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Tiwi Islands
Northern Territory · Northern Territory - Outback · 2,346 people · 4 suburbs · 1 postcodes
Tiwi Islands at a glance
Map shows the Tiwi Islands LGA boundary in blue with a marker per suburb. Hover for suburb name, click for details.
Marker colour reflects SEIFA IRSAD decile: ● 1-2 (most disadvantaged), ● 3-4, ● 5-6, ● 7-8, ● 9-10 (most advantaged).
Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021. Map tiles: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Tiwi Islands is a Local Government Area in Northern Territory, in the Darwin region. It covers 4 suburbs across 1 postcodes and an area of 7,483 km². Tiwi Islands has a population of 2,346 , ranking #14 most populous in NT. The most populous suburb is Wurrumiyanga (1,421 residents), and the highest median household income is in Tiwi Islands at $1,625/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $788/week and median age is 30.2. About 2.2% of residents were born overseas and 81.9% speak a language other than English at home.
Who lives here
Age structure
Show counts
| 0–14 years | 521 (22.2%) |
| 15–24 years | 399 (17.0%) |
| 25–44 years | 753 (32.1%) |
| 45–64 years | 572 (24.4%) |
| 65+ years | 104 (4.4%) |
How they live
Housing tenure
Dwelling type mix
Work and learning
Schools in Tiwi Islands
4 schools across Tiwi Islands: 50.0% Government, 25.0% Catholic, 25.0% Independent. The NT average is 78.8% / 9.2% / 12.0%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 686 (range 663 to 738). NT median is 778; national mean is 1000.
Sector mix
Type breakdown
ICSEA range
ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) summarises the socio-economic background of each school's families. Higher values indicate more advantage. Source: ACARA 2025.
All 4 schools in Tiwi Islands, sorted by enrolment:
| School | Sector | Type | Suburb | Students | ICSEA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murrupurtiyanuwu Catholic Primary School | Catholic | Primary | Wurrumiyanga | 167 | 684 |
| Tiwi College | Independent | Combined | Tiwi Islands | 77 | 738 |
| Milikapiti School | Government | Combined | Milikapiti | 44 | 688 |
| Pularumpi School | Government | Combined | Pirlangimpi | 32 | 663 |
Source: ACARA School Profiles 2025. ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.
SEIFA socio-economic indexes
SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Tiwi Islands. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.
IRSAD
Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage
IRSD
Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)
IER
Economic resources: income, wealth, housing
IEO
Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels
Suburbs in Tiwi Islands
Tiwi Islands contains 4 suburbs and 1 postcodes. Sorted by population.
| Suburb | Postcode | Population | Median income | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wurrumiyanga | 0822 | 1,421 | $715/wk | 32 |
| Milikapiti | 0822 | 414 | $793/wk | 29 |
| Pirlangimpi | 0822 | 317 | $596/wk | 32 |
| Tiwi Islands | 0822 | 194 | $1,625/wk | 17 |
Postcodes covered
Compare Tiwi Islands with neighbouring LGAs
Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Tiwi Islands and its closest neighbouring LGAs.
| LGA | Population | Median age | Median HH income | SEIFA IRSAD | % renting | % overseas-born |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiwi Islands (NT) | 2,346 | 30.2 | $788/wk | 729 | 93.6% | 2.2% |
| Darwin | 81,243 | 35.1 | $2,203/wk | 1037 | 50.5% | 34.3% |
| Palmerston | 37,044 | 31.3 | $2,197/wk | 998 | 45.9% | 22.1% |
| Litchfield | 21,395 | 39.6 | $2,335/wk | 1001 | 18.6% | 13.0% |
| Unincorporated NT | 2,183 | 42.6 | $1,205/wk | 938 | 51.0% | 18.5% |
Services and amenities
Frequently asked questions about Tiwi Islands
What is the population of Tiwi Islands?
The 2021 Census recorded 2,346 people living in Tiwi Islands, across 4 suburbs.
What suburbs are in Tiwi Islands?
Tiwi Islands contains 4 suburbs. The most populous are Wurrumiyanga, Milikapiti, Pirlangimpi, Tiwi Islands.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.
What postcodes are in Tiwi Islands?
Tiwi Islands covers 1 postcodes: 0822.
What is the median household income in Tiwi Islands?
The population-weighted median household income across Tiwi Islands is $788 per week (2021 Census), ranking #17 of 17 NT LGAs.
How many schools are in Tiwi Islands?
Tiwi Islands has 4 schools, including 2 government, 1 Catholic, and 1 independent schools (ACARA 2025).
What is the SEIFA score for Tiwi Islands?
Tiwi Islands has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 729, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.
Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 (IRSD, IRSAD, IER, IEO), ACARA School Profiles 2025, ABS ASGS 2021 LGA boundaries. How this data is sourced.