Australia in 2021: a generational shift and more diversity

Australia’s Baby Boomers are on the verge of being displaced as the nation’s largest generation by Millennials, according to the latest census, which also finds that more than half of the population was born overseas or have a parent who was. 

Why it matters

Boomers and Millennials now each account for 21.5% of the population, with Boomer numbers on the way down and Millennial numbers on the way up. There are implications for everything from government policy to marketing strategy, which may need to be adjusted to reflect shifting demographics. Similarly, new migration patterns may require a rethink of some brand communications.

Takeaways

• The latest five-yearly census shows the population has increased by more than two million people (+8.6%) since the 2016 census.
• Half the growth in population has come from overseas arrivals: the proportion of Australian residents that are born overseas (first generation) or have a parent born overseas (second generation) is now above 50%.
• After England, India and China are the main source of overseas arrivals, followed by New Zealand and the Philippines.  
• The number of people using a language other than English at home has increased by nearly 800,000 (792,062) from 2016 to over 5.5 million people.
• The number of people identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander jumped by a quarter from the last census; they now number 812,728 or about 3.2% of the population.

Sourced from Australian Bureau of Statistics, BBC, Guardian