Same-sex couples living together in Australia

Examining characteristics of same-sex couples from the 2021 Census data

Released

2/12/2022

Source

Household and families: Census, 2021

Population: Census, 2021

Key findings

The 2021 Census counted 78,425 same-sex couples living together in Australia.
One in three of these same-sex couples were married (30.0%).
17.3% of these same-sex couples had children living with them.
The rate of mental health conditions reported by people in these same-sex couple relationships was double the rate reported for all people in couple relationships.
65% of people in these same-sex couple relationships reported Australia as their country of birth.

Introduction

Information on families has been collected since Australia’s first Census in 1911. Over Australia’s 18 censuses, the data available on families has expanded substantially and there are now over 20 family related variables. These variables allow users to analyse Australian families' characteristics. The Census is considered the most comprehensive dataset available as it includes every household in Australia. However, there are some limitations associated with families data from the Census that need to be considered:

The Census only measures relationships in each household and does not count those relationships which extend beyond the household. Therefore, couples who were not living together are not included in couple/family variables.
Because the Census only measures relationships in households, parent/child relationships can be missed when children live across more than one household or are in shared care arrangements. More information on this can be found in Understanding family composition and grandparent families.
Counts of couples are obtained using responses to the relationship questions on the Census form, so the way people responded to these questions determines if they were recorded as a couple or not. Respondents' willingness to report their relationship status within the household can influence the data, and its possible this resulted in the underreporting of relationships.
As the Census did not collect gender, variations of sex characteristics, or sexual orientation this article is not able to inform on the full range of relationships.
Rules for family coding in the Census only allow the grouping of two individuals into a couple relationship.

The Census compiles information on same-sex couples based on responses to the relationship and sex questions on the Census form. Counts of same-sex couples living together in the same household have been compiled since the 1996 Census and are captured in the same-sex couple indicator (SSCF) variable.

The Census provides a count of how many same-sex couples live together and the characteristics of this population such as their age, marital status and cultural background. Because the 2021 Census did not include a question on sexual orientation, this article presents only information on people of the same sex who report being in a couple relationship. Data presented in this article cannot be used as a count for diverse sexualities or be seen to be representative of the whole lesbian, gay or bisexual populations. The General Social Survey and National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing have both implemented and reported results using a sexual orientation question.

The data presented in this article is a snapshot of same-sex couples living together in Australia. When looking at data presented in the commentary, comparisons can be drawn with all couples living together in Australia. It is important to note that same-sex couples are included in the total couples population group. The all couples population group was identified as an appropriate comparator, as it allows us to compare like-for-like groups.

Number of same-sex couples living together

The 2021 Census counted 78,425 same-sex couples living together in Australia.

This represents a 67.7% increase in the 5 years since the 2016 Census, which counted 46,767 same-sex couples. Furthermore, this is a 132.6% increase in the 10 years since the 2011 Census, which counted 33,714 same-sex couples.

Same-sex couples accounted for 1.4% of all couples living together in Australia in 2021, up from 0.9% in 2016.

Age of people in same-sex couples who live together, 2021, 2016 and 2011
Age	2021	2016	2011
15	7	15	3
16	17	17	8
17	47	41	38
18	171	134	124
19	305	267	269
20	591	488	447
21	910	834	585
22	1,307	1,076	767
23	1,670	1,310	1,026
24	2,249	1,619	1,228
25	2,933	2,023	1,388
26	3,557	2,192	1,480
27	4,041	2,414	1,698
28	4,495	2,598	1,695
29	4,777	2,696	1,845
30	5,040	2,742	1,926
31	5,180	2,770	1,812
32	5,099	2,961	1,935
33	5,055	2,824	1,883
34	4,815	2,683	1,816
35	4,818	2,577	1,833
36	4,558	2,503	1,831
37	4,440	2,545	1,876
38	4,241	2,318	1,946
39	4,055	2,283	2,024
40	3,694	2,235	2,079
41	3,617	2,204	1,994
42	3,466	2,247	2,011
43	3,153	2,218	1,986
44	3,072	2,360	1,806
45	3,023	2,340	1,783
46	2,975	2,097	1,780
47	2,838	2,189	1,771
48	2,913	2,159	1,663
49	3,033	1,966	1,567
50	3,043	1,870	1,518
51	2,814	1,896	1,371
52	2,809	1,865	1,248
53	2,697	1,691	1,088
54	2,546	1,685	1,010
55	2,402	1,557	954
56	2,398	1,376	891
57	2,342	1,223	816
58	2,200	1,089	736
59	2,168	1,064	667
60	1,978	958	642
61	1,860	916	622
62	1,670	775	531
63	1,471	740	476
64	1,410	673	450
65	1,282	600	319
66	1,234	598	283
67	1,067	525	272
68	1,053	476	183
69	938	431	159
70	933	333	114
71	853	307	118
72	795	254	91
73	776	199	92
74	725	157	67
75	598	126	58
76	555	131	50
77	481	103	47
78	351	99	38
79	324	74	31
80	279	57	32
81	280	49	16
82	257	54	10
83	199	32	15
84	164	34	19
85	137	20	5
86	100	19	7
87	98	14	5
88	88	11	7
89	66	10	5
90	46	8	7
91	37	3	3
92	18	0	0
93	16	3	0
94	12	3	0
95 years and over	33	14	9

