Census 2021

Data released on Tuesday shows a snapshot of the nation during Covid-19 and reveals insights into religion, identity and how Australians live.

More than half of census respondents born in Greece and Italy reported having one or more condition. Women are more likely to report having a long-term health condition, with 34% suffering at least one, compared with 30% of men. There are 812,728 people who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in Australia, equal to 3.2% of the population. An additional 1 million people had at least one other long-term condition outside the Top 10. Since the last census, almost 1m new private dwellings were added, with more than 11m counted across the country. Almost 40% of respondents classified themselves as “not religious”, compared with 22.3% in 2011. Australians under 14 were the most likely to have asthma. Of those who completed the census, 96% did so at their own address. “Every stat tells a story, and today we are sharing a glimpse into the stories of almost 25.5 million Australians,” he said. Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, increased from 20.4% to 21.5%. But the figure has fallen from more than 60% a decade earlier. Due to the impacts of the pandemic, 2 million more people were at home on census night in 2021 compared with in 2016.

For the first time, census data shows fewer than half of Australians say they are Christian, while almost as many say they have no religious beliefs.

That has now dropped to 46.5 per cent. The vast majority were men (86.6 per cent). Most were former personnel (85.4 per cent) rather than actively serving. The top responses were English (33 per cent), Australian (29.9 per cent), Irish (9.5 per cent) or Scottish (8.6 per cent), with another 5.5 per cent saying Chinese. Meanwhile, more than half a million Australians (581,139) told the ABS they had served, or were serving, in the Australian Defence Forces (ADF). Of the 27.6 per cent of Australians who were themselves born overseas, the most common country of birth was England. Among children younger than 15, asthma was the most common condition, affecting 7.4 per cent of boys and 5.3 per cent of girls. The census also asked Australians to report their "ancestry", as opposed to their country of birth or ethnicity. The data also shows almost half of Australians had a parent born overseas, and more than a quarter were themselves born overseas. The fastest-growing religions, according to the latest census, are Hinduism (2.7 per cent of the population) and Islam (3.2 per cent), though these worshippers remain small minorities. Meanwhile, the number of Australians who said they had no religion rose to 38.9 per cent (from 30.1 per cent in 2016). A generation ago (in 1991), 56.1 per cent of Australians aged over 15 were in a registered marriage. For the first time, fewer than half of Australians identified as Christian, though Christianity remained the nation's most common religion (declared by 43.9 per cent of the population).

More than 50 per cent of respondents to last year's national population snapshot are first- or second-generation Australians.

The census showed Australians live in nearly 11 million private dwellings, an increase of more than 950,700 since 2016. Arabic was the second most common, while Punjabi has increased by more than 80 per cent since 2016. The 2021 census asked about diagnosed long-term health conditions for the first time. More than 812,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians were counted – 3.2 per cent of the total census count and an increase of more than 25 per cent in five years. Among the total, about 850,000 reported not speaking English well or at all. The top five reported ancestries in Australia were English (33.0 per cent), Australian (29.9 per cent), Irish (9.5 per cent), Scottish (8.6 per cent) and Chinese (5.5 per cent), the Australian Bureau of Statistics report shows.

The proportion of self-identified Christians in Australia has dropped below 50 per cent for the first time amid a surge in non-religious identification.

Around 813,000 people in Australia identify with Islam. Despite being voluntary, the proportion of people answering the question rose from 91 per cent in 2016 to 93 per cent in 2021. “It’s this generation,” she said. The number of people who identified as Hindu in the census surged by 55 per cent over the past five years, reflecting an influx of migrants from countries such as India and Nepal. But she had seen a more negative side too Thirty-nine per cent of Australians now identify as non-religious, up from 30 per cent in 2016 and almost double the 22 per cent of Australians who ticked the “no religion” box a decade ago.

The 2021 census results reveal the millennial generation has caught up to baby boomers in becoming the largest generation group in Australia.

"As every stat tells a story, every census must tell a multitude of stories. By Shiloh Payne By Shiloh Payne By Shiloh Payne By Shiloh Payne By Shiloh Payne By Shiloh Payne By Shiloh Payne By Shiloh Payne By Shiloh Payne By Shiloh Payne By Shiloh Payne

The census shows the average Australian is a woman in her 30s with a partner and kids. It also shows migration trends and what health concerns are most ...

And for the 2021 census, the ABS was instructed to ask a question on sex but not on gender and not on sexual orientation. COVID-19 restrictions in place across the nation meant 96 per cent of people counted were at home rather than travelling when the data was collected. “For the first time, we have data on long-term health conditions across the whole population,” Gruen said. This was also the first time the census collected information on people diagnosed with long-term health conditions. Of those, 850,000 reported that they did not speak English well or at all. More Australian families and households were together on census night in August last year compared to census night in 2017, resulting in a unique picture of Australian homes and families.

There are 2,608,834 million couples without children. Nearly 25,000 same sex marriages (23,914) were counted in the 2021 Census. 8,747,135 people are married, ...

Other family composition represents 1.6 per cent of all families. Other family composition represents 1.6 per cent of all families.

Information on country of birth, year of arrival, ancestry, language and religion.

- In which country was the person’s mother born? - In which country was the person’s father born? This may result in higher responses reported for the 'No religion' category. - In which country was the person born? - Country of birth of person by state and territory of usual residence - 2016 and 2021 - Selected countries of birth of person by state and territory of usual residence - 2021

The 2021 census data shows almost half of the population has a parent born overseas, while India has overtaken China and New Zealand to become the ...

