Australia’s 2026 Census adds sexuality and gender questions for the first time
Adults aged 16 and over can now voluntarily provide information about their identity
By Aaron Sugg
Australia’s 2026 Census includes questions on sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time in the nation’s history.
The 66-question Census takes place every five years, with the previous census held on 10 August 2021 and the latest taking place on 11 August 2026.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the census shows how the nation changes over time, helps estimate the population and informs critical decisions about the country’s future.
Australia’s Census adds sexuality and gender identity
The 2021 Census collected data on a range of topics, including “information on country of birth, year of arrival, ancestry, language and religion”.
In the new census, adults aged 16 and over can voluntarily provide information about their identity. The new questions come after the Australian Bureau of Statistics worked with the LGBTIQ+ Expert Advisory Committee to ensure the questions are accurate and appropriate.
Respondents can share their sexual orientation, with options including straight, gay or lesbian and bisexual, as well as the option to provide another answer or none at all.
The gender identity question allows respondents to select man, woman, non-binary, another term or “prefer not to answer”. The Census will also ask “What is the person’s sex recorded at birth?”
Australia’s Census asks for sex assigned at birth
The Australian Bureau of Statistics explains: “A question on sex has been included in every Australian Census since 1911. In 2026, that question has been updated to ask about sex recorded at birth alongside the new gender question.”
“Asking both questions will improve the quality of the data collected. Together, the answers will help produce data about cisgender, trans and gender diverse Australians.”
The new questions follow Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party’s 2022 election promise to collect this demographic data, made before the party won the election and ended nine years of Coalition rule.
The same year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics released estimates and characteristics of the LGBTI+ population in Australia, with an estimated 4.5 per cent of Australian adults identifying as LGBTQ+. An estimated 0.9 per cent of the population identified as trans+.