Age of people in same-sex couples who live together, 2021, 2016 and 2011

["Age","2021","2016","2011"]

[["15","16","17","18","19","20","21","22","23","24","25","26","27","28","29","30","31","32","33","34","35","36","37","38","39","40","41","42","43","44","45","46","47","48","49","50","51","52","53","54","55","56","57","58","59","60","61","62","63","64","65","66","67","68","69","70","71","72","73","74","75","76","77","78","79","80","81","82","83","84","85","86","87","88","89","90","91","92","93","94","95 years and over"],[[7],[17],[47],[171],[305],[591],[910],[1307],[1670],[2249],[2933],[3557],[4041],[4495],[4777],[5040],[5180],[5099],[5055],[4815],[4818],[4558],[4440],[4241],[4055],[3694],[3617],[3466],[3153],[3072],[3023],[2975],[2838],[2913],[3033],[3043],[2814],[2809],[2697],[2546],[2402],[2398],[2342],[2200],[2168],[1978],[1860],[1670],[1471],[1410],[1282],[1234],[1067],[1053],[938],[933],[853],[795],[776],[725],[598],[555],[481],[351],[324],[279],[280],[257],[199],[164],[137],[100],[98],[88],[66],[46],[37],[18],[16],[12],[33]],[[15],[17],[41],[134],[267],[488],[834],[1076],[1310],[1619],[2023],[2192],[2414],[2598],[2696],[2742],[2770],[2961],[2824],[2683],[2577],[2503],[2545],[2318],[2283],[2235],[2204],[2247],[2218],[2360],[2340],[2097],[2189],[2159],[1966],[1870],[1896],[1865],[1691],[1685],[1557],[1376],[1223],[1089],[1064],[958],[916],[775],[740],[673],[600],[598],[525],[476],[431],[333],[307],[254],[199],[157],[126],[131],[103],[99],[74],[57],[49],[54],[32],[34],[20],[19],[14],[11],[10],[8],[3],[0],[3],[3],[14]],[[3],[8],[38],[124],[269],[447],[585],[767],[1026],[1228],[1388],[1480],[1698],[1695],[1845],[1926],[1812],[1935],[1883],[1816],[1833],[1831],[1876],[1946],[2024],[2079],[1994],[2011],[1986],[1806],[1783],[1780],[1771],[1663],[1567],[1518],[1371],[1248],[1088],[1010],[954],[891],[816],[736],[667],[642],[622],[531],[476],[450],[319],[283],[272],[183],[159],[114],[118],[91],[92],[67],[58],[50],[47],[38],[31],[32],[16],[10],[15],[19],[5],[7],[5],[7],[5],[7],[3],[0],[0],[0],[9]]]

[]

{"0":{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Age (years)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":"15","axis_max":"95","tick_interval":"3","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":null},"reverse_axis":false}

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Count of persons","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"6000","tick_interval":"1000","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

The age distribution shows that for people in same-sex couples, all age groups have increased in 2021. The most substantial increase was for people aged between 25 and 40 years.

Number of same-sex couples living together by sex, 1996 to 2021
	Male	Female
1996	5,912	4,303
2001	10,802	8,792
2006	13,574	12,030
2011	17,579	16,128
2016	23,743	23,024
2021	39,497	38,927

Number of same-sex couples living together by sex, 1996 to 2021

["","Male","Female"]

[["1996","2001","2006","2011","2016","2021"],[[5912],[10802],[13574],[17579],[23743],[39497]],[[4303],[8792],[12030],[16128],[23024],[38927]]]

[]

[{"axis_id":"0","tick_interval":"","axis_min":"","axis_max":"","axis_title":"","precision":-1,"axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Count of couples","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"40000","tick_interval":"5000","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

The 2021 Census counted 153,779 people in same-sex couple relationships living in the same household in Australia. The count of males and females in same-sex couples was similar with 77,500 males reporting being in a same-sex couple, and 76,300 females reporting a same-sex couple.

