Quick facts
Sunshine Coast overview
Sunshine Coast (orange) and the other large cities of Australia
Sunshine Coast lies in Queensland in Australia at 26.66°S, 153.08°E, about 9 m above sea level. The local time zone is Australia/Brisbane (UTC+10); GeoNames classifies it as a district seat.
It is smaller than Newcastle (508,437) and larger than Canberra (367,752). The largest city in Australia is Sydney with 5,638,830 people; the capital, Canberra, has 367,752.
The national capital, Canberra, is about 1,030 km away; the nearest large city is Caloundra, 17 km from Sunshine Coast.
Australia as a whole has a live population of 27,301,322 (+0.9% a year) and ranks #55 of 238 countries — see the Australia population page for the full statistics and the Australia atlas for provinces, terrain and society maps.
Cities near Sunshine Coast
| City | Distance | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Caloundra Queensland | 17 km | 96,305 |
| Brisbane Queensland | 90 km | 2,780,063 |
| Logan City Queensland | 109 km | 345,098 |
| Toowoomba Queensland | 150 km | 142,163 |
| Gold Coast Queensland | 153 km | 640,778 |
Largest cities in Australia
| # | City | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney | New South Wales | 5,638,830 |
| 2 | Melbourne | Victoria | 5,435,590 |
| 3 | Brisbane | Queensland | 2,780,063 |
| 4 | Perth | Western Australia | 2,384,371 |
| 5 | Adelaide | South Australia | 1,469,163 |
| 6 | Gold Coast | Queensland | 640,778 |
| 7 | Newcastle | New South Wales | 508,437 |
| 8 | Sunshine Coast | Queensland | 398,840 |
| 9 | CanberraCapital | Australian Capital Territory | 367,752 |
| 10 | Central Coast | New South Wales | 346,596 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Sunshine Coast?
Sunshine Coast has about 398,840 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.
Is Sunshine Coast the capital of Australia?
No. The capital of Australia is Canberra (367,752 people), about 1,030 km away. Sunshine Coast is the 8th largest city of the country and a district seat.
How big is Sunshine Coast compared with the rest of Australia?
Its 398,840 residents are 1.5% of the 27,301,322 people living in Australia today. Sydney is larger with 5,638,830 people.
Where is Sunshine Coast?
In Queensland, Australia, at latitude -26.66 and longitude 153.08, 9 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Caloundra (17 km), Brisbane (90 km), Logan City (109 km).
Explore more
Cite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Sunshine Coast Population 2026 — Australia. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/australia/sunshine-coast/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/australia/sunshine-coast/">Sunshine Coast Population 2026 — Australia</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Distances are great-circle distances between city centres. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.