WA Childcare Supply & Demand — 2024

Market Snapshot | 2023–2024

Western Australia recorded strong growth in childcare capacity during 2023–2024, despite a slight decline in the underlying child population.

As at 2024, WA had approximately 772 Centre-Based Day Care (CBDC) centres, providing around 51,000 places for an estimated 169,000 children aged 0–4.

WA at a Glance

New capacity is growing well ahead of demand

Western Australia’s population aged 0–4 declined slightly by 0.3% during 2023–2024. Over the same period, the number of CBDC centres increased by 5.8%, while approved places grew almost twice as quickly at 10.9%.

This lifted the statewide supply ratio from approximately 27.1 places per 100 children in 2023 to 30.2 in 2024, representing an 11.3% year-on-year increase.

The contrast between declining demographic demand and expanding childcare capacity indicates a clear shift in WA’s supply-demand balance. At the state level, childcare provision increased materially over the year, although overall provision remains highly dependent on conditions within individual local markets.

The statewide average masks very different local dynamics

Supply and demand conditions vary considerably across Western Australia. Changes in child population, centre numbers and approved places are not occurring at the same pace across individual markets.

Some catchments are experiencing particularly strong additions to childcare capacity, while others have seen comparatively little change. Population trends also differ, meaning similar levels of new supply can have very different implications depending on the local demand base.

For developers, operators and investors, understanding where capacity is being added, how local child populations are changing, and how existing provision compares between catchments is therefore critical. WA’s statewide average of 30.2 places per 100 children does not capture these differences at the local level.