2940.0 - Census of Population and Housing: Details of Overcount and Undercount, Australia, 2016 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/06/2017   
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AUSTRALIA

The 2016 Census counted 23,397,296 usual residents of Australia, who were in the country on Census night (including 1,183,519 persons who were imputed into non-responding dwellings). This was 226,407 persons fewer than the PES estimate of the usual resident population who were present in Australia on Census night. This equates to a net undercount rate of 1.0%.

The net undercount rate is lower in 2016 compared with 2011 (1.7%). The 2016 estimate continues the historical trend of almost complete coverage in Australian Census counts.

Net Undercount Rate, Australia, 1971-2016

1971
1976
1981
1986
1991
1996
2001
2006
2011
2016
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%

Net undercount
1.4
2.7
1.9
1.9
1.8
1.6
1.8
2.7
1.7
1.0
Standard Error (SE)
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.2
0.2
0.2



It is important to note that the PES is designed to provide the best measure of Census coverage at a single point in time rather than as a time series. PES estimates of net undercount are not strictly comparable over time due to changes in both Census and PES methodologies. For example:
  • a new estimation process was introduced in the 2006 PES, along with the inclusion of remote areas and Discrete Communities in the PES sample
  • automated data linking between PES and Census person records was introduced in 2011
  • the 2016 Census underwent a number of changes to its collection methodology, with some changes to PES enumeration procedures as a result.