The number of people counted as being in a same-sex couple was less than twice the number of same-sex couples counted. This is due to persons who were temporarily absent on Census Night in 2021. For more information see Persons temporarily absent.

Age profile of people living together in same-sex couples

The median age for people in same-sex couples living together was 40 years old in 2021, remaining consistent across the last three Census cycles. This median age was younger than the median age of all couples living together (49 years old).

When comparing males and females in same-sex couples, females had a slightly younger age profile than males. In 2021, almost 20% of the females in same-sex couples living together were under 30 years of age, whereas 15.5% of males in same-sex couples were in this age cohort. Conversely, 23.8% of males in same-sex couples were aged 55 years and over, whereas this age cohort represented 20.0% of females in same-sex couples.

Age of people in same-sex couples living together, 2021 and 2011
	Males 2021	Males 2011	Females 2021	Females 2011
15-19 years	192	193	350	241
20-24 years	2,779	1,972	3,948	2,077
25-29 years	9,063	4,119	10,746	3,991
30-34 years	12,418	4,759	12,771	4,611
35-39 years	11,206	4,880	10,904	4,627
40-44 years	8,636	5,252	8,371	4,632
45-49 years	7,405	4,547	7,384	4,018
50-54 years	7,281	3,131	6,619	3,107
55-59 years	6,221	2,015	5,287	2,061
60-64 years	4,426	1,506	3,965	1,219
65-69 years	2,942	759	2,641	461
70-74 years	2,348	323	1,739	156
75-79 years	1,420	166	889	65
80-84 years	743	63	431	28
85 years and over	366	33	280	19

Age of people in same-sex couples living together, 2021 and 2011

["","Males 2021","Males 2011","Females 2021","Females 2011"]

[["15-19 years","20-24 years","25-29 years","30-34 years","35-39 years","40-44 years","45-49 years","50-54 years","55-59 years","60-64 years","65-69 years","70-74 years","75-79 years","80-84 years","85 years and over"],[[192],[2779],[9063],[12418],[11206],[8636],[7405],[7281],[6221],[4426],[2942],[2348],[1420],[743],[366]],[[193],[1972],[4119],[4759],[4880],[5252],[4547],[3131],[2015],[1506],[759],[323],[166],[63],[33]],[[350],[3948],[10746],[12771],[10904],[8371],[7384],[6619],[5287],[3965],[2641],[1739],[889],[431],[280]],[[241],[2077],[3991],[4611],[4627],[4632],[4018],[3107],[2061],[1219],[461],[156],[65],[28],[19]]]

[]

{"0":{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Age (years)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":null},"reverse_axis":false}

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Count of persons","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"15000","tick_interval":"2000","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false},{"value":"1","axis_id":"1","axis_title":"Count of persons","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"13000","tick_interval":"2000","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

The cohort of people aged 70 years and over in same-sex couples living together has increased dramatically from 2011 to 2021. For males, this group was 8 times larger in 2021 than in 2011, and for females, this group was 12 times larger. The majority (three out of five) of this 70 years and over group had moved from the 2011 60-69 years cohort due to aging. However, about two in five were increases due to people being counted in the Census in a same-sex couple for the first time.

Same-sex marriage

On 9 December 2017, the Marriage Act in Australia was changed to allow any two people the right to marry[1]. The 2021 Census was the first Census conducted following the amendment of the marriage law and therefore we were able to report registered same-sex marriages for the first time. Since 2011, the Census has allowed same-sex couples to report a relationship of husband/wife in the Relationship as reported for couples (RLCP) variable.

According to the ABS Marriages and Divorces publication, 2020 saw the annual rate of marriages for the total population decrease by 30.8%[2]. This was the largest decrease ever observed by the ABS and was likely driven by COVID-19 restrictions on weddings that capped the number of guests and enforced social distancing[2]. Despite these restrictions, the 2021 Census observed one in three same-sex couples were married (30.0%). This was substantial given the Marriage Act amendments only came into effect four years before the Census.

