Torres Strait Island

Queensland · Queensland - Outback · 4,130 people · 18 suburbs · 1 postcodes

Torres Strait Island at a glance

4,130
Population
#42 of 69 in QLD
490
km² area
8/km² density
26.9
Median age
-12.4 vs QLD
$1,011
Median HH income/wk
#63 of 69 in QLD
777
SEIFA IRSAD
#58 of 69 in QLD
0
Schools
0 gov, 0 Cath, 0 indep
3.0%
Born overseas
94.4%
Renting

Map shows the Torres Strait Island 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.

Torres Strait Island is a Local Government Area in Queensland, in the Brisbane region. It covers 18 suburbs across 1 postcodes and an area of 490 km². Torres Strait Island has a population of 4,130 , ranking #42 most populous in QLD. The most populous suburb is Badu Island (704 residents), and the highest median household income is in Poruma Island at $1,399/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,011/week and median age is 26.9. About 3.0% of residents were born overseas and 86.0% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (32.6%) 15–24 (13.8%) 25–44 (28.7%) 45–64 (18.6%) 65+ (6.3%)
Show counts
0–14 years1,348 (32.6%)
15–24 years571 (13.8%)
25–44 years1,184 (28.7%)
45–64 years768 (18.6%)
65+ years261 (6.3%)
3.0%
Born overseas
86.0%
Speak a language other than English at home
90.4%
First Nations
3.5
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (5.6%) Mortgaged (0.0%) Renting (94.4%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (97.9%) Semi/townhouse (1.8%) Flat/apartment (0.2%)
$133
Median weekly rent
$107
Median monthly mortgage
89.3%
Households with 0-1 cars
10.7%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

12.3%
Unemployment rate
542
In full-time work
367
In part-time work

SEIFA socio-economic indexes

SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Torres Strait Island. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

777
Ranked #58 of 69 QLD LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

649

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

628

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

885

Suburbs in Torres Strait Island

Torres Strait Island contains 18 suburbs and 1 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Badu Island 4875 704 $885/wk 27
Moa Island 4875 432 $937/wk 31
Mer Island 4875 406 $1,262/wk 27
Saibai Island 4875 340 $922/wk 25
Erub Island 4875 326 $974/wk 30
Warraber Islet 4875 287 $1,125/wk 26
Masig Island 4875 283 $949/wk 28
Iama Island 4875 275 $885/wk 29
Keriri Island 4875 261 $933/wk 23
Mabuiag Island 4875 253 $1,281/wk 21
Boigu Island 4875 199 $1,078/wk 25
Poruma Island 4875 164 $1,399/wk 31
Dauan Island 4875 131 $739/wk 21
Ugar Island 4875 69 $900/wk 29
Burrar Islet 4875
Dowar Islet 4875
Guijar Islet 4875
Waua Islet 4875

Postcodes covered

4875

Compare Torres Strait Island with neighbouring LGAs

Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Torres Strait Island and its closest neighbouring LGAs.

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Torres Strait Island (QLD) 4,130 26.9 $1,011/wk 777 94.4% 3.0%
Torres 3,831 29.7 $1,898/wk 918 82.9% 6.9%
Northern Peninsula Area 2,371 23.3 $1,391/wk 800 96.8% 2.8%

Services and amenities

Frequently asked questions about Torres Strait Island

What is the population of Torres Strait Island?

The 2021 Census recorded 4,130 people living in Torres Strait Island, across 18 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Torres Strait Island?

Torres Strait Island contains 18 suburbs. The most populous are Badu Island, Moa Island, Mer Island, Saibai Island, Erub Island.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Torres Strait Island?

Torres Strait Island covers 1 postcodes: 4875.

What is the median household income in Torres Strait Island?

The population-weighted median household income across Torres Strait Island is $1,011 per week (2021 Census), ranking #63 of 69 QLD LGAs.

What is the SEIFA score for Torres Strait Island?

Torres Strait Island has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 777, 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.