The
last national Census night was Tuesday,10 August 2021.
This census
counted
25,417,978 Australian residents who were in Australia on Census night
(including people imputed for non-responding dwellings).
The Post Enumeration Survey (PES) estimate for the same population
was 25,608,022 persons.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), National, state and territory population
Australia’s population was 25,766,605 people at 31 December 2021.
The quarterly growth was 63,400 people (0.2%).
The annual growth was 128,000 people (0.5%).
Annual natural increase was 138,500 and net overseas migration was -3,600.
Australian
Bureau of Statistics, media
releases, 28 June 2022, extracts on the broad subjects of:
POPULATION
The
2021 Census counted nearly 25.5 million people (25,422,788) in
Australia, excluding overseas visitors, on Census night. This is an
increase of over two million people (2,020,896), or 8.6 per cent,
since the 2016 Census.
Australia’s
Census count has more than doubled in the last 50 years, with the
1971 Census counting over 12 million people (12,493,001).
The
Census counted more than 800,000 (812,728) Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people on Census night, 3.2 per cent of the total
people counted. This is an increase of over 25 per cent (25.2 per
cent) since 2016.
Australia
continues to become more diverse, with over 1 million (1,020,007)
residents arriving in Australia from 2017 to 2021. Over four out of
every five (83.7 per cent) of these arrivals were in 2017 to 2019,
before the COVID-19 pandemic.
With
these new arrivals, we have seen the proportion of Australian
residents that are born overseas (first generation) or have a parent
born overseas (second generation) move above 50 per cent (51.5 per
cent).
Beyond
these headline numbers the Census provides rich information about the
nation, giving insight on cultural diversity, families and homes, to
how we changed during the pandemic.
Dr
David Gruen AO, Australian Statistician, said “Every stat tells a
story and today we are sharing a glimpse into the stories of almost
25.5 million Australians. This accurate and valuable data reveals who
we are as a nation and how we have changed.
Thank
you to the millions of people across Australia who completed the 2021
Census. It was important that everyone participated to ensure that
every community is represented in the Census data.
Census
data is used to inform important decisions about transport, schools,
health care, infrastructure and business at the community and
national level. The high response rate means that Census data
provides accurate insights to tell your community’s story.”
The
2021 Census achieved a response rate above the Australian Bureau of
Statistics target obtaining data from 10 million (10,852,208)
dwellings during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The
dwelling response rate was 96.1 per cent, up from 95.1 per cent in
2016.
The
Statistical Independent Assurance Panel, established by the
Australian Statistician to provide assurance of Census data quality,
concluded that the 2021 Census data is fit-for-purpose, is of
comparable quality to the 2011 and 2016 Censuses and can be used with
confidence.
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The
2021 Census of Population and Housing has delivered a snapshot of the
different generations that make up Australia.
The
latest data reveals that, within a very small margin, numbers of
Millennials (25-39 years old) have caught up to Baby Boomers (55-74
years old) as the largest generational group in Australia. In the
1966 Census, nearly two in every five people (38.5 per cent) were
Baby Boomers.
Baby
Boomers and Millennials each have over 5.4 million people, with only
5,662 more Baby Boomers than Millennials counted on 10 August 2021.
Over the last ten years, the Millennials have increased from 20.4 per
cent of the population in 2011 to 21.5 per cent in 2021. In the same
time, Baby Boomers have decreased from 25.4 per cent in 2011 to 21.5
per cent in 2021.
Dr
David Gruen AO, Australian Statistician, said “The data collected
by the Census assists governments and community organisations to
understand the needs of each generation. We see that an increasing
number of Baby Boomers are needing assistance with core activities –
with 7.4 per cent reporting a need for assistance, compared to 2.8
per cent across the younger generations. This information will help
frame policy that delivers positive outcomes for our communities.”
Census
data shows the important role Baby Boomers are providing in caring
for other peoples’ children, often their grandchildren. Around one
in eight (12.8 per cent) Baby Boomers reported caring for other
peoples’ children, and of these two thirds are female (67.5 per
cent). They are also the generation most likely to volunteer and
provide unpaid assistance to others.
Millennials
are of working age and are upskilling, representing 40 per cent of
people attending vocational education, including TAFE, and 48 per
cent of people currently serving in the regular service of the
Australian Defence Force.
