SA Childcare Supply & Demand — 2024

Market Snapshot | 2023–2024

South Australia’s childcare market recorded strong supply growth during 2023–2024, despite a slight decline in the underlying child population.

As at 2024, SA had approximately 477 Centre-Based Day Care (CBDC) centres, providing around 37,000 places for an estimated 97,000 children aged 0–4.

SA at a Glance

Supply is growing well ahead of demand

The key story for SA is the widening gap between population and childcare capacity.

While the population aged 0–4 declined slightly by 0.5%, the number of CBDC centres increased by 7.2%, with approved places growing even faster at 10.6%.

This lifted the statewide supply ratio from approximately 34.6 places per 100 children in 2023 to 38.5 in 2024, representing an 11.1% year-on-year increase.

The figures indicate that childcare capacity is expanding considerably faster than the underlying population it serves, resulting in a more heavily supplied market at the state level.

But the statewide picture only tells part of the story

Supply and demand conditions vary significantly across South Australia.

Some local markets experienced substantial increases in childcare capacity despite declining child populations, while others recorded much more moderate supply growth. Provision levels also differ considerably between areas, meaning the statewide average of 38.5 places per 100 children does not necessarily reflect conditions within individual catchments.

For developers, operators and investors, understanding where new supply is being added, where child populations are growing or contracting, and which markets are becoming more competitive is increasingly important.