suburb.guide

NT · Darwin Council

Karama, 0812

Est. population · Jun 2025

5,113

Growth (1 yr)

-1.4%

Growth (5 yr)

-3.0%

Median age

35

Median income

$1,783/wk

Employment rate

59.2%

University qualified

17.6%

Work from home

3.1%

Languages at home

36.6%non-English

Most common: Greek, Tagalog, Filipino

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

45.6/100
Average

Top 20% of Northern Territory's suburbs

Verified 90% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Walkable
What Karama is known for: Walkable

Using this data? Cite or embed. Publishers

Suburb snapshot infographic

Download PNG
Karama, NT suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Embed this snapshot

The image links to the canonical suburb page. Copy the HTML as-is.

Karama, NT suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Cite this suburb snapshot

Suburb Guide, “Karama, NT Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/nt/karama

No registration is required. Please keep the link to the suburb page.

Suburb profile

Karama is a middle-ring metropolitan suburb of Darwin, in Darwin Council. It is primarily residential, without a particularly distinct commercial centre or landmark identity.

Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places. School access is a strong feature of the suburb, with school access 29% above the peer median. Crime in the wider Darwin reporting region remains above typical levels but is improving. Reported offences have fallen 26% year on year. The clearer weaknesses are thinner mapped green cover within the suburb boundary and weaker population growth, with green cover 58% below the peer median.

Karama's appeal is better explained by housing, access and location than by a strong standalone precinct or destination.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Middle-ring metropolitan suburb · compared with middle-ring metropolitan suburbs in Northern Territory (27)

Strengths

  • Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places
  • School access is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Mapped green cover within the suburb boundary is below comparable suburbs
  • Population growth is a relative weakness

What stands out

  • Overseas-born and multilingual community
  • Crime in the wider Darwin reporting region remains above typical levels but is improving

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Karama compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent (Census)

$293/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

5,113

-1.4% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

5.9%

Census unoccupied dwellings

Livability profile

Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Desirability

#13

among Metro Darwin · Established

Pop. growth

0th

percentile in NT

Rented dwellings

39%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

3/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

30th

percentile among schools with ICSEA

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Desirability

Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
45.6/100 — Average
State standing
Top 20% of Northern Territory's suburbs
National rank
2993rd in Australia
State rank
31st in NT
Peer rank
#13 among Metro Darwin · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#26 among Metro Darwin suburbs
Data confidence
90%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Population

Estimated resident population

5,113(June 2025)

-1.4% annual · -3.0% over 5 years · 0th percentile in NT

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
-1.4%
5-year growth
-3.0%
Change in 1 year
-70
Change in 5 years
-157
Growth rank in NT
0th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~5,050), extrapolated at -0.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
4,803
Median age
35
Median household income / week
$1,783
Dwelling vacancy
5.9%
Unoccupied private dwellings
97 of 1,651
Median monthly mortgage
$1,950
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$293
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
19.4% / 41.7% / 38.9%
Employment rate
59.2%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
3.1% / 3.4% / 80%
Walked or cycled to work
3.1%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,200 / 276 / 78

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

17.6% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.4% across Northern Territory. 18.1% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified17.6% · 21.4% NT
  • Diploma qualified7.1% · 7.5% NT
  • Trade / vocational18.1% · 16.1% NT
  • Year 12 or below57.2% · 55% NT

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Management and commerce21.3%
  • Engineering and related technologies18.6%
  • Society and culture14.9%
  • Education11.7%
  • Health10.2%
  • Food, hospitality and personal services6.7%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$67,002

44th percentile in NT · +14% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$71,529

50th percentile in NT · +10% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
15.0%

62nd percentile in NT · +9% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$71,711

74th percentile in NT · +13% vs Australia

Residents with business income
8.0%

56th percentile in NT · -23% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 0812 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
11,366
Taxpayers reporting net rent
1,683
Median net rent
-$1,178
Taxpayers reporting business income
896
Taxable income vs state median
-1%
Salary / wages vs state median
0%
Rental investment vs state median
+7%
Super vs state median
+34%
Business income vs state median
+14%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in NT, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

36.6% speak a language other than English at home; 33.4% born overseas

Language at home
2,786 English only · 1,609 other
Non-English at home
36.6%
Born overseas
1,479 (33.4%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
904 (18.8%)
Australian citizens
3,906
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
21

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Greek126 · 22.4%
  • Tagalog69 · 12.3%
  • Filipino56 · 9.9%
  • Australian Indigenous languages54 · 9.6%
  • Indonesian48 · 8.5%
  • Vietnamese44 · 7.8%
  • Mandarin26 · 4.6%
  • Thai24 · 4.3%

Religion

47.5%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 47.5%, while 32.9% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion32.9%38.1%
Christianity47.5%40.5%
Islam2.7%1.4%
Buddhism4.2%2.1%
Other / not stated12.7%17.9%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic25.2%16.9%
Eastern Orthodox5.7%1.9%
Anglican4.3%6%
Uniting Church3%3.7%
Christian (not further defined)2.5%3.2%
Baptist2%2.4%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Figures are for the Darwin reporting region, not this suburb alone.

Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Sep 2026)
5,366
Against the person
1,830
Against property
3,536
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
79.1
State crime-rate percentile
35.2th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-17.5%

Most common offence types

  • 021 Serious Assault
  • 023 Common Assault
  • 061 Burglary - Dwelling (House Break-Ins), Actual
  • 07* Other Theft
  • 11 Property Damage Offences

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

  • NT Police crime statistics (reporting region / SA2) — Northern Territory Police · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Sep 2026; Jan 2026 to Sep 2026 · Updated · Monthly CSV; regional totals where suburb-level data unavailable

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
9
Median school ICSEA (9 schools)
962
Median ICSEA percentile
30th
School list
  • Karama Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 769 · 2th percentile · LBOTE 83% · 173 students · Top SEA quarter 3% · 0.3 km awayView on My School →
  • Manunda Terrace Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 792 · 3th percentile · LBOTE 55% · 189 students · Top SEA quarter 3% · 0.5 km awayView on My School →
  • Holy Family Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 968 · 33th percentile · LBOTE 28% · 248 students · Top SEA quarter 14% · 0.9 km awayView on My School →
  • NT Christian CollegeSecondary · Independent · ICSEA 987 · 41th percentile · LBOTE 23% · 93 students · Top SEA quarter 15% · 0.9 km awayView on My School →
  • O'Loughlin Catholic CollegeSecondary · Catholic · ICSEA 1025 · 58th percentile · LBOTE 29% · 599 students · Top SEA quarter 25% · 1.0 km awayView on My School →
  • Marrara Christian CollegeCombined · Independent · ICSEA 962 · 30th percentile · LBOTE 47% · 289 students · Top SEA quarter 14% · 1.1 km awayView on My School →
  • Top End School of Flexible LearningSecondary · Government · ICSEA 789 · 3th percentile · LBOTE 22% · 123 students · Top SEA quarter 5% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →
  • Malak Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 770 · 2th percentile · LBOTE 51% · 148 students · Top SEA quarter 1% · 1.6 km awayView on My School →
  • Milkwood Steiner SchoolCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1053 · 70th percentile · LBOTE 20% · 118 students · Top SEA quarter 27% · 1.7 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

29 public transport stops in this suburb

  • 20 Karama Crescent
  • 46 Karama Crescent
  • 46 Koolinda Crescent
  • 7 Koolinda Crescent
  • Kalymnos Dr at Karama Shops

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

411 mapped amenities

1 restaurants · 1 supermarkets · 1 pharmacies · 3 fast food · 1 bakeries · 1 libraries · 2 places of worship · 4 playgrounds

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Highly walkable for shops and everyday services
  • Great for outdoor family life — 9 parks mapped in suburb, 4 playgrounds nearby
  • Well connected by public transport — 29 public transport stops
  • Strong local sport and recreation — 315 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
80/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
1.04
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.87
Food & drink(5)
  • Karama BakeryBakery

    37 Kalymnos Drive

  • Domino'sFast food
  • Kebab KaramaFast food
  • Panda Food CentreFast food
  • Jilvie's BistroRestaurant
Shopping(5)
  • Sip n SaveBottle shop

    37 Kalymnos Drive

  • EG AustraliaConvenience store
  • Karama PlazaShopping centre

    37 Kalymnos Drive, Karama

  • WoolworthsSupermarket
Everyday services(2)
  • EG AustraliaPetrol station

    37 Kalymnos Drive, Karama

  • Karama Post OfficePost office
Community(4)
  • Karama LibraryLibrary
  • Holy Family Catholic PrimarySchool
  • Karama PrimarySchool

    37 Livistona Road, Karama

  • Manunda Terrace PrimarySchool

    31 Manunda Terrace

Health & services(1)
  • AmcalPharmacy
Sport & outdoors(330)
  • McMillans Road Bike PathCycling route
  • McMillans Road Shared PathCycling route
  • Vanderlin Drive Bike PathCycling route
  • Drinking water (2)
  • Fitness station
  • Mahogany ParkPark
  • Park (7)
  • Robyn Lesley ParkPark
  • Playground (3)
  • Robyn Lesley Park PlaygroundPlayground
  • Sports field
  • Sports field

    Karama

  • Swimming pool (309)
Transport(28)

28 bus stops

Other(13)
  • Bench (4)
  • Bicycle Parking
  • O'Loughlin Catholic CollegeCollege
  • Common (6)
  • Karama Community GardenGarden
  • Lindall'sHairdresser
  • Information
  • NT OptometristsOptician
  • Parking (17)
  • Picnic Table
  • Holy Family Catholic ChurchPlace of worship

    Karama

  • Uniting ChurchPlace of worship
  • Waste Basket

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

2 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Mahogany ParkPark
  • Robyn Lesley ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
2.8%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
9
Parks (OSM)
9
Typical summer maximum
31°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Places of worship

2 places of worship within ~1.5 km

  • Holy Family Catholic Church

    Karama

  • Uniting Church

From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
1
Nearest hospital
Darwin Private Hospital (6.0 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

  • AmcalPharmacy

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
211
Participants per 1,000 residents
41.3

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
31° / 25°
Rainfall
1,010 mm · ~90 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
31° / 24°
Rainfall
491 mm · ~61 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
30° / 20°
Rainfall
8 mm · ~1 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
32° / 24°
Rainfall
171 mm · ~21 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via state planning hazard mapping. Flood cover uses inundation polygons against the suburb boundary where published.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Solomon
Member of Parliament
Luke John GOSLING (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
78,702
Turnout (2025)
79.3%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-7.1 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 48.7%Labor 51.3%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 5.3 km away).

Coalition 43.6%Labor 56.4%

5.1 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -7.7 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • Karama EastLabor 57.3% · Coalition 42.7% TPP (2025)0.5 km away
  • KaramaLabor 53.4% · Coalition 46.6% TPP (2025)1.0 km away
  • MalakLabor 57.8% · Coalition 42.2% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
  • LeanyerLabor 54.7% · Coalition 45.3% TPP (2025)2.7 km away
  • MoilLabor 52.5% · Coalition 47.5% TPP (2025)4.0 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
3/10
IRSD decile (2021)
2/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

This suburb ranks highly for

Compare with

Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.

More in Darwin Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Northern Territory.