Marital status of couples, 2021
	Married (%)	Not married(a) (%)
Males in same-sex couple	27.7	72.3
Females in same-sex couple	32.2	67.8
Total people in same-sex couple	30.0	70.0
Total people in all couples	79.9	20.1

Marital status of couples, 2021

["","Married","Not married(a)"]

[["Males in same-sex couple","Females in same-sex couple","Total people in same-sex couple","Total people in  all couples"],[[27.699999999999999],[32.200000000000003],[30],[79.900000000000006]],[[72.299999999999997],[67.799999999999997],[70],[20.100000000000001]]]

[]

[{"axis_id":"0","tick_interval":"","axis_min":"","axis_max":"","axis_title":"","precision":-1,"axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Proportion of couple group (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"90","tick_interval":"10","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Not married includes never married, widowed, divorced and separated.

Females in same-sex couples were more likely to be married than males in same-sex couples, with nearly one-third of females (32.2%) reporting being married at the time of the 2021 Census. Around one-quarter (27.7%) of males in same-sex couples reported being married. Nearly four out of five (79.9%) people in all couples reported being married.

Where do same-sex couples live?

The location of same-sex couples living together over time was similar to the distribution of all couples living together. New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria (Vic) both accounted for a larger proportion of same-sex couples living together. In 2011, 37.8% of same-sex couples lived in NSW compared to 31.8% of the population overall. Since 2011 the number of same-sex couples in all jurisdictions has increased, but NSW has grown at a slower rate than other jurisdictions leading to the proportion of all same-sex couples living in NSW to decline from 37.8% to 34.2%.

Same-sex couples by state and territory, 2021
State or territory	2011 same-sex couples		2016 same-sex couples		2021 same-sex couples		2021 total all couples
State or territory	Count	Proportion (%)	Count	Proportion (%)	Count	Proportion (%)	Count	Proportion (%)
New South Wales	12,731	37.8	16,761	35.8	26,846	34.2	1,764,177	31.8
Victoria	8,722	25.9	12,655	27.1	21,331	27.2	1,427,860	25.7
Queensland	5,986	17.8	8,388	17.9	14,888	19.0	1,114,397	20.1
South Australia	1,930	5.7	2,638	5.6	4,616	5.9	392,369	7.1
Western Australia	2,576	7.6	3,885	8.3	6,513	8.3	586,159	10.6
Tasmania	606	1.8	844	1.8	1,681	2.1	122,453	2.2
Northern Territory	288	0.9	389	0.8	561	0.7	43,322	0.8
Australian Capital Territory	872	2.6	1,205	2.6	1,959	2.5	101,333	1.8
Total(a)	33,714	100.0	46,767	100.0	78,425	100.0	5,552,973	100.0

Includes Australian external territories

Same-sex couples were most likely to live in capital cities compared to the rest of each state. Male couples were more likely to live in capital cities than female couples, except for Tasmania (Tas), where the pattern is reversed.

Place of usual residence for people in couples living together, 2021(a)
	Male same-sex couples (%)	Female same-sex couples (%)	Total all couples(b) (%)
Greater Sydney	79.4	65.4	65.2
Rest of NSW	20.7	34.6	34.8
Greater Melbourne	84.1	77.1	75.8
Rest of Vic	15.9	22.9	24.2
Greater Brisbane	61.1	57.2	49.6
Rest of Qld	38.9	42.8	50.4
Greater Adelaide	87.6	83.2	77.8
Rest of SA	12.4	16.8	22.2
Greater Perth	88.0	82.9	81.1
Rest of WA	11.8	17.2	18.9
Greater Hobart	46.8	55.1	43.6
Rest of Tas	53.2	45.1	56.4
Greater Darwin	69.1	61.4	65.4
Rest of NT	29.8	38.7	34.6

Place of usual residence for people in couples living together, 2021(a)

["","Male same-sex couples","Female same-sex couples","Total all couples(b)"]

