Snapshot of Victoria

In the 2021 Census, the number of people counted as usual residents of Victoria was 6.5 million. This was up from 5.9 million in 2016. Fifty years ago, in 1971, the Census counted 3.3 million people. In 2021, almost four out of five people in Victoria lived in the capital city area of Greater Melbourne (4.9 million).

The median age (AGEP) for people from Victoria has been on the rise. In 1971, the median age was 27 years. The median age was 37 years in 2016 and 38 years in 2021. The Australian median age was 38 years in 2021.

In the 2021 Census, 66,000 people identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin (INGP) in Victoria, making up 1.0% of the population. This was an increase from 48,000 counted in 2016, and lower than the Australian percentage of 3.2% in 2021.

For more information, see Victoria: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population summary.

Most people in Victoria were born in Australia (BPLP). The proportion of people who were born overseas has increased over time. In 1971, 22.5% of people were born overseas. This has increased to 28.3% in 2016, and 30.0% in 2021.

In 2021, the top five countries of birth in Victoria were:

• Australia (65.0%)
• India (4.0%)
• England (2.7%)
• China (2.6%)
• New Zealand (1.5%)

In 2021, most people only used English at home (67.2%) (LANP). This was down from 67.9% in 2016.

After English the most common languages used were Mandarin (3.4%), Vietnamese (1.8%), Greek (1.6%) and Punjabi (1.6%).

In 2021, the main religious affiliation (RELP) in Victoria was Christianity (40.9%). This proportion has decreased over time as people reporting non-Christian religions and no religious affiliation have increased. In 2016, Christian affiliation was 47.9%, and in 1971 it was 85.6%.

In 2021, 13.1% of people in Victoria were affiliated with a non-Christian religion. The most common were Islam (4.2%), Hinduism (3.3%) and Buddhism (3.1%).

The percentage of people who identified as having no religious affiliation was 39.3% in 2021. This was an increase from 32.1% in 2016, and 7.3% in 1971.

In Victoria, the median weekly income was $803 for individuals (INCP) and $2,136 for families (FINF) in 2021. These increased from 2016 when the incomes were $644 for individuals and $1,715 for families.

Households are getting smaller in Victoria. In 2021, the average number of people who lived in each household in Victoria was 2.5, a decrease from 3.3 people in 1971.

In 2021, 70.1% of households were family households. This was a slight decrease from 70.8% in 2016.

The most common type of family in Victoria was families with children. In 2021, 45.5% of families were couples with children and 15.2% were one parent families.

Based on place of enumeration. Excludes visitor only and other non-classifiable households.

Source: Household composition (HHCD)

The 2021 Census counted 2.5 million dwellings across Victoria. This was an increase from 2.2 million in 2016. In 1971 there were 1.0 million occupied private dwellings in Victoria.

In 2021 most people lived in separate houses (73.4%), rather than flats, apartments or other dwelling types. This was a slight increase from 73.2% in 2016. Over this time the proportion of people who lived in flats or apartments also increased from 11.6% to 12.1%.

In 2021 68.3% of households in Victoria were homeowners (owned outright or with a mortgage). This was a slight increase from 67.6% in 2016.

Refers to occupied private dwellings and excludes visitor only and other non-classifiable households. Owned with a mortgage includes dwellings being purchased under a shared equity scheme. Rented excludes dwellings being occupied rent-free. Other tenure type and tenure type not stated represent remaining 3.2%.

Source: Tenure type (TEND)

For more detailed state specific data see the Snapshot of Victoria data cube, available for download on the Snapshot of Australia page.