Carried figure
A count from an earlier Census moved onto newer boundaries with the ABS's population-weighted correspondences, so places can be compared across Censuses on the same map. Where a boundary didn't change, the carried figure is the ABS's own count; where it did, it's an estimate.
Why figures are carried
The ABS redraws its boundaries every five years, so each Census is published on a different map. Censible shows every Census on the 2026 boundaries, so a place can be compared across 2011, 2016 and 2021 on one map.
The 2026 Census results are due from 2027. Until then the latest figures are carried too: the 2021 Census on the 2026 boundaries.
Method
Censible carries counts, never finished figures. Each count in an old area is split across the new areas its residents live in, using the ABS's population-weighted correspondences. A correspondence records the share of each old area's population that falls in each new area, measured from mesh blocks.
Every figure is then worked out from the carried counts: a percentage from its carried numerator and denominator, and a median from its carried counts in each range. Percentages and medians are never carried directly.
Figures from 2011 and 2016 reach the 2026 boundaries through each edition in between, with the population shares multiplied at each step.
Exact and estimated figures
Most areas don't change between editions. Where a 2026 area is exactly one earlier area, with all of that area's residents and no one else's, the carried figure is the ABS's own count. Where a boundary changed, the figure is apportioned from the old areas and Censible marks it as estimated.
Checks
Every build checks that no area's shares add up to more than one, so no one is counted twice. Carried totals have also been compared with the ABS's Time Series Profile, which re-tabulates earlier Censuses on newer boundaries. For Moonee Valley council on the 2021 boundaries, carried total population came to 107,443 against the ABS's 107,444 for 2011, and 116,671 against 116,674 for 2016.
Limitations
- Even spread. A population-weighted correspondence assumes a characteristic, such as renting, is spread through an old area in line with its population. Where it isn't, an estimated figure can be off. The effect is largest for small areas such as SA1s, suburbs and postcodes.
- Still the earlier Census. A carried 2021 figure describes August 2021 on today's boundaries. It doesn't account for change since, which can be large in new housing areas, where boundaries are most often split.
- Exact alternatives are limited. The ABS's Time Series Profile gives exact earlier figures on newer boundaries for SA2s, councils and larger areas, for about 100 topics. For SA1s, suburbs and postcodes, a correspondence is the only option.
Source: ABS, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, Correspondences.
Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS)
The ABS's framework of boundaries for publishing statistics, from mesh blocks of a few dozen dwellings up to states and territories, plus the ABS's versions of councils, suburbs and postcodes. It's redrawn every five years; Edition 4, released from July 2026, is the one the 2026 Census will use.
Median
The middle value when everything is put in order: half the values are above it and half below. Census figures for age, income, rent and mortgage repayments are published as medians because a few very large values would distort an average.
Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1)
The smallest area the ABS uses to publish most Census data. An SA1 is a neighbourhood block of about 400 people, usually between 200 and 800, and SA1s fit together to form SA2s.
Estimated resident population (ERP)
The ABS's official measure of Australia's population. It starts from the Census count, adds people the Census missed and residents who were overseas, and is updated between Censuses with births, deaths and migration.
Correspondence (ABS correspondence file)
A table published by the ABS for converting data from one set of geographic areas to another, such as 2021 SA2s to 2026 SA2s. Each row gives the share of a 'from' area that falls in a 'to' area, weighted by where the population lives.
Area weighting (apportioning)
A way to estimate figures for an area that doesn't match published boundaries, by giving it a share of each overlapping area's counts. The share can follow land area, population or dwellings, and each assumes the figure is spread evenly within what it measures.
Questions people ask
A figure from an earlier Census shown on newer boundaries. Censible moves the earlier counts across with the ABS's population-weighted correspondences and works out each figure from them.
Where the area's boundary didn't change, yes: it's the ABS's own count. Where the boundary changed, it's an estimate apportioned from the old areas, and Censible marks it as estimated.
Censible uses the boundaries for the 2026 Census, which the ABS released from July 2026. The 2026 Census results are due from 2027, so until then the 2021 figures are carried onto those boundaries.
Yes. Censible shows all three Censuses on the 2026 boundaries. Where the suburb's boundary changed, the earlier figures are marked as estimated.