Research Guides: Early Australian census records: Find statistics

Find statistics

Where do I start my research?

This page lists resources that will help you to find key statistics.

To find detailed demographic data and reports, click on your area of interest:

Before you start your research, figure out what information you want to find:

Date range:
Are you looking for information about a point in time, or a longer time period? What years in particular?

Geographic area:
Do you want information related to small areas (for example, a suburb), or larger areas (for example, Victoria)?

Topic/s of interest

What kinds of information can I find?

In most cases you will find information about numbers of residents in different areas, and statistics about their:

age
occupation
ethnic backgrounds and/or Aboriginality
birthplace
religion
education
income
marital status

These statistics will usually be organised by area (place of residence) and gender. The 1973 Victorian year book (available online and in print) includes a table showing what information was collected in censuses from 1854-1971 (see page 20 in print, or page 40 of online PDF).

Using census statistics, you can answer questions like:

How many women lived in Victoria in the 1850s?
In the early 1900s, how common was divorce?
From the 1870s to 1890s, in what ways did the population of Bendigo change?
How many Welsh people lived in Geelong in 1857?
My ancestor worked as a mason in Western Australia in 1848. How many masons lived there at that time?
How many Catholics lived in South Australia in 1844, compared to people of other religions?

These types of information add interest to family and local histories, and places people in their social context.

Be aware that:

In general, the earlier the census or muster, the less information was collected.
Not every census collected the same information. This means not all information can be compared directly from census to census.
Records relating to Aboriginal Australians and Chinese Australians may be inaccurate. They were excluded from some censuses.

Online resources

Australian historical population statistics (1788-2016)
Basic data in Excel spreadsheet format. Statistics include population size and growth, population distribution, population age-sex structure, births, deaths, migration, marriages and divorces (where available).
Historical census and colonial data archive
Detailed data from Australian census and muster reports from 1833 to 1901.
Historical Census reference materials and information (1911-2011)
Find data and information dating back to the first Australian Census in 1911
Origins: immigrant communities in Victoria
Population numbers of immigrant groups in Victoria over time (often including statistics divided by age and gender). Also includes background information on the 1854 and 1901 censuses, and immigration law. Produced by Museum Victoria.
Population and vital statistics bulletin, 1900-1971
A statistical account of Australia and New Zealand, 1890-1904

Resources at the Library

Birthplaces of the Australian people: colonial and commonwealth censuses, 1828-1991 by James Jupp, Barry York
The convict settlers of Australia by L L Robson
Statistics about male and female convict ages, marital statuses, occupations, religions, birthplaces, counties of trial, sentences, periods of transportation, year of departure and number of former offenses. More detailed statistics can be found in the publications of Carol J Baxter.