![](https://southburnett.com.au/news2/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/steven-miles-200.jpg)
July 31, 2023
There will be about six million people living in south-east Queensland by 2046, according to projections released on Monday by the State Government.
The current population of the area – which includes the area from Noosa to the Gold Coast and west to Toowoomba – is about 3.8 million.
The government projections also reveal an ageing population.
Over the next 25 years, the number of people aged 65 years or older will rise and the number of one-person households will jump substantially from 23.4 per cent in 2021 to 40.5 per cent in 2046.
The projections were confirmed ahead of the release of the State Government’s updated draft SEQ Regional Plan.
“People are moving to Queensland in droves and who can blame them?” Deputy Premier Steven Miles said.
“We are in our decade of opportunity. We have a strong economy.
“We have a 10-year pipeline of infrastructure projects in the lead up to and beyond Brisbane 2032. And we are creating good, secure jobs in the key industries that will help us decarbonise.
“Thanks to all of this, and our great Queensland lifestyle, we’ve seen record levels of net interstate migration and now increasing international immigration.”
The Deputy Premier said Queensland needed more housing supply and a better mix of housing options to meet changing needs.
“This means building more units, townhouses and terraces,” he said.
“My elderly neighbour shouldn’t have to clean a four-bedroom, two-storey house. They should be able to downsize to a unit or terrace without being forced to move away from their community.
“We’re intend on releasing the draft SEQ regional plan for feedback very soon.”