[["Greater Sydney","Rest of NSW","Greater Melbourne","Rest of Vic","Greater Brisbane","Rest of Qld","Greater Adelaide","Rest of SA","Greater Perth","Rest of WA","Greater Hobart","Rest of Tas","Greater Darwin","Rest of NT"],[[79.400000000000006],[20.699999999999999],[84.099999999999994],[15.9],[61.100000000000001],[38.899999999999999],[87.599999999999994],[12.4],[88],[11.800000000000001],[46.799999999999997],[53.200000000000003],[69.099999999999994],[29.800000000000001]],[[65.400000000000006],[34.600000000000001],[77.099999999999994],[22.899999999999999],[57.200000000000003],[42.799999999999997],[83.200000000000003],[16.800000000000001],[82.900000000000006],[17.199999999999999],[55.100000000000001],[45.100000000000001],[61.399999999999999],[38.700000000000003]],[[65.200000000000003],[34.799999999999997],[75.799999999999997],[24.199999999999999],[49.600000000000001],[50.399999999999999],[77.799999999999997],[22.199999999999999],[81.099999999999994],[18.899999999999999],[43.600000000000001],[56.399999999999999],[65.400000000000006],[34.600000000000001]]]

[]

[{"axis_id":"0","tick_interval":"","axis_min":"","axis_max":"","axis_title":"","precision":-1,"axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Proportion of couple group (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"100","tick_interval":"10","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Rest of state counts include no fixed address, migratory and offshore addresses attached to each state
Total all couples include same-sex couples

Same-sex couples living together with children

Family structures can be complex, dynamic and difficult to capture. Despite the Census being the most comprehensive collection of family information in Australia, it is important to note that there were limitations with how this information was gathered and these need to be considered when interpreting the data. Data collected in the Census was based on one point in time and does not take into consideration the wide variety of living arrangements that exist. This is particularly true for children living across multiple households, or in shared care arrangements. Children can only be captured in one household on Census Night.

In 2021, 17.3% of the 78,425 same-sex couples living together in the 2021 Census were couples with children, an increase from 14.8% in 2016.

Female same-sex couples were more likely to have children (27.7%) compared to male same-sex couples (7.0%).

Like the total number of same-sex couples counted in the Census, the number of same-sex couples with children increased significantly in 2021. Male same-sex couples with children grew by 1,700 or 161% and female same-sex couple families increased by 4,900 or 84% since 2016. The number of all couples with children also increased in 2021, growing by 214,362 or 7.9% since 2016.

Same-sex couples living together with children, 2021
	Male same-sex couple	Female same-sex couple	Total same-sex couples
2011	500	3,578	4,081
2016	1,067	5,853	6,915
2021	2,784	10,767	13,554

Same-sex couples living together with children, 2021

["","Male same-sex couple","Female same-sex couple","Total same-sex couples"]

[["2011","2016","2021"],[[500],[1067],[2784]],[[3578],[5853],[10767]],[[4081],[6915],[13554]]]

[]

[{"axis_id":"0","tick_interval":"","axis_min":"","axis_max":"","axis_title":"","precision":-1,"axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Count of couples","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"16000","tick_interval":"2000","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Four out of five (80%) same-sex couples with children had children under 15 years of age compared to 69% of all couples.

Proportion of couples living together by number of children, 2021
	Same-sex couples with children (%)	All couples with children (%)
One child in family	47.4	36.2
Two children in family	36.7	43.2
Three children in family	10.9	15.4
Four or more children in family	5.0	5.3

Proportion of couples living together by number of children, 2021

["","Same-sex couples with children","All couples with children"]

[["One child in family","Two children in family","Three children in family","Four or more children in family"],[[47.399999999999999],[36.700000000000003],[10.9],[5]],[[36.200000000000003],[43.200000000000003],[15.4],[5.2999999999999998]]]

[]

[{"axis_id":"0","tick_interval":"","axis_min":"","axis_max":"","axis_title":"","precision":-1,"axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Proportion of couple group with children (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"50","tick_interval":"5","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Nearly half of all same-sex couples with children had only one child (47.4%). This was more common than same-sex couple families having two children (36.7%). When looking at all couples with children it was more common to have two children in the family (43.2%) than to have one child (36.2%).

The proportion of couple families living together with four or more children is almost equal for both same-sex and all couple families with children in the home.

Characteristics analysis of individuals in couples who live together

The following sections focus on the individual characteristics of people in couple relationships. Long-term health conditions, cultural diversity, and employment related data are all individual characteristics and are reported at the person level, rather than about the couple. Person characteristics help to define this population group and better understand the context in which these individuals live.

Long-term health conditions

Most long-term health conditions (aside from mental health and asthma) were highly correlated with older age[3], so it was not surprising to see lower rates of long-term health conditions for people in same-sex couples living together when compared to all people in couple relationships, given the younger age profile of people in same-sex couples. The rate of mental health conditions reported by people in same-sex couples (16%) was significantly higher, at double the rate reported for the total population of all people in a couple relationship (8.2%).

People in couples living together with long-term health conditions, 2021
Long-term health condition	Total persons in same-sex couples		Total persons in all couples(a)
Long-term health condition	Count	Proportion (%)	Count	Proportion (%)
Arthritis	11,522	7.5	1,167,862	10.7
Asthma	17,768	11.6	916,689	8.4
Cancer (including remission)	4,339	2.8	438,217	4.0
Dementia (including Alzheimer's)	350	0.2	56,548	0.5
Diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes)	5,858	3.8	695,007	6.4
Heart disease (including heart attack or angina)	4,389	2.9	555,704	5.1
Kidney disease	1,118	0.7	114,682	1.1
Lung condition (including COPD or emphysema)	1,977	1.3	203,331	1.9
Mental health condition (including depression or anxiety)	24,577	16.0	893,750	8.2
Stroke	967	0.6	115,287	1.1
Any other long-term health condition(s)	17,031	11.1	966,326	8.9
No long-term health condition(s)	88,348	57.5	6,519,401	59.7
Not stated	4,637	3.0	353,362	3.2
Total	153,779	100.0	10,915,489	100.0

Includes persons in same-sex couples

Females in couple relationships reported higher rates of mental health conditions when compared with males in the same age group, up until 70 years and over. This is consistent with findings published from the 2020-21 National Health Survey[4]. The highest rate of reported mental health conditions for all couples was for those aged 15-19 years. People in same-sex couples reported substantially higher rates of mental health conditions in all age cohorts before 75 years of age. This is also supported by recent data published from the 2020-21 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing[5]. Following the 70-74 years age range, the reported rate of mental health conditions was similar across same-sex couples and all couples living together.

Mental health conditions(a) in people in couples living together by age and sex, 2021
Age	Males in same-sex couples (%)	Males in all couples (%)	Females in same-sex couples (%)	Females in all couples (%)	Total people in same-sex couples (%)	Total people in all couples (%)
15-19 years	30.7	11.0	36.6	23.8	33.7	19.4
20-24 years	22.4	9.1	34.6	19.4	29.5	15.4
25-29 years	16.7	7.4	25.3	14.1	21.4	11.2
30-34 years	13.3	6.4	20.9	11.2	17.2	9.0
35-39 years	12.9	6.3	19.6	10.3	16.2	8.4
40-44 years	12.3	6.5	18.4	10.1	15.3	8.3
45-49 years	11.6	6.9	17.1	10.0	14.3	8.4
50-54 years	11.2	6.9	16.9	9.6	13.9	8.3
55-59 years	11.1	6.7	15.6	9.0	13.2	7.8
60-64 years	10.6	6.9	13.9	8.4	12.2	7.6
65-69 years	8.3	6.3	11.5	7.3	9.8	6.8
70-74 years	6.8	6.5	8.8	6.1	7.6	6.3
75 years and over	5.0	5.2	5.7	5.6	5.1	5.3
Total(b)	12.5	6.5	19.5	9.8	16.0	8.2

The National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing is the recommended source for prevalence data for mental disorders as it uses diagnostic criteria rather than relying on respondents self-reporting that they have a mental health condition.
Not stated are included in totals to calculate proportions.

Cultural diversity

64.8% of people in same-sex couple relationships living together reported Australia as their country of birth in the 2021 Census. This was higher than the 60.8% reported by all couples living together. 68.3% of females in same-sex couples reported being born in Australia, compared with 60.7% of males in same-sex couples.

Proportion of Australian born people in couples living together, 2021
	People in same-sex couples (%)	People in all couples (%)
Males	61.3	61.0
Females	68.3	60.7
All persons	64.8	60.8

Proportion of Australian born people in couples living together, 2021

["","People in same-sex couples","People in all couples"]

[["Males","Females","All persons"],[[61.299999999999997],[68.299999999999997],[64.799999999999997]],[[61],[60.700000000000003],[60.799999999999997]]]

[]

[{"axis_id":"0","tick_interval":"","axis_min":"","axis_max":"","axis_title":"","precision":-1,"axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Proportion of people in couple group (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"50","axis_max":"70","tick_interval":"2","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

41.3% of people in same-sex couples who were born overseas arrived in Australia in the last 10 years before the 2021 Census. For total couples, this was significantly less, with 27.6% of all overseas-born people arriving since 2011.

