Australia · Area profile
Australia
7,688,095 km²
The national population grew by 18% between 2011 and 2021, bringing the total for Australia to over 25.4 million people. This growth was accompanied by a shift toward an older society, with the typical resident now 38 and the proportion of seniors rising to 17.2%. The community has also become more diverse, with a higher share of people born overseas and more households speaking a language other than English. Overall, it is a maturing population with increasing educational levels and a growing number of high-income earners.
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The typical age of residents is 38, having risen by one year since 2011. While children under 15 fell to 18.2%, the proportion of seniors aged 65 and over rose by 3.2 points to 17.2%. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 3.2% of the population.
People born overseas now make up 27.7% of the population, a rise of 3.1 points since 2011. English (33.0%) and Australian (29.9%) are the most common ancestries, while the most frequent birthplaces are Australia (66.9%), England, and India.
About 22.3% of people use a language other than English at home, an increase of 4.1 points since 2011. English remains the primary language for 72.0% of the population, and the share of people who speak little or no English has stayed steady at 3.4%.
The number of people reporting no religion rose sharply by 17 points since 2011 to reach 38.9%. Christianity remains the most common affiliation at 43.9%, followed by Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
Adults are becoming better qualified, with those holding a bachelor degree or higher rising by 7.5 points to 26.3% since 2011. Year 12 completion also climbed 9.6 points to 58.8% over the same period.
Typical weekly household income rose by $512 since 2011 to reach $1,746. High earners are more common, with the share of households earning $3,000 or more a week rising 13 points to 22.6%.
About 27.7% of people live with a long-term health condition, with mental health and arthritis being the most common. Those needing help with daily activities rose slightly to 5.8% since 2011.
Volunteering fell by 3.7 points since 2011 to 14.1%. Unpaid care for children also dipped to 26.3%, while the share of people providing other forms of unpaid care rose slightly to 11.9%.
There are 812,728 First Nations people, with a typical age of 24. The unemployment rate for this group is 12.3%, and 12.3% speak a First Nations language.
People living alone rose to 25.6% since 2011, though couples with children remain the most common family type at 58.1%. The typical home now houses 2.5 people.
Separate houses are the most common dwelling at 72.3%, though this fell 3.2 points since 2011. The typical weekly rent rose $40 since 2016 to $375, and the typical monthly mortgage payment rose to $1,863.
Working from home saw a massive jump, rising 17 points since 2011 to 21.0%. Conversely, commuting by public transport fell by 4.3 points to 3.1%.
Movement is common, with 40.7% of people moving house in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas fell 4.6 points since 2011 to 14.5%.
Full-time employment fell 4.4 points to 58.9%, while the overall share of adults working or looking for work stayed steady at 61.1%. Health care and social assistance is the largest industry, employing 14.5% of the workforce.