Who lives in South Brisbane
At 1km from the Brisbane CBD, South Brisbane is an inner-city suburb. With 17,177 residents, South Brisbane is in the largest fifth of Queensland suburbs, well above the 4,480 of the median suburb. By population it is number 19 of 317 suburbs within 40km of the Brisbane CBD. South Brisbane skews young, with a median age of 29 against 39 for the median Queensland suburb. Among suburbs within 40km of the Brisbane CBD, 300 of 317 have an older median age.
Income and home ownership
At $96,800, household income here sits in the middle band for Queensland. Among the 317 suburbs within 40km of the Brisbane CBD, 232 report a higher median household income. At 72% renting, South Brisbane has a higher rental share than 98% of Queensland suburbs, against 69.2% ownership in the median suburb. Among suburbs within 40km of the Brisbane CBD, 4 have a lower share of owner-occupiers than South Brisbane.
Household mix
At the 2021 Census, 5,808 households lived in South Brisbane, more than in 96% of Queensland suburbs. Lone-person households lead the mix: families with children 20.3%, couples without children 28.4%, people living alone 39.4% and group households 11.7%. Of the 317 suburbs within 40km of the Brisbane CBD, 303 have a higher share of families with children and 13 a lower one. The share of families with children, 20.3%, is lower than in 97% of Queensland suburbs. Couples without children, at 28.4%, sit near the Queensland middle, at the 54th percentile.
Housing supply
18 new dwellings were approved across the South Brisbane statistical area in the year to June 2025, 91% below its 2020 to 2024 average of 210 a year. The South Brisbane statistical area had 17,517 residents in 2025 and closely matches South Brisbane. That is 1 approvals per 1,000 residents of that area, a lighter pipeline than 87% of Queensland statistical areas. Between 2020 and 2025 the area's approvals peaked at 510 in 2021 and bottomed at 1 in 2020.
Population trend
From 2020 to 2025, the South Brisbane statistical area grew its population by 28.6%, well ahead of most areas, against 9.7% for Queensland as a whole. The median Queensland statistical area grew 6.3% over the same 5 years, 22.3 points slower than this one. It ranks at the 96th percentile of Queensland statistical areas for population growth over the period. Year by year, the change ran from 2.5% in 2025 to 7% in 2021.
Against its neighbours
The sharpest contrast among the nearby suburbs is West End, where the median age is 35 compared with 29 here. On the owner-occupied share, Brisbane City comes closest to South Brisbane: 31.6% against 28%. Woolloongabba, 2km away, has 10,264 residents and a median household income of $103,600.
Location
Demographics
ABS Data by Region to 2025, on ABS Census 2021 suburb baselineHousehold Mix Census 2021
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Reading this report
Every figure in the South Brisbane data table is dated at its source. Supply and population change cover the South Brisbane statistical area, whose boundary differs from South Brisbane's, and our guide to reading a suburb report explains how our buyers agents weigh them.
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This report is market intelligence prepared by Chase Wealth Australia for general information only. Figures are statistical estimates for the suburb, not valuations of any individual property, and do not constitute financial or credit advice. Consider your circumstances and seek professional advice before acting. Demographic figures are sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census 2021 (licensed CC BY 4.0) where available.