Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2071.0  view on-line: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2071.0main+features902012-2013

(This is the first of two posts reflecting on the 2011 Australian Census results.)

Here is a very select selection of Australian census stats, as they relate to my reddresstheology interests!

MIGRATION

27% of Australia’s population were born overseas and a further 20% have at least one parent who was born overseas, which means almost HALF of the nation are first or second generation Australians.

In the last four years we have welcomed more migrants from India (13%) than we have from the UK (12%) and seven out of the top 10 birthplaces for recent arrivals were from Asia.

RELIGION

61% of Australians identify themselves as Christian; 7% as religious of an other-than-Christian variety;
and 22% as having no religion at all.  A further 9% simply didn’t answer the question!

There are now more no-religionists in Australia (22%) than there are Anglicans (17%)
and if you add to that the number of Australians who simply ignored the religion box (31%) that is more than the number of Catholics in the nation (25%).

MARRIAGE

49% of adult Australians are currently married plus a further 10% declare themselves to be in a de facto relationship; 11% are separated or divorced and 6% are widowed.
That means around a third of Australians over the age of 18 are currently not, and never have been, married.