Millennials
and Baby Boomers report quite different religious affiliations, with
nearly 60 per cent (56.8 per cent) of Baby Boomers reporting a
Christian religious affiliation compared to 30 per cent of
Millennials (30.6 per cent). More than 45 per cent (46.5 per cent) of
Millennials reported that they had no religion compared to 30 per
cent of Baby Boomers (30.7 per cent).
Generation
Z (10-24 years old) represent 18 per cent of Australia and 30 per
cent of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.
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FIRST NATIONS PEOPLES
The
2021 Census provides an updated snapshot of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
said today.
The
Census found that 812,728 people (3.2 per cent of the population)
identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, an increase
of over 25 per cent (25.2 per cent) since 2016.
Of
the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people counted, 91.4 per
cent identified as Aboriginal, 4.2 per cent identified as Torres
Strait Islander, and 4.4 per cent identified as both Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander.
The
Census also revealed growing numbers of older Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples, with over 47,000 (47,677) aged 65 years and
over in 2021, up from 31,000 in 2016 and 21,000 in 2011. The median
age for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people increased
slightly to 24 years in 2021, up from 23 years in 2016 and 21 years
in 2011.
Traditional
languages continue to be an important part of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander households, with 167 Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander languages spoken at home in 2021 by over 78,000 (78,656)
people.
The
most widely reported language groups spoken were Arnhem Land and Daly
River Region Languages, Torres Strait Island Languages, Western
Desert Languages, Yolngu Matha and Arandic.
The
2021 Census introduced a new question on service with the Australian
Defence Force (ADF). It found that over 3,000 (3,159 or 3.7 per cent)
currently serving members and over 11,000 (11,610 or 2.3 per cent)
former serving members identify as having Aboriginal and/or Torres
Strait Islander origin.
Dr
David Gruen AO, Australian Statistician, said “The Census collects
vitally important information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander communities that will help governments and local
organisations plan for health, education and community services into
the future.
The
ABS is undertaking further analysis of the insights that Census data
provides for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We look
forward to sharing these in our future releases.”
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INTERNATIONAL ANCESTRY and LANGUAGE
The
Census provides a snapshot of the cultures and languages that make up
Australia by providing data on cultural diversity, country of birth,
ancestry and languages used at home.
The
2021 Census found that almost half of Australians have a parent born
overseas (48.2 per cent) and the population continues to be drawn
from around the globe, with 27.6 per cent reporting a birthplace
overseas.
The
Census shows that Australia has welcomed more than one million people
(1,020,007) into Australia since 2017. The largest increase in
country of birth, outside Australia, was India with 220,000 (217,963)
additional people counted. India has moved past China and New Zealand
to become the third largest country of birth behind Australia and
England.
The
second largest increase in country of birth was Nepal, with an
additional 70,000 (67,752) people, meaning the population of Nepali
born has more than doubled since 2016 (an increase of 123.7 per
cent).
The
top five reported ancestries in the 2021 Census followed previous
trends and were English at 33.0 per cent, Australian at 29.9 per
cent, Irish at 9.5 per cent, Scottish at 8.6 per cent and Chinese at
5.5 per cent.
The
number of people who used a language other than English at home has
increased by nearly 800,000 (792,062) from 2016 to over 5.5 million
people (5,663,709). 850,000 (852,706) of this group reported that
they do not speak English well or at all.
Mandarin
continues to be the most common language other than English used at
home, with nearly 700,000 (685,274) people using Mandarin at home.
This is followed by Arabic with just over 367,000 (367,159) people.
Punjabi had the largest increase, with the 2021 Census showing over
239,000 (239,033) people using Punjabi at home, an increase of over
80 per cent (80.4 per cent) from 2016.
Dr
David Gruen AO, Australian Statistician, said “The Census captures
the extent of the linguistic diversity across Australia. 2021 Census
data collected information on over 250 ancestries and 350 languages.
The
information collected in the Census provides important data to help
plan services and support for culturally and linguistically diverse
communities at the local level. For example, by understanding the
growing population groups in their area, community groups can provide
in-language services at the local level”.
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HOUSING and HOUSEHOLDS
There
were nearly 11 million (10,852,208) private dwellings counted in the
2021 Census, an increase of nearly one million (950,712) since 2016.
These dwellings were comprised of separate houses (70 per cent),
apartments (16 per cent) and town houses (13 per cent). The
proportion of apartments continues to increase, with apartments
accounting for nearly one third (30.9 per cent) of the increase in
private dwellings since 2016.
