Scope of the 2021 Census
The data in the 2021 Census of Population and Housing was collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on 10 August 2021. The Census counted all persons who spent Census night in Australia. This did not include foreign diplomats and their families. The 2021 Australian Census included people from Norfolk Island for the first time. The Territories of Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island have been included in the Australian Census since 1996. Expeditioners to Australian bases in the Australian Antarctic Territory (and other locations) are also included in Census counts.
Overseas visitors
The data in these summaries excludes overseas visitors.
Overseas visitors are people who are usually resident in another country. For the 2021 Census, overseas visitors were those who indicated they would be usually resident in Australia for less than a year.
Census counts
Compilation of data from the 2021 Census is based on two types of Census count:
- Place of Enumeration – this is a count of all persons who spent Census night in Australia based on where the individual was counted. This may not be where the person usually resides.
- Place of Usual Residence – this is a count of all people within the scope of the Census based on where they usually reside, rather than where they were on Census night.
Statistics in these summaries
The data in these summaries are based on place of usual residence and exclude overseas visitors. The ABS has developed a technique known as perturbation, which is applied to all counts, including totals, to prevent any identifiable data about individuals being released. These adjustments result in small introduced random errors and can mean that the rows and columns of a table do not sum to the displayed totals. As a result of these random adjustments, there may also be minor discrepancies between figures in this publication and those published elsewhere. However, these differences will only be slight and can, for the most part, be ignored.
Symbols used
- nfd - not further defined
- nec - not elsewhere classified
Country of birth of individual
The Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 2021 was used to classify the responses to the Census questions on country of birth of individual.
Geographic Distribution
Counts based on State/Territory of Usual Residence. In the Australia map, data for "Other Territories" is not shown.
Ancestry
The question asked on ancestry in the 2021 Census was: What is the person's ancestry? Respondents were asked to consider the origins of their parents and grandparents. When answering this question providing up to two ancestries.
Because Ancestry is a multi-response question in the Census, responses were coded into two variables - ANC1P (first response) and ANC2P (second response). Depending on the number of responses given, some people are recorded with one ancestry while others have two. This means that the number of responses for a particular ancestry for a geographic area may be greater than the number of people in that area. There is no ranking of responses, so if a respondent reports two ancestries, both answers have equal standing.
The Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups (ASCCEG) 2021 was used to classify Ancestry.
Proportions based on total from each birthplace, excluding those that didn't state an Ancestry.
Language
Language other than English speakers/proficiency proportions denominator includes persons who stated a language but not a proficiency excludes persons who did not state a language or proficiency.
Language Spoken at Home
The question asked in the 2021 Census was: 'Does the person speak a language other than English at home?' The Australian Standard Classification of Languages (ASCL) 2021 was used to classify the responses to the Census questions on language spoken at home by individuals.
Proficiency in Spoken English
Persons who indicated that they spoke a language at home other than English were asked to rate their level of proficiency in spoken English. Responses by individuals to the question on proficiency in English are subjective. As such, the variable is an indicator of a person's ability to speak English and not a definitive measure of his/her ability.
Religion
The question on religious affiliation in the 2021 Census was optional. This was the same in all previous Censuses.
The Australian Standard Classification of Religious Groups (ASCRG), 2021 was used to classify the response to the Census question on religious affiliation of individuals.
Based on 3 digit categories of Religion.
No religion includes agnostic, atheism, humanism, rationalism and other secular beliefs.
Arrival
This variable records the year of first arrival in Australia for people born overseas who intend to stay in Australia for at least one year.
The year 2021 is represented by this variable includes only the period from 1 January 2021 to 9 August 2021 – the Census date.
This variable is recorded as 'Not applicable' for those born in Australia or those who did not state their Country of Birth.
Proportions based on denominator that includes Year of Arrival not stated.
Median income
Median income is the level of income which divides the number of people in a group into two equal parts. One half having incomes above the median and the other half having incomes below the median.
These summaries provide the median weekly income for each community. This is based on the gross income that a person usually receives each week, including pensions and allowances. This is only applicable to persons aged 15 years and over.
Overseas born excludes the following country categories
- Australia (includes External Territories), not further defined
- Norfolk Island
- Australian External Territories, not elsewhere classified.
But includes
- Inadequately described
- At sea
Qualification
This describes the level of a person's highest completed non-school qualification.
Non-school qualification is coded using the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001. This is only applicable to persons aged 15 years and over.
Non-School Qualification: Level of Education (QALLP)
Persons with qualifications include inadequately described and not stated.
Chart's fifth column 'No Qualifications' was based on Non-School Qualification: Level of Education (QALLP) Not Applicable, Full-Time/Part-Time Student Status (STUP) Attending, and Not Stated, and Type of Educational Institution Attending (TYPP) Stated.
Persons still attending proportion was based on Persons with Non School Qualifications (QALLP) Not Applicable) and Full-Time/Part-Time Student Status (STUP) Full-time student, Part-time student, and Institution (TYPP) state, full-time/part-time status (STUP) not stated, and as a proportion of all country born aged 15 and over.
Employment
Labour force participation
These summaries provide labour force participation rates derived from labour force status data.
This variable records a person's labour force status (employed, unemployed looking for work or not in the labour force) for the week prior to Census Night.
Participation rate denominator excludes persons who did not state their Labour Force status.
Occupation
The occupation code assigned is based on the response given for the questions 'In the main job held last week, what was the person's occupation?' and 'What are the main tasks that the person usually performs in that occupation?'
Occupation is coded using the new Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), 2013, Version 1.2.
