The Gold Coast, one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions, continues to evolve demographically, highlighting its expanding cultural diversity and changing societal values. According to the 2016 Australian Census, the city's urban population reached 540,559, with the broader Gold Coast region—including rural areas—totalling 569,997 residents. The median age was 39, slightly above the national median, with a gender split of approximately 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

In terms of ancestry, the Gold Coast population largely identified as English (29.3%), Australian (22.5%), Irish (8.2%), Scottish (7.5%), and German (3.6%). Australian-born residents made up 64% of the population, while New Zealand (7.9%) and England (5.2%) were the most common foreign countries of birth. Other notable communities include China, South Africa (each at 1.2%), and Japan (0.7%). Indigenous Australians accounted for 1.7% of the population.

The linguistic landscape has also become more varied, with languages other than English increasingly spoken at home. These include Mandarin (1.6%), Japanese (1.0%), Korean and Spanish (0.6% each), and Cantonese (0.5%), reflecting the region’s appeal to migrants and international students.

The 2021 Census further revealed changing religious trends in the city. A growing segment of the population reported no religious affiliation (43.4%), marking a significant societal shift. Traditional faiths still hold presence, with Catholicism (18.2%) and Anglicanism (11.9%) being the most common. Other notable groups included the Uniting Church (2.9%), Non-denominational Christians (3.1%), Presbyterian and Reformed (1.9%), Buddhism (1.4%), Pentecostal (1.3%), Baptist (1.1%), Hinduism (1.1%), and Islam (1.0%).

These statistics underscore the Gold Coast's transformation into a multicultural and modern society, increasingly shaped by global migration, younger populations seeking a vibrant lifestyle, and shifting attitudes toward religion and identity. The city’s diverse makeup continues to enrich its cultural landscape and redefine what it means to be a Gold Coaster in the 21st century.