Although India overtook China to become the third-largest country of birth, Mandarin continues to be the most common language spoken at home other than English. "I frequently take my kids to China for a holiday during school breaks, so that they can immerse themselves in Mandarin and Chinese culture," she said. "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," Australian Bureau of Statistics chief statistician David Gruen said. "We need to provide a good language environment for my sons to practice Chinese every day and bring them up in a bilingual context." This led to India overtaking China and New Zealand to become the third-largest country of birth, behind Australia and England. Australians were also asked to report up to two "ancestries" — separate to the question about country of birth. "I had plans to go back to my home country but our family business that was there didn't work out," Mr Shrestha told the ABC. The data revealed that almost half of all Australians (48.2 per cent) had a parent born overseas, and more than a quarter were themselves born overseas. - India has overtaken China and New Zealand to become the third-largest country of birth, behind Australia and England "I went back to India because my family and everybody was there ... I never really thought of moving back to Australia," Ms Ray told the ABC. And in total, more than 1 million people have migrated to Australia since the 2016 census. Nearly 220,000 additional people reported they were born in India in the latest census, compared to when the previous census was conducted in 2016, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data released today.

Significant shifts in the growth of Hinduism as a religion and in Punjabi as spoken language.

More insights on Australia’s population characteristics will be revealed in the second and third releases of Census data. [Nearly 700,000 (685,274) people speak Mandarin at home, followed by Arabic with just over 367,000 (367,159) people.] In terms of the number of people who speak a language other than English at home, Punjabi has seen the largest increase, coming in third behind Mandarin and Arabic. 239,000 (239,033) people speak Punjabi, an increase of over 80 per cent (80.4 per cent) from 2016. Almost 40 per cent (38.9 per cent) of Australia’s population reported having no religion in the 2021 Census, an increase from 30 per cent (30.1 per cent) in 2016 and 22 per cent (22.3 per cent) in 2011. Hinduism has grown by 55.3 per cent to 684,002 people, or 2.7 per cent of the population. 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).

Data output from the sex question will be reported in Census products as male and female only. Data about the population who reported non-binary sex on the ...

Where a respondent provided a male or female response in combination with a non-binary sex response, the male or female response has been used to assign a binary sex value. - In 2016, only an online form was available to report a sex other than male or female and people were required to follow special procedures to request this special form. The most recent Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables outlined that the current best practice approach to accurately capture the concepts of sex and gender required three separate questions. The purpose of this change was to allow respondents to participate in the Census when the male and female sex categories did not accurately describe their sex. The topics that are included on the regulation, and therefore collected on the Census, are decided by the Australian Parliament. The regulation specifies that the Census should collect data on sex. A person’s gender is about social and cultural differences in identity, expression and experience as a man, woman or non-binary person.

This census result is the first time that the number of Australians indicating a belief in Christianity is less than 50 per cent.

It is time we acknowledge it is perfectly possible to be ethical, compassionate and to live a life of meaning without any supernatural beliefs. Ultimately, giving preferential treatment to religious groups ends up emphasising the differences in our society. This census result is also the first time that the number of Australians indicating a belief in Christianity is less than 50 per cent. A local example is the $1 billion spent on the school chaplaincy program since it was introduced by the Howard government in 2006. The rise of nine percentage points since 2016 is the largest ever single increase between censuses for people choosing no religion. Coming from a mixed Catholic and Protestant background, with a mother who truly believed Jesus’ return was imminent, it’s fair to say that religion was important to me back then.

Population. In the 2021 Census, the number of people counted as usual residents of Tasmania was 558,000. · Age. The median age for people from Tasmania has been ...

This was a slight increase from 87.6% in 2016. The most common type of family in Tasmania was families with no children. The 2021 Census counted just over 229,000 occupied private dwellings across Tasmania. This was an increase from almost 210,000 in 2016. The percentage of people who identified as having no religious affiliation was 50.0% in 2021. In 2021, 4.5% of people in Tasmania were affiliated with a non-Christian religion. In 2021, the main religious affiliation in Tasmania was Christianity (38.4%). This proportion has decreased over time as people reporting non-Christian religions and no religious affiliation have increased. This was an increase from nearly 24,000 counted in 2016, and higher than the Australian percentage of 3.2% in 2021. The Australian median age was 38 years in 2021. Most people in Tasmania were born in Australia. The proportion of people who were born overseas has increased over time. The median age was 42 years in both 2016 and 2021. In 2021, almost two-thirds of Tasmania's population (309,000) lived outside of the capital city area of Greater Hobart. This was up from 510,000 in 2016.

Today's Census results reveal that more than half of Australians are first or second-generation migrants, with India becoming the third-largest country of ...

Today’s Census results reveal that more than half of Australians are first or second-generation migrants, with India becoming the third-largest country of birth. Amongst more than 673K people who declared their country of birth as India, the largest age bracket is between 35 and 39 years (131,468 ) followed by 30 to 34 years (111,454). India surpasses China and New Zealand in migration to become the third-largest country of birth, behind Australia and England. - India surpasses China and New Zealand in migration to become the third-largest country of birth From the top ten in the 2016 census to the top five in 2021, the Punjabi language is reigning in Australia. Punjabi speakers are now the largest cohort of Indian migrants in Australia and Punjabi is now the fifth most spoken language at home.

Census data shows migration from continental European countries peaked in the post-war decades, while the number of migrants from south Asian countries has ...

The number of migrants from the Philippines has also soared, from 69,250 in the 2000s to 122,800 last decade. But in the first decade of this century, nearly 24,200 people born in Nepal were in Australia, while 93,600 moved here in the 2010s. The recent surge in migration from those countries is reflected in the ages of those populations. At the time of the 2021 census, 163,300 people living in Australia were born in Italy. The vast majority (109,400) emigrated in the 1950s or 1960s. It’s a similar story for Greek Australians. At census time last year, 92,300 people reported they were born in Greece, and 73 per cent of those were aged over 65. Many were from India and Nepal.