First release
Most topics, available for nearly all geographic areas. Gender experience, a more complex variable built from the new gender question, may not be available until the second release.
2026 Census Results Australia: Release Dates, Data and Suburb Profiles
The ABS will release 2026 Census results in three stages. The first release is in June 2027. The second release is in October 2027. The third release is in early to mid-2028. Census night was Tuesday 11 August 2026. Censible will publish 2026 results for every Australian suburb on release day.
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Get 2026 Census results for your suburb on release day
One email when the ABS Census first release comes out, with a link to free Australian census data for your suburb.
Until June 2027, the 2021 Census is the latest. Every Censible suburb profile shows it now.
2026 Census release dates
The ABS publishes 2026 Census data in three releases. Each release adds topics to the last.
| Stage | Date | Status | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Census night | Tuesday 11 August 2026 | Complete | Households completed the Census online or on paper. |
| First release | June 2027 (exact day to be confirmed by ABS) | Upcoming | Most topics, including the new questions on gender and sexual orientation. |
| Second release | October 2027 | Upcoming | Qualifications, employment, occupation, industry and travel to work. |
| Third release | Early to mid-2028 | Upcoming | SEIFA, distance to work, homelessness estimates and the longitudinal dataset. |
Release months are the ABS plan as at November 2026. The ABS has not announced exact days. Source: ABS 2026 Census product guide.
What each 2026 Census release will include
The ABS topic release plan sets out which census statistics arrive in each release.
Second release
A smaller set of topics about work, study and where people lived before.
Third release
Indexes and datasets the ABS builds from the earlier releases.
Topics follow the ABS topic release plan as at November 2026 and may change before release. Source: ABS 2026 Census product guide.
What is new in the 2026 Census
The ABS added one topic, changed several questions and dropped one for 2026.
New: gender and sexual orientation
The 2026 Census asked about gender and sexual orientation for the first time. Both questions are for people aged 16 and over. Each has a 'prefer not to answer' option.
Changed: sex recorded at birth
The sex question now asks for sex recorded at birth.
Changed: ancestry
People could report up to four ancestries, up from two.
Changed: health and travel to work
Liver disease was added to long-term health conditions. Bicycle (including e-bike) was added to method of travel to work.
Not asked: children ever born
The number of children a woman has had was not asked in 2026. The ABS plans to ask it again in 2031.
Not included: sex characteristics
The ABS tested a question on variations of sex characteristics. It was not included, because testing did not show it would be understood.
Find census data for your suburb
Suburb profiles show 2021 Census data now. They update to 2026 Census data on release day, at the same address.
Suburb profiles by state
Censible Index: Fastest-Growing Suburbs (preview)
Australia's fastest-growing suburbs by population growth between the 2016 and 2021 Censuses.
Placeholder
| Rank | Suburb | Growth 2016–2021 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Placeholder suburb | — |
| 2 | Placeholder suburb | — |
| 3 | Placeholder suburb | — |
| 4 | Placeholder suburb | — |
| 5 | Placeholder suburb | — |
Placeholder rows, not real figures. The ranked list will appear here when it is published.
2021 Census key facts (the baseline)
The 2021 Census is the latest ABS Census until June 2027. The 2026 Census results will be compared with these figures.
- 25,422,788
- People counted in Australia
- 8.6%
- Population growth since the 2016 Census
- 38
- Median age
- 10,852,208
- Private dwellings
- $1,746
- Median weekly household income
- $375
- Median weekly rent
- $1,863
- Median monthly mortgage repayment
- 27.6%
- People born overseas
Australia, 2021 Census of Population and Housing. Growth and birthplace are from ABS 2021 Census media releases, listed under Sources. Source: ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, Australia.
How to get 2026 Census data
Three ways to get census statistics, from free ABS summaries to custom tables and plain-English questions.
ABS QuickStats
Free summaries of people, families and dwellings for a single area, from Australia down to suburbs and postcodes. Published by the ABS.
ABS TableBuilder
Build custom census tables by choosing the variables and areas you need. Census TableBuilder Basic is free with registration. TableBuilder Pro is free for members of registered organisations.
Censible
An AI-native census platform built on ABS data. Ask questions in plain English, compare suburbs side by side, and use the figures through the API or the MCP server.
2026 Census FAQ
When will the 2026 Census results be released?
The ABS will release 2026 Census results in three stages, starting in June 2027. The first release, in June 2027, covers most topics. The second release, in October 2027, adds qualifications, employment and travel to work. The third release, in early to mid-2028, adds SEIFA, distance to work and homelessness estimates. The ABS has not yet announced exact release days.
When was Census night 2026?
Census night 2026 was Tuesday 11 August 2026. Households could complete the Census online or on a paper form. In October 2026 the ABS reported close to 10.5 million household forms received, and said it was on track for a national response rate above 95 per cent. The final response rate will be published with the first release in June 2027.
What is in the first release of 2026 Census data?
The first release, in June 2027, includes most 2026 Census topics. These include age, sex recorded at birth, gender, sexual orientation, family and household relationships, country of birth, ancestry, language, religion, income, schooling, health and housing. The ABS says most topics will be available for nearly all geographic areas. Work and qualification topics follow in October 2027.
How do I find census data for my suburb?
Search for your suburb on this page to open its Censible suburb profile. Each profile shows 2021 Census data now and will update to 2026 Census data on release day, at the same address. You can also use ABS QuickStats, which gives a free census summary for any suburb, postcode or other ABS area.
Is Australian census data free?
Yes. ABS census data is free to use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence, which lets you reuse it with credit to the ABS. ABS QuickStats is free with no sign-in, and Census TableBuilder Basic is free with registration. Censible suburb profiles are free to read, and Censible has a free plan for exploring further.
What changed in the 2026 Census?
The 2026 Census added questions on gender and sexual orientation for people aged 16 and over. The sex question now asks for sex recorded at birth. Ancestry allows up to four answers, liver disease was added to long-term health conditions, and e-bikes were added to travel to work. The number of children ever born was not asked in 2026.
Can I ask questions about census data in plain English?
Yes. Censible lets you ask questions about Australian census data in plain English, such as which suburbs have the most young families. It answers with ABS Census figures for suburbs, postcodes, councils and areas you draw. You can ask in the Censible app, or from AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT through the Censible MCP server.
Is there an API for Australian census data?
Yes. Censible has a REST API and an MCP server for Australian census data, covering the 2011, 2016 and 2021 Censuses on 2026 boundaries. 2026 Census results will be added as the ABS releases them. The ABS also publishes its own Data API for many of its statistics. The Censible developer page lists the endpoints and setup steps.
Sources and methodology
Every date and census figure on this page comes from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
ABS sources
How Censible processes ABS data
Censible takes the ABS Census tables for 2011, 2016 and 2021 and carries them onto the 2026 boundaries (ASGS Edition 4) using ABS correspondences, so the same place lines up across censuses. Figures for areas whose boundaries changed are marked as estimated. Until June 2027, the latest census figures are from 2021. As the ABS publishes each 2026 release, Censible adds it to the same suburb profiles.
Journalists: get release-day data
Request 2026 Census figures for your area on ABS release day, with notes on how they were calculated.