Our region

The Illawarra Shoalhaven region comprises of four local government areas - Kiama, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, and Wollongong - and has a total population of over 420,000 people.

In the Illawarra Shoalhaven region there are:

• more than 17,000 people (4.2%) who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• more than 45,000 people (10.8%) who were born overseas in a predominantly non-English speaking country
• more than 88,000 (20.9%) people who are aged over 65 years and approximately one quarter of those (20,000) live alone. 

Suicide rates in the Illawarra Shoalhaven region are higher than national and NSW state averages (age standardised rates per 100,000 population). Based on a five-year average, in the Illawarra Shoalhaven region we lose 55 people to suicide each year.

Further information can be found in COORDINARE's population health profile.