ACT Childcare Supply & Demand — 2024

Market Snapshot | 2023–2024

The ACT’s childcare market expanded during 2023–2024, despite a small decline in the underlying child population.

As at 2024, the ACT had approximately 182 Centre-Based Day Care (CBDC) centres, providing around 15,000 places for an estimated 26,000 children aged 0–4.

ACT at a Glance

Supply is growing while demand edges lower

The ACT recorded a 1.0% decline in the population aged 0–4 during 2023–2024, while the number of CBDC centres increased by 3.4% and approved places grew by 4.7%.

As a result, the number of places per 100 children increased from approximately 54.9 in 2023 to 58.1 in 2024, representing a 5.8% year-on-year increase.

These figures suggest that childcare capacity in the ACT is expanding moderately, and at a faster pace than the underlying child population, leading to a more heavily supplied market at the territory level.

But the territory average masks significant local differences

Childcare supply and demand conditions vary considerably across the ACT. Some local markets have relatively high levels of childcare provision, while others remain substantially below the territory-wide average.

The direction of change also differs between areas. While some districts experienced strong additions to childcare capacity during the year, others recorded little growth or a reduction in available supply.

For developers, operators and investors, understanding local population trends, new supply growth and existing provision levels is therefore essential. The territory-wide average of 58.1 places per 100 children does not reflect the diverse conditions across individual ACT catchments.