South East Queensland’s population is on track to hit 6 million by 2046, according to new state government figures showing an increase of 2.2 million from current figures.

Brisbane City Council will see the biggest increase of 460,000 more people, hitting a population of 1.7 million by 2046.

Brisbane is followed by City of Gold Coast, which is forecast to grow by 381,200 to top 1 million by 2046; and Ipswich, which is set to grow by almost 300,000 for a 2046 population of 530,000.

Other projections include:

Lockyer Valley Regional Council – Increase of 24,200 (66,000 in 2046)

Logan City Council – Increase of 311,300 (662,000 in 2046)

Moreton Bay Council – Increase of 302,600 (787,000 in 2046)

Noosa Shire Council – Increase of 18,677 (75,550 in 2046)

Redland City Council – Increase of 50,549 (212,279 in 2046)

Scenic Rim Council – Increase of 23,137 (66,732 in 2046)

Somerset Regional Council – Increase of 15,261 (40,652 in 2046)

Sunshine Coast Council – Increase of 167,616 (514, 264 in 2046)

Toowoomba Regional Council – Increase of 76,229 (220,223 in 2046)

Changing social structures

The next 25 years will also see an ageing of the population, with an increase in people over 65, and the number of one person households predicted to grow, the government says.

According to the estimates, close to half (40 per cent) of all households will consist of just one person by 2026.

Local government minister Steven Miles said the figures reflected a future need to deliver more housing and bring smaller homes into the mix.

“Our population is also changing. More people are living alone,” he said.

“The number of one person households will increase from 23 to 45 per cent in 2046, so even without counting the massive population increase, we still need more homes to house the same number of people.

“To meet the needs of our growing Queensland … we need more housing supply and a better mix of housing options. This means building more units, townhouses and terraces.”

The government confirmed the projections ahead of the release of the state’s SEQ regional plan. A draft of the plan is expected to be released for feedback soon.