Australians come together to complete the 2026 Census

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) would like to thank households across Australia for their outstanding support for the Census.  

We have received close to 10.5 million Census household forms, and the 2026 Census is on track to achieve a national response rate of more than 95 per cent.   

This is comparable to recent successful Censuses, including the 2021 Census (96.1 per cent), conducted during COVID-19 lockdowns. 

Australians were able to choose how they completed their Census. While most completed their Census online, being able to use a paper form was still very important to many people.  

The 2026 Census achieved the highest online completion rate of any Australian Census and is on track to exceed our forecast of 85 per cent online completion, continuing a long-term trend towards increased digital participation.  

Participating in the Census was a smooth experience for most Australians. This, together with a useful Census website and chatbot, meant the Census Contact Centre responded to about 455,000 calls and emails, fewer than in 2021 and 2016. 

Since late July, when the first Census forms were submitted, ABS staff have been processing and quality assuring the data in preparation for its release next year.  

Before any data is released, it will undergo a formal clearance process, including review by independent experts. 

This first data release, scheduled for June 2027, will cover the majority of Census topics, including the new topic of sexual orientation and gender. The final response rate for the 2026 Census will also be published at this time. 

A second release in October 2027 will provide data for a smaller set of topics, including employment.  

The remaining data, including information on the distance people travel between home and work, will be released in early 2028. 

This phased approach aligns with international best practice and ensures data quality and timeliness. 

More information about the how the 2026 Census data will be released is available here. 

Thank you to every household that completed a Census form.  

Every answer matters in helping us to build a clear picture of modern Australia, who we are and where we are going. 

At a time when survey response rates are declining both in Australia and internationally, a response rate of more than 95 per cent is an exceptional outcome. 

Of the nearly 10.5 million household forms submitted, more than three-quarters were completed on or before Census night. 

This allowed us to direct our resources to those households and areas that needed additional support to complete the Census. 

In the coming months, we will prepare to release the data. This data is vitally important for community groups, not-for profit organisations, businesses and governments to make informed decisions.  

It is used to help guide the planning and delivery of local services such as schools, health care, transport and infrastructure for individuals, families and communities.