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Australian Embassy, Lisbon
Press Release - 21 November 2007
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Australia - A profile - 2006 Census paints changing social tapestry
Australia’s resident population increased by 6 per cent or just over one million, since the 2001 Census, according to the latest (2nd release) figures issued recently by the Australia Bureau of Statistics.
The number of people counted (including overseas visitors) in the August 2006 Census was 20,061,646. According to the 2006 Census, there were more females (50.6 per cent) than males (49.4 per cent) in the Australian populace.
The number of people who identified as being indigenous in the 2006 Census was 455,031.
Between the 2001 and 2006 censuses, the indigenous population had increased by 11 per cent, or by 45,000 persons.
The median age of the overall Australian resident population in the 2006 Census was 37 years, up from 35 years in the 2001 Census, while, 24.3 per cent of the Australian resident population were aged 55 years and older. And, 6,641,488 people or 33.4 per cent of the Australian resident population in the 2006 Census were under 25 years old.
The number of people who possessed Australian Citizenship was 17,095,569 (86.1 per cent). Of Australia’s foreign born population, 22.2 per cent of Australians counted in the 2006 Census were born overseas - or 7 out of 10 Australian residents were born in Australia. The top five countries of birth (other than Australia) in the 2006 Census were: England, New Zealand, China, Italy and Viet Nam.
English was the only language spoken at home by 78.5 per cent of people and the top five languages spoken at home (other than English) were Italian, Greek, Cantonese, Arabic, and Mandarin.
The top three responses for religious affiliation were Catholic (25.8 per cent), Anglican (18.7 per cent), and No Religion (18.7 per cent).
Australia’s family marital partnership profile showed that 11.3 per cent of the Australian resident population were separated or divorced. Just under half (49.6 per cent) of the Australian resident population stated they were married in the 2006 Census.
The number and proportion of Australians stating they were never married, never separated, nor divorced in the 2006 Census increased from the 2001 Census. There were 5,219,165 families counted and couples with children represented 45.3 per cent of all families. One parent families made up 15.8 per cent of the total families counted.
Canberra
21 November 2007