About Greater Western Sydney

Greater Western Sydney is one of Australia’s fastest-growing and most strategically important regions.

Home to almost 3 million people, Western Sydney is a diverse and dynamic region with a strong economy, vibrant communities and significant natural assets. It is also undergoing a period of unprecedented change. The opening of Western Sydney International Airport, major investment in transport and infrastructure, rapid population growth and increasing climate pressures are reshaping the region and creating both opportunities and challenges for its communities.

The decisions made today will shape how Western Sydney grows, lives and works for decades to come.

Western Sydney at a glance

• 2.9 million people — around 1 in 11 Australians live in Western Sydney
• $197.4 billion gross regional product — around 21% of NSW’s economy
• 1,145,149 local jobs
• 273,638 local businesses
• 41% of residents were born overseas
• 46% speak a language other than English at home
• 327,795 resident workers commute outside the region for work
• 2.1% of residents identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• 35 years — median age
• 8,982 km² — the region spans a vast area across Western Sydney

A diverse region with unique natural assets

Greater Western Sydney is a large and diverse region, encompassing established communities, rapidly growing suburbs, employment centres, rural landscapes and some of Australia’s most significant natural environments.

The region is home to the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, the Hawkesbury-Nepean and Georges River systems, and extensive areas of parkland and open space. At the heart of Western Sydney is the 5,280-hectare Western Sydney Parklands, a 27-kilometre green corridor stretching from the North West Growth Area at Blacktown to the South West Growth Area at Liverpool.

Western Sydney is also one of Australia’s most culturally diverse regions, with communities representing cultures, languages and experiences from around the world.

This combination of scale, diversity, economic strength and natural assets gives Western Sydney enormous potential — and makes thoughtful, coordinated planning and investment critical to ensuring the region remains a great place to live, work and do business.

WSROC works with Western Sydney’s councils to help shape that future — advocating for the region and supporting councils to deliver better outcomes for their communities.

Our definition of Greater Western Sydney

For the purposes of defining Greater Western Sydney, WSROC uses the local government areas identified in the Western Sydney Community Profile, which include: