Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS)
The Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) is a classification of Australia into a hierarchy of statistical areas. First introduced in 2011, the ASGS replaced the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) that had been used since 1984. The ASGS is a social geography, developed to reflect the location of people and communities, and is used for the release and analysis of statistics and other data. The ASGS is updated every 5 years to account for growth and change in Australia's population, economy and infrastructure.
ASGS Edition 4 will facilitate the release of the 2026 Census of Population and Housing and will be progressively released from July 2026. From June 2027, data from the 2026 Census of Population and Housing will be released using ASGS Edition 4. Other ABS statistics will transition progressively from 2027. Until this time, ASGS Edition 3 should continue to be used unless otherwise specified.
| ASGS Structures | Proposed release/update |
|---|---|
| Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas | July 2026 |
| Non ABS Structures - LGA, SED, POA, SAL, DZN | October 2026 |
| Indigenous Structure | October 2026 |
| Non ABS Structures - CED | December 2026 |
| Non ABS Structures - annual update for some geographies | July 2027 - July 2030 |
| Urban Structure and Significant Urban Areas | October 2027 |
| Remoteness Structure | March 2028 |
The ABS conducted a review of the ASGS to inform the design of ASGS Edition 4. The outcomes of this review are available from the Outcomes from the review of the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) publication. A summary of the responses to this consultation are available from the ABS Consultation Hub.
ABS Maps is an online mapping tool to view and compare statistical boundaries.