Census reveals: we're a fast changing nation

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	MEDIA RELEASE
27 June 2017		063/2017

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 has helped update Australia’s estimated resident population, which has grown to 24.4 million people by December 31, 2016.

The 2016 Census counted 23,717,421 people in Australia on Census night, which included 23,401,892 people who usually live in Australia– an 8.8 per cent increase from 2011. On Census night, over 600,000 Australians were travelling overseas.

The Census found that New South Wales remains our most populous state, with 7,480,228 people counted, ahead of Victoria in second (5,926,624 people) and Queensland in third (4,703,193 people).

Yet it’s the home of the nation’s capital – the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) – that experienced the largest population growth of any state or territory over the past five years, adding more than 40,000 new residents – an increase of 11 per cent.

Located approximately 45 kilometres from the Perth CBD in the woody hills of the Darling Scarp, Serpentine - Jarrahdale showed the fastest regional growth in the country, with a population increase of 51 per cent to 27,000 people – up from 18,000 people in 2011. Gungahlin, a thriving northern area in the ACT, continues to flourish and is now home to 71,000 people, up from 47,000 in 2011 – an increase of 50 per cent.

Stretching from the beaches of Bondi and Manly to the Blue Mountains, Greater Sydney once again came in as Australia’s largest population centre, with 4,823,991 people, with around 1,656 new people calling the Harbour City home every week since the last Census. However, the cultural hub of Greater Melbourne is closing in fast with 4,485,211 people, increasing by around 1,859 people every week since 2011.

1.3 million new migrants have come to call Australia home since 2011, hailing from some of the 180 countries of birth recorded in the Census, with China (191,000) and India (163,000) being the most common countries of birth of our new arrivals.

While the majority of migrants settle in Sydney and Melbourne, most Kiwis choose to call Queensland home, with more than one in three (35 per cent) of the 98,000 New Zealanders who have arrived in Australia since 2011 settling in the Sunshine State.

Of all Australian residents, just more than a quarter of people (26 per cent) said they were born overseas, with England remaining the most common country of birth other than Australia. However, with China, India, and the Philippines all in the top five, for the first time in our history, the majority of people born overseas are now from Asia, not Europe.

At the same time, we remain a predominantly English speaking country, with 72.7 per cent of people reporting they spoke only English at home. Tasmania had the highest rate of people speaking only English at home with 88 per cent, while the Northern Territory had the lowest rate at 58 per cent.

Australia also remains a predominantly religious country, with 60 per cent of people reporting a religious affiliation. However, the proportion of people reporting no religion increased to 30 per cent in 2016 – up from 22 per cent five years ago and nearly double the 16 per cent in 2001.

Australians are getting older. The 2016 Census found that there are 664,473 additional people aged 65 and over since 2011. Tasmania is our most experienced state, with nearly one in five people aged 65 and over. The Apple Isle also recorded Australia’s highest median age (42 years), ahead of South Australia (40 years).

The proportion of the people who reported as having Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin has increased again in 2016, accounting for 2.8 per cent of the population. With 649,171 people indicating that they have Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin, the population size has increased by 18.4 per cent since 2011, and nearly doubled since 1996.

Australian Statistician David W. Kalisch said the ABS was pleased to deliver this valuable dataset for Australia, emphasising it is high quality and acknowledging the participation of Australians.

“2016 Census data provides a detailed, accurate and fascinating picture of Australia and our communities,” Mr Kalisch said.

“Once again, thanks to the participation of millions of Australians in last year’s Census, the ABS has today unveiled a comprehensive range of Census data that provides valuable insights into the makeup of our population and will be used to inform critical decisions that guide the future of our nation over the coming years.”

The Independent Assurance Panel, established by the Australian Statistician to provide extra assurance and transparency of Census data quality, concluded that the 2016 Census data can be used with confidence.

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

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

“The ABS undertook a range of quality checks, including a thorough Post Enumeration Survey, to ensure the data can be trusted. These quality assurance measures, and a range of other factors, were considered and verified by the Panel.”

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.



Australia

			2016	2011
Usual resident count			23,401,892	21,507,719
Population growth			8.8%
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples			649,171	548,368
Median age			38	37
Sex	Male		49.3%	49.4%
	Female		50.7%	50.6%
Born overseas			6,150,191 (26.3%)	5,280,802 (24.6%)
Country of birth (top 5 outside Australia) %	1.		England – 907,570 (3.9%)	England – 911,583 (4.2%)
	2.		New Zealand – 518,466 (2.2%)	New Zealand – 483,398 (2.2%)
	3.		China – 509,555 (2.2%)	China – 318,969 (1.5%)
	4.		India – 455,389 (1.9%)	India – 295,362 (1.4%)
	5.		Philippines – 232,386 (1.0%)	Italy – 185,402 (0.9%)
Languages spoken at home (top 4) %	1.		English – 17,020,417 (72.7%)	English – 16,509,291 (76.8%)
	2.		Mandarin – 596,711 (2.5%)	Mandarin – 336,410 (1.6%)
	3.		Arabic – 321,728 (1.4%)	Italian – 299,833 (1.4%)
	4.		Cantonese – 280,943 (1.2%)	Arabic – 287,174 (1.3%)
Religious affiliation (top 3) %	1.		No Religion – 6,933,708 (29.6%)	Catholic – 5,439,267 (25.3%)
	2.		Catholic – 5,291,834 (22.6%)	No Religion – 4,693,162 (21.8%)
	3.		Anglican – 3,101,185 (13.3%)	Anglican – 3,679,907 (17.1%)
Registered marital status (over 15 years old) %	Married		9,148,218 (48.1%)	8,461,115 (48.7%)
	Separated		608,059 (3.2%)	529,280 (3.0%)
	Divorced		1,626,890 (8.5%)	1,460,900 (8.4%)
	Widowed		985,204 (5.2%)	949,634 (5.5%)
	Never married		6,668,910 (35.0%)	5,962,771 (34.3%)
Median income (weekly)	Individual		$662	$577
	Family		$1,734	$1,481
	Household		$1,438	$1,234
Family composition %	Couple with children		44.7%	44.6%
	Couple without children		37.8%	37.8%
	One parent families		15.8%	15.9%
	Other family types		1.7%	1.7%
*All numbers based on Place of Usual Residence
Dwellings
			2016	2011
Occupied private dwellings			8,286,073	7,760,314
Median household rent (weekly)			$335	$285
Median household mortgage repayments (monthly)			$1,755	$1,800
Median bedrooms per household			3.1	3.1
Average number of people per household			2.6	2.6
Household composition %		Family households	71.3%	71.5%
		Single (or lone) person households	24.4%	24.3%
		Group households	4.3%	4.1%