Local government plays a vital role in population planning
The ability of councils to attract and retain residents hinges on the quality of life and liveability within their communities. These factors are shaped by the unique economic, social, cultural, geographic, and environmental characteristics of each local government area.
Population dynamics directly influence local government decisions on budgets, planning, workforce capacity, infrastructure, health, education and open spaces.
Early and active involvement of local governments in population policy and planning is vital to ensure that operational realities and place-based needs are meaningfully integrated into broader strategies.
Future Populations Network
The Future Populations Network is an initiative designed to support strategic population planning across Tasmania.
In collaboration with Building Tasmania, Dr Lisa Denny, and the Tasmanian Policy Exchange, the Network will deliver a three-stage program to help councils build the capability to develop and implement regional population strategies that inform decision-making. These strategies will guide infrastructure planning, service delivery, and policy development in alignment with the State Government’s Population Policy.
The first stage focuses on building the capability within local government to understand population dynamics and apply demographic analysis in planning and decision-making.
A series of workshops, webinars and resources designed for elected representatives, executive leaders and senior officers will be designed and delivered over the first 12 months. See more information under the Upcoming Network Events heading below.
To express interest in further information about the Network, please complete this EOI form.
The Current Reality of Tasmania's Population: 2025 Report
Understanding Tasmania’s population dynamics is essential for shaping resilient communities and informed local decision-making. We have developed a scene setting paper that provides a clear and accessible overview of the key demographic trends affecting the state, highlighting the challenges of population ageing, regional decline, and shifting age structures.
This foundational resource sets the scene for strategic planning and supports the work of the Future Populations Network in building capability across councils to respond to Tasmania’s changing demographic landscape. Read it here.
There are currently no upcoming events.
Below are population snapshots for each of Tasmania's 29 local government areas. The snapshots outline previous population growth and projected changes.
We have produced a Glossary that provides detailed explanations of the terms used within these documents.
Find out how people are moving in and out of your local government area (LGA) by downloading one of the 29 Internal Migration Profiles below.
- These profiles are developed from an ABS customised dataset of Regional Internal Migration Estimates by LGA by age and sex, for financial years 2021/22 to 2023/24 purchased by Dr Lisa Denny.
- The ABS uses revised methodology for estimating regional populations following the COVID-19 global pandemic impact on population measurement and thus this data cannot be compared with previous datasets.
- The data includes the period in which Tasmania’s borders were closed during the pandemic (financial year 2021/22), impacting migration flows and therefore skews the averages for some LGAs depending on the profile of their population.
- This data is an estimate of population change, not a count.
View videos of the previous Future Populations Network Meetings.
Future Populations Network: ABS Regional Data and Brand Tasmania Narrative - Sept 2026
Future Populations Network: ABS TableBuilder workshop - June 2026
Future Populations Network: Needs and gap analysis with Dr Lisa Denny - May 2026
Future Populations Network: Dr Tom Wilson on Probabilistic Population Projections
Future Populations Network: Tasmanian Data Update - January 2026
Future Populations Network: Unpacking the LGA Snapshots - November 2025
Funding Recognition
 | This project is delivered through a partnership between Building Tasmania, Local Government Association of Tasmania, Dr Lisa Denny and the Tasmanian Policy Exchange to progress the objectives of Tasmania’s Population Policy – population.tas.gov.au. |