On 11 August, millions of Australians will simultaneously complete the same 66-question survey.
Held every five years, the census will record important details about each person to help inform the country – including governments – about Australia’s demographics.
But there are changes taking effect this year, including new questions about gender and sexuality, which one expert says will make it “probably the most progressive census Australia has ever seen”.
Here are some things you should know about Australia’s 2026 census.
What’s the point of the census?
First conducted 115 years ago, the census is a compulsory national population count that provides one of the most comprehensive snapshots of “the economic, social and cultural makeup of the country”, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Collecting data on every person and household in Australia on census night, the form will ask questions about age, occupation, country of birth, religion, ancestry, spoken languages, work and education.
National census spokesperson Emily Walter says the data has far-reaching implications, informing planning and strategy at all levels of government across health, education, transport, infrastructure and social services, to “support the community the way it needs to be”.
“In order to effectively serve a community in terms of what it needs to exist, you need to know how many people there are, who they are and where they are,” she says.
Will the 2026 census form be online or on paper?
During the first census in 1911, thousands of field officers travelled by horse, cart and bicycle to collect the forms and the data was calculated and tabulated by hand.
“Reaching every person in the country operationally is a huge undertaking,” Walter says, which is why digital forms have become the norm.
During the 2021 census, almost 80% of people completed the survey online, up from 63% in 2016.
Paper forms are still available, however.
The ABS said 30,000 field staff will be deployed to reach every person in Australia – including those in remote communities and people experiencing homelessness.
Every person in the country must also complete the survey, including Australian residents, international tourists and temporary visa holders.
“We’re really aware that the country is quite diverse both locationally and in who we are; we have to respond to that by making it as easy as possible.”
What’s changing in the 2026 Australian census?
It’s normal for questions to be updated at each census. Walter says the “incremental changes” ensure that the census is “relevant over time”.
The biggest change to this year’s census is the inclusion of questions about sexual orientation, sex recorded at birth and gender.
Dr Liz Allen, a demographer at Australian National University, has called this year’s set of questions “probably the most progressive census Australia has ever seen”.
“Imagine being born into a body or orientation that you have absolutely no control over and yet you are forced to put yourself in a box you simply don’t fit in,” she says.
“For many folks it will be the first time that they will feel like they are truly captured in all their glory in that national photograph.”
However, there will be no option to record a person as intersex – in which variations in sex characteristics such as reproductive organs, chromosomes or hormones do not fit typical definitions of male or female. The ABS considered adding such a question, but it was not recommended for inclusion in this census.
There will also be changes to the ancestry question, which Walter says will deepen our understanding of Australia’s cultural composition.
“In previous censuses, people have been able to report up to two ancestries. In 2026, they’ll be able to report up to four ancestries,” she said.
“What that does is start to build that richer picture of background and culture alongside some of the other variables that are collected in the census, like language and country of birth.”
Should we be concerned about data privacy in the census?
Walter says privacy is “front and centre” when it comes to the collection and processing of data.
“There’s seven years of planning that goes into every census and right at the core of that is not only protecting people’s privacy, but also securing their information.”
She says the ABS is “required by law never to release information in a way that can identify an individual … and that includes to any other agency”.
“We remove names and addresses quite early in the compilation of the data and we never return them to that compilation aggregate of information. It’s a really robust process and system that has been created.”
The data is expected to take almost a year to process and will be made public from June 2027.
