2016 Census: South Australia

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MEDIA RELEASE
27 June 2017
067/2017

Playford South Australia's fastest mover

The 2016 Census has revealed the City of Playford, located in Greater Adelaide’s northernmost region, has experienced South Australia’s greatest population growth. The home of the Bulldogs saw its population grow from 80,000 people in 2011 to 90,000 in 2016, a 13 per cent increase.

It has been less than 10 months since the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) took the pulse of the nation to find out who we are, how we live, what we do, and where we’re headed.

The Census was used to update South Australia’s estimated resident population, which at 31 December, 2016 had grown to 1,716,966 million people.

The 2016 Census counted 1,676,653 usual residents of the Festival State on Census night, an increase of 80,081 people (or 5 per cent) since 2011.

Adelaide City, encompassing the city’s CBD, was the next fastest growing region, with its population increasing to 22,000 people from 20,000 people (up 12 per cent).

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples accounted for two per cent of South Australia’s population, an increase of five per cent since 2011 to a total of 34,184 people.

Moving out of the city, the Fleurieu – Kangaroo Island region was South Australia’s fastest growing region outside of Adelaide in percentage terms, increasing by 17.4 per cent since 2011. While the Barossa region saw an increase of 6.9 per cent.

In South Australia, 40 is the median age – two years above the national average of 38 and two years below Tasmania’s median age of 42 in 2016.

Continuing the national trend, almost a quarter of South Australian residents – 23 per cent –were born overseas. England continues to be most commonly reported place of birth other than Australia. However the increase in migrants from India and China sees them overtake Italy to become the second and third most common countries of birth reported.

While Italian, Mandarin and Greek are the most commonly reported languages other than English spoken at home, the majority (78 per cent) of people reported that they speak only English at home – a decrease from 82 per cent in 2011.

In the state with its capital known as the ‘City of Churches’, Christianity was the most commonly reported religion, accounting for just under half the State’s population (823,000 people), while 594,313 people (35 per cent) reported that they had ‘No religion’.

South Australia’s median weekly personal income increased from $534 in 2011 to $600 in 2016, a rise of by 12 per cent, while the mining region of Roxby Downs recorded the State’s highest median income at $1,547 a week.

The median weekly rent for a dwelling in South Australia increased by 18 per cent over the past five years, from $220 in 2011 to $260 in 2016. For those chasing the great Australian dream, the State’s median monthly mortgage repayment actually decreased by $9 (0.6 per cent) to $1,473.

Australian Statistician David W. Kalisch said Census data is high quality, thanks to the participation of Australians.

“The Independent Assurance Panel I established to provide extra assurance and transparency of Census data quality concluded that the 2016 Census data can be used with confidence,” Mr Kalisch said.

“The 2016 Census had a response rate of 95.1 per cent and a net undercount of 1.0 per cent. This is a quality result, comparable to both previous Australian Censuses and Censuses in other countries, such as New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

“Furthermore, 63 per cent of people completed the Census online, embracing the digital-first approach and contributing to faster data processing and data quality improvements.

“2016 Census data provides a detailed, accurate and fascinating picture of Australia, which will be used to inform critical policy, planning and service delivery decisions for our communities over the coming years,” he said.

Census data is available free online. Use one of our easy tools such as QuickStats and Community Profiles to access the latest data for your area or topic of interest.

You can also attend one of our free Seminars. To find out more about Census Data Seminar series, or to register, go to the ABS website.



South Australia

2016
2011

Usual resident count
1,676,653
1,596,572

Population growth
5.0%

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
34,184
30,432

Median age
40
39

Sex
Male
49.3%
49.3%
Female
50.7%
50.7%

Born overseas
383,287 (22.9%)
352,059 (22.0%)

Country of birth (top 5 outside Australia) %
1.
England – 97,392 (5.8%)
England – 102,681 (6.4%)
2.
India – 27,594 (1.6%)
Italy – 20,708 (1.3%)
3.
China – 24,610 (1.5%)
India – 18,739 (1.2%)
4.
Italy – 18,544 (1.1%)
China – 15,932 (1.0%)
5.
Vietnam – 14,337 (0.9%)
Scotland – 13,904 (0.9%)

Languages spoken at home (top 4) %
1.
English – 1,311,533 (78.2%)
English – 1,303,066 (81.6%)
2.
Italian – 29,106 (1.7%)
Italian – 33,294 (2.1%)
3.
Mandarin – 28,780 (1.7%)
Greek – 25,250 (1.6%)
4.
Greek – 22,993 (1.4%)
Mandarin – 16,497 (1.0%)

Religious affiliation (top 3) %
1.
No Religion – 594,313 (35.4%)
No Religion – 440,174 (27.6%)
2.
Catholic – 301,034 (18.0%)
Catholic – 317,959 (19.9%)
3.
Anglican – 167,658 (10.0%)
Anglican – 200,439 (12.6%)

Registered marital status (over 15 years old) %
Married
659,638 (47.7%)
633,442 (48.4%)
Separated
44,199 (3.2%)
38,964 (3.0%
Divorced
127,916 (9.2%)
118,732 (9.1%)
Widowed
83,281 (6.0%)
83,001 (6.3%)
Never married
468,621 (33.9%)
435,501 (33.3%)

Median income (weekly)
Individual
$600
$534
Family
$1,510
$1,330
Household
$1,206
$1,044

Family composition %
Couple with children
41.6%
41.5%
Couple without children
40.2%
40.6%
One parent families
16.5%
16.3%
Other family types
1.6%
1.6%

*All numbers based on Place of Usual Residence



Dwellings
2016
2011

Occupied private dwellings
638,782
619,036
Median household rent (weekly)
$260
$220
Median household mortgage repayments (monthly)
$1,491
$1,500
Median bedrooms per household
3
3
Average number of people per household
2.4
2.4

Household composition %
Family households
68.4%
68.6%
Single (or lone) person households
28.0%
27.9%
Group households
3.6%
3.6%

*All numbers based on Place of Enumeration, excludes visitor only and other non-classifiable households