Top 10 Countries of birth(a) for individuals in same-sex couples living together, 2021
Country of birth		People in same-sex couples (%)	People in all couples (%)	Difference (%)
1	England	5.2	5.2	0.0
2	New Zealand	3.4	2.6	0.8
3	China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)	2.8	2.9	-0.1
4	Philippines	2.2	1.6	0.6
5	Malaysia	1.3	0.8	0.4
6	United States of America	1.3	0.5	0.8
7	Thailand	1.2	0.4	0.8
8	Vietnam	1.1	1.4	-0.3
9	South Africa	1.0	1.1	0.0
10	India	0.8	4.0	-3.2

Not stated category has been removed from the list of top 10 countries of birth, but is included in the total used to calculate percentages in this table.

The top 10 countries of birth for individuals in same-sex couples was similar to the total population of all couples living together, except those born in India. The proportion of people in same-sex couples born in India is substantially lower than the total couple proportion. The United States of America appears in the top 10 countries of birth for people in same-sex couples, but is lower (position 18) for people in all couples.

People in same-sex couples were less likely to use a language other than English at home (18.4%) compared with all couples (25.4%). The most common language other than English used at home by all couples was Mandarin. The reported rate of people who used Mandarin at home was 3.8% for same-sex couples, slightly higher than all couples (3.0%).

Religious affiliation for people in same-sex couples living together(a), 2021 and 2016
	No religion (%)	Christianity (%)	Other religions (%)	Not stated (%)
2021	63.9	26.9	7.0	1.7
2016	57.4	32.5	6.5	2.8

Religious affiliation for people in same-sex couples living together(a), 2021 and 2016

["","No religion","Christianity","Other religions","Not stated"]

[["2021","2016"],[[63.899999999999999],[57.399999999999999]],[[26.899999999999999],[32.5]],[[7],[6.5]],[[1.7],[2.7999999999999998]]]

[]

[{"axis_id":"0","tick_interval":"","axis_min":"","axis_max":"","axis_title":"","precision":-1,"axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Proportion of people in same-sex couples (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"70","tick_interval":"10","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Not further defined category is included in the total to calculate proportions

In 2016, 57.4% of individuals in same-sex couples reported no religion and 32.5% reported a religious affiliation with Christianity. In 2021, 63.9% of people in same-sex couples reported having no religion which was significantly higher than the reported rate by people in all couple relationships (37.6%). The rate of people in same-sex couples identifying with Christianity decreased to 26.9% in 2021.

No religion by age, 2021
Age (years)	People in same-sex couples (%)	People in all couples (%)
15-24	75.9	62.6
25-34	72.0	51.3
35-44	65.8	41.8
45-54	60.3	36.9
55-64	56.1	32.5
65-74	48.3	27.8
75-84	35.8	20.0
85 and over	26.0	16.6
Total	63.9	37.6

No religion by age, 2021

["Age (years)","People in same-sex couples","People in all couples"]

[["15-24","25-34","35-44","45-54","55-64","65-74","75-84","85 and over","Total"],[[75.900000000000006],[72],[65.799999999999997],[60.299999999999997],[56.100000000000001],[48.299999999999997],[35.799999999999997],[26],[63.899999999999999]],[[62.600000000000001],[51.299999999999997],[41.799999999999997],[36.899999999999999],[32.5],[27.800000000000001],[20],[16.600000000000001],[37.600000000000001]]]

[]

[{"axis_id":"0","tick_interval":"","axis_min":"","axis_max":"","axis_title":"","precision":-1,"axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Proportion of age range (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"80","tick_interval":"10","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Across all age groups, people in same-sex couples were more likely to report no religion than people in all couples. Three-quarters of people in same-sex couples living together aged 15-24 years reported no religious affiliation. The trend of reporting no religion decreased as age increased, this was also the case for all couples. More than half of people in same-sex couples reported no religion for each age group until the 65-74 year age group when 48.3% had no religion.

Employment and occupation

Engagement in employment for same-sex couples living together was 80.0%, which was substantially higher than all couples living together (66.9%). This was related to the younger age profile of people in same-sex couples. This is further supported by comparing the proportion of people in all couples living together who reported not being in the labour force (30.3%) with people in same-sex couples who also reported not being in the labour force (16.6%). Although there are a variety of reasons why people report not being in the labour force, the most common reason is retirement.

