By Emily-Rose Toohey
Most of the 2021 Census results were released at the end of June and highlighted how the population of both the Southern Downs and Australia has grown since 2016, the year of the last Census.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the 2021 Census counted 25,422,788 people living in Australia, which was an increase of 8.6 per cent since the 2016 Census.
49.3 per cent of the population were male with a median age of 37 years old, and 50.7 per cent of the population were female with a median age of 39 years old.
On the Southern Downs, the ABS found that last year’s Census counted 36,290 residents and a median age of 48.
Males comprised 49.2 per cent of the population whereas females made-up 50.8 per cent.
Postcode specific, 19,195 people were accounted for living under 4370 and 8,093 people comprised 4380.
The ABS also said that the Census revealed increasing diversity in the religions Australians identified, reflecting changes in social attitudes and belief systems.
Christianity was the most common religion in Australia, with over 43.9 per cent identifying as such, which reduced from 52.1 per cent in 2016.
On the Southern Downs, 11,398 people (31.4 per cent) identified as non-religious and the highest religion was Catholicism, with 7,893 people stating as such (21.7 per cent).
The ABS also cited being Anglican as the second most common religious denomination in the region – 6,276 people (17.3 per cent).
Australian Statistician Dr David Gruen AO said that religion was one of the few topics that have been in all 18 of Australia’s Censuses.
“It is also the only question that is voluntary,” Mr Gruen said.
In terms of marital status, 14,697 (48.9 per cent) people recorded them being married, 3,164 people (10.5 per cent) were divorced, and 8,923 people (29.7 per cent) were never married.
Further topics will be released in October of this year, including employment and location-based variables, and in early to mid-2023, more complex topics will be released.
For the full list of data on the Southern Downs from the 2021 Census, follow the link: www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/LGA36660
