NSW Childcare Supply & Demand — 2024
Market Snapshot | 2023–2024
New South Wales recorded substantial growth in childcare capacity during 2023–2024, despite a slight contraction in the underlying child population.
As at 2024, NSW had approximately 3,402 Centre-Based Day Care (CBDC) centres, providing around 197,000 places for an estimated 476,000 children aged 0–4.
NSW at a Glance
| Indicator | 2024 | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| Population aged 0–4 | 476K | -0.7% |
| CBDC centres | 3,402 | +13.6% |
| Approved places | 197K | +19.5% |
| Places per 100 children | 41.5 | +20.4% |
Childcare capacity expanded sharply in 2024
The population aged 0–4 in NSW declined by 0.7% during 2023–2024. In contrast, the number of CBDC centres increased by 13.6%, while approved places grew even faster at 19.5%.
This pushed the statewide supply ratio from approximately 34.5 places per 100 children in 2023 to 41.5 in 2024, representing a substantial 20.4% year-on-year increase.
The divergence is significant: NSW added substantial childcare capacity during a period in which the underlying child population moved slightly lower. At the state level, this points to a materially more heavily supplied childcare market than a year earlier.
But rapid statewide growth is not evenly distributed
The statewide numbers mask considerable variation across individual NSW markets. Changes in child population, centre numbers and approved capacity differ substantially between local areas.
In some catchments, new childcare capacity is being added alongside population growth. In others, supply is increasing even as the local child population contracts. This creates very different supply-demand dynamics beneath the statewide average.
For developers, operators and investors, understanding where capacity is expanding, how quickly the local child population is changing, and how existing provision compares with surrounding markets is increasingly important. NSW’s statewide average of 41.5 places per 100 children does not capture these differences at the individual catchment level.
Want to see what’s happening at the local level?
The full NSW Supply & Demand Report provides deeper analysis across individual areas, including:
- Local child population and YoY growth
- Centre and approved-place growth
- Places per 100 children by area
- Changes in local supply-demand balance
- Identification of relatively under- and over-supplied markets
- Areas where competitive pressure may be increasing