Labour force status	Persons in same-sex couple (count)	Persons in same-sex couples (%)	Persons in all couples (count)	Persons in all couples (%)
Employed	123,006	80.0	7,301,963	66.9
Unemployed	3,732	2.4	210,934	1.9
Not in the labour force	25,588	16.6	3,308,164	30.3
Not stated	1,453	0.9	94,425	0.9
Total	153,779	100.0	10,915,489	100.0

The top 10 occupations for females in same-sex couples were similar to the top 10 occupations for females in all couples. Registered nurses was the most common occupation for all females in the 2021 Census. Police, chefs and welfare support workers were notably more common for females in same-sex couples, compared with females in all couples.

Top 10 occupations for females in same-sex couples, 2021
Occupation		Females in same-sex couples		Females in all couples
Occupation		Count	Proportion (%)	Count	Proportion (%)
1	Registered nurses	2,244	3.7	152,211	4.4
2	Sales assistants (General)	1,550	2.5	124,399	3.6
3	Aged and disabled carers	1,471	2.4	90,291	2.6
4	Secondary school teachers	1,310	2.1	65,903	1.9
5	Retail managers	1,258	2.0	64,131	1.8
6	General clerks	1,137	1.9	141,301	4.1
7	Police	1,135	1.8	11,019	0.3
8	Primary school teachers	965	1.6	99,326	2.9
9	Chefs	914	1.5	14,058	0.4
10	Welfare support workers	889	1.4	30,214	0.9

The occupations of retail manager, sales assistant, software programmer and advertising manager were in the top 10 for both males in same-sex couples and males in all couples. Registered nurses, general clerks, advertising professionals, and aged and disabled carers were notably more common for males in same-sex couples compared with males in all couples.

Top 10 occupations for males in same-sex couples, 2021
Occupation		Males in same-sex couples		Males in all couples
Occupation		Count	Proportion (%)	Count	Proportion (%)
1	Retail managers	1,933	3.1	66,842	1.7
2	Sales assistants (General)	1,778	2.9	53,531	1.4
3	Advertising, public relations and sales managers	1,455	2.4	59,289	1.5
4	Registered nurses	1,213	2.0	20,274	0.5
5	Contract, program and project administrators	982	1.6	40,187	1.1
6	General clerks	900	1.5	17,624	0.5
7	Advertising and marketing professionals	882	1.4	21,361	0.6
8	Aged and disabled carers	881	1.4	28,071	0.7
9	Accountants	840	1.4	51,422	1.3
10	Software and applications programmers	815	1.3	66,287	1.7

There are similarities with the top ten occupations reported for males and females in same-sex couples. Registered nurses and aged and disabled carers ranked highly across both groups, as did retail managers and sales assistants. The top occupations for males in same-sex couples was more sales and management focused whereas females in same-sex couples had more health, education and service delivery roles.

This article has been externally peer-reviewed by the following representatives and organisations:

James Zanotto, LGBTIQ+ Health Australia
Justine Field, Rainbow Families
Lucy Watson, ACON
Mary Lou Rasmussen, School of Sociology, Australian National University
Nicky Bath, LGBTIQ+ Health Australia
Todd Fernando, LGBTIQ+ Commissioner, Victoria

The ABS greatly values the knowledge, expertise and contributions of these reviewers and thanks them for their time and input.

Sources

Attorney-General’s Department, ‘Marriage equality in Australia’, www.ag.gov.au/families-and-marriage/marriage/marriage-equality-australia, last viewed 29 November 2022
Australian Bureau of Statistics, ‘Marriages and Divorces, Australia’, www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/marriages-and-divorces-australia/2020, last viewed 28 November 2022
Australian Bureau of Statistics, ‘Long-term health conditions’, www.abs.gov.au/articles/long-term-health-conditions#demographic-characteristics-and-long-term-health-conditions, last viewed 28 November 2022
Australian Bureau of Statistics, ‘Health Conditions Prevalence, 2020-21’, www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/health-conditions-prevalence/2020-21#mental-and-behavioural-conditions, last viewed 28 November 2022
Australian Bureau of Statistics, ‘National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing’, www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/mental-health/national-study-mental-health-and-wellbeing/2020-21#data-download, last viewed 28 November 2022

Post release changes

5/4/2024 - Table - Same-sex couples by state and territory, 2021: The count and proportion (%) data in the column labelled “2021 total all couples” was corrected to reflect total couples instead of total Australian population.

APA

Citation