The South Coast is set to have one the largest ageing populations of any region in NSW during the next 40 years.
The findings were revealed as part of a new report released by the NSW government, which examined how the state will look in 2061.
The 2021-22 NSW Intergenerational Report, released on Monday, showed areas along the state's far South Coast and the Shoalhaven would have some of the largest ageing populations in decades to come.
"This trend is driven by the movement of retirees relocating to desirable coastal locations," the report said. "Inland regions are also ageing faster than the state average, as young people move to metropolitan areas to pursue education and employment opportunities."
Regional areas across NSW were set to grow slower and age faster than their metropolitan counterparts.
While metro locations were set to grow by 1.5 per cent a year for the next 20 years, areas outside the city will only increase by 0.4 per cent each year.
It comes as the report showed there's set to be 15 times as many centenarians in the state in the next 40 years, growing from 2000 today to almost 33,000 in 2061.
By 2061, there's set to be an extra 3.3 million people living in NSW, while 25 per cent of the state's 11.5 million people will be 65 or older. Life expectancy is set to rise from 85.9 to 91.7 for women and from 82.2 to 89.4 for men.
However, the impact of Covid has meant the state's population will be 4 per cent smaller by 2061 than it would have been if the pandemic never took place.
Fertility rates in NSW are expected to fall even further, declining to an estimated average of 1.63 births per female by 2032 compared to 1.67 today.
While regional areas have a higher fertility rate than metropolitan areas, the report said the Monaro region had one of the lowest regional birth rates in the state.
