The tally is a point in time measure of participation in the 2026 Census of Population and Housing. It includes both the number of household forms submitted online, and the number of household forms received in the mail.
2026 Census participation tally
The ABS will monitor and publish the level of participation through the number of forms received online and by mail.
Release date and time
14/10/2026 12:00pm AEDT
From early August through to September, responses will be received progressively as people continue to submit online forms and return paper forms.
We expect the majority of households to respond online. We will immediately register these responses as they are received. Paper forms will be registered by the ABS as they are received by mail.
The number of household forms submitted does not represent a response rate and cannot be measured against the Australian population. Most forms collected represent households not individuals.
The Census form tally below includes household online and paper forms received by the ABS as of Wednesday 14 October at 11:30am (AEDT). The rate at which forms are received will differ across states and territories due to the different levels of paper forms provided across Australia and different delivery timeframes.
| State/Territory | Household forms received (a) |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | 3,220,790 |
| Victoria | 2,725,411 |
| Queensland | 2,125,215 |
| South Australia | 760,706 |
| Western Australia | 1,120,710 |
| Tasmania | 238,974 |
| Northern Territory | 78,094 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 191,358 |
| Total (b) | 10,487,552 |
- As of Wednesday 14 October at 11:30am (AEDT).
- Total includes forms received with an unknown state or territory and therefore may differ from the sum of all states and territories. These will be allocated during Census reconciliation processes.