Religion is dying out, and the population of millennials is fast overtaking boomers, according to the most recent Australian census.
The first portion of the national census, undertaking last August, shows a generation changing of the guards, with those born between 1946 and 1965 now making up just 21.5 per cent of the population.
In 2011, this figure sat at 25 per cent. In 1966, it was 40 per cent.
Millennials, those born between 1981 and 1995 also make up 21.5 per cent, despite covering a timespan of five less years.
This shift is seen in other ways, from the influx of millennials migrants coming to Australia, to the fact that over 10 per cent of Australians live in apartments, with half a million of those in high rises (over nine stories high).
The total population is now 25.5 million, over double the 12.5 million in the 1971 census.
Most Australians are now first or second-generation migrants, with 51.5 per cent in 2021, compared to 49 per cent in 2016. More than 5.5 million people speak a language other than English at home, with Mandarin the most common, and Punjabi the fastest growing.
India is now the third largest country of birth in Australia, moving past China and New Zealand since the 2016 census. UK remains second.
Religion is dwindling at an astonishing rate. Close to 40 per cent of Australians now have “no religion”, a figure that sat at 30 per cent in 2016, and 22 per cent in 2011.
Christianity has waned, fallen from 60 per cent to 44 per cent in ten years. This is directly related to the generational shift, with 60 per cent of boomers identifying as Christian, compared to 30 per cent of millennials. Islam makes up 3.2 per cent of the population.
This generational balance will continue tipping towards the millennials.
Migration has all but ceased during the past few years, leaving a huge need for skilled workers in many industries, most notably the tech industry.
As the current government pushes to make more manufacturing and technology jobs in the country, and businesses compete for workers, it will be millennials who come to our country and fill these roles.