The
2021 Census separately identified high rises (nine or more storeys)
for the first time and found that over half a million people
(550,592) live in Australia’s 370,000 (368,943) high rise
apartments. Over 2.5 million people (2,620,903) or 10.3 per cent of
us now live in apartments.
Not
all dwellings were occupied on Census night (such as vacant holiday
homes or vacant investment properties), with the 2021 Census finding
more than one million (1,043,776) unoccupied dwellings.
Many
alternative dwellings were also counted on Census night, including
caravans (58,155), cabins and houseboats (29,369).
Two
thirds of households (66.0 per cent) own their home outright or with
a mortgage, very similar to Censuses back to 1996 (67.8 per cent).
However, the proportion of households that own outright has dropped
from 40 per cent in 1996 (41.6 per cent) to 30 per cent in 2021 (31.0
per cent).
Households
that own with a mortgage have increased from about a quarter of all
households (26.2 per cent) in 1996 to 35 per cent (35.0 per cent).
Over the last 25 years, the number of homes owned outright has
increased by 10 per cent, while the number owned with a mortgage has
doubled (increased by 96.8 per cent).
When
travelling to and from our homes, we are a nation of drivers. 91 per
cent of households (91.3 per cent) reported having at least one
vehicle and more than half (55.1 per cent) reported having two or
more vehicles.
Dr
David Gruen AO, Australian Statistician, said “The Census provides
a unique snapshot of where people slept on Census night. During the
Census, we reached people staying in hotels, those travelling on
Census night, and even Australians working offshore.
The
information collected about how people live and what type of home
they live in will help inform community planning for new housing and
support existing living arrangements within the community”.
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HEALTH
2021
is the first time Census has collected information on diagnosed
long-term health conditions. Over two million people reported having
at least one of the following conditions - mental health (2,231,543),
arthritis (2,150,396) or asthma (2,068,020), with these being the
most reported long-term health conditions.
Almost
4.8 million (4,791,516) people reported having one of the ten
long-term health conditions listed on the Census form, while nearly
1.5 million (1,490,344) had two of these health conditions and over
750,000 (772,142) had three or more of these long-term health
conditions. A further one million (1,009,836) indicated that they had
at least one other long-term health condition that was not listed on
the form.
The
proportion of those with a long-term health condition increased with
age. More than three out of every five (62.9 per cent) people aged
65+ reported having at least one long-term health condition compared
with one out of every five (22.1 per cent) 15–34 year olds.
Females
were more likely to report a long-term health condition than males,
with 34 per cent (33.9 per cent) of females having one or more
long-term health conditions compared with 30 per cent (29.5 per cent)
of males. Males most commonly reported asthma and mental health
conditions, while the most commonly reported long term health
conditions reported by females were arthritis and mental health
conditions.
Asthma
is the most commonly reported health condition for 0–14 year olds,
with a notable difference between male children with 7.4 per cent
reporting asthma compared to 5.3 per cent of female children.
Census
data on long-term health conditions can be split by other
characteristics such as geography, cultural background or family
type. For example, the 2021 Census shows over half of people born in
Greece (56.1 per cent) and Italy (53.7 per cent) reported one or more
long-term health conditions.
Dr
David Gruen AO, Australian Statistician, said “For the first time,
we have data on long-term health conditions across the whole
population. This is critical data to inform planning and service
delivery decisions about how treatment and care is provided for all
Australians.
Census
data will help provide a more detailed picture of Australians’
health. Census data complements existing ABS health surveys by
providing additional insights about the communities that require
services to support complex health needs”.
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For
further information about 2021 Census data go to:
www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data.
NOTE:
The
Census net undercount was 0.7% (190,044 persons).
The
Northern Territory recorded the highest net undercount (6.0%) while
the Australian Capital Territory recorded a net overcount (-0.6%).
Males
were more likely to be missed in the Census (1.3% net undercount)
compared with females (0.2%).
The
net undercount for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was
17.4%.
The
total net undercount on the night in New South Wales was 0.0%.
This was attributed by the ABS to people having limited movement
across the state due to COVID-19 lockdowns in place at the time.
