BENDIGO\u2019S population has grown, is less religious, and earning more money, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics census data released late last month.<\/p>\n
The region\u2019s population has grown from 153,092 in 2016 to 167,764 in 2021, however the ratio of men to women has remained the same, with 51.2 per cent female.<\/p>\n
The median age has increased by one to 43 years old with the Australian median age at 38 and women making 50.7 per cent of the total population.<\/p>\n
Over 22 per cent of the Greater Bendigo population said they live with one long-term health condition, and 7.8 per cent said they live with two.<\/p>\n
There are 44,770 families living in the region, up by over 5000 from 39,465 in 2016.<\/p>\n
The median weekly household income has increased by just under $300 to $1432, and weekly rental payments up by $50 to a median of $300.<\/p>\n
The median weekly personal income is $729 in Bendigo, $76 less than the national median of $805.<\/p>\n
Over 3300 people in the region identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, which represents two per cent of the municipality\u2019s population, working out to a rise from 2267 people in 2016.<\/p>\n
There are more than 810,000 Indigenous Australians nationally, a 25 per cent increase since 2016.<\/p>\n
ABS statistician David Gruen said the numbers\u00a0represent more than a jump in the actual population, also showing “an increasing number of people who self-identify” as Indigenous.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 2021\u00a0census\u00a0data shows an increase of about 50 per cent in the number of Indigenous people over the age of 65,\u201d Dr Gruen said.<\/p>\n
The top ancestry in Greater Bendigo is English, followed by Australian, Irish, Scottish, and German.<\/p>\n
The top country of birth is Australia, followed by England, New Zealand, India, Philippines, and Thailand while one per cent of the population speaks Karen, a growth of 0.4 per cent from 2016.<\/p>\n
There has also been a significant change in people identifying as religious.<\/p>\n
In 2016, 56,799\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 people, 37.1 of the population, identified as having no religious affiliation, however in 2021, 80,919 people said they were not religious, almost half of the population.<\/p>\n
This trend is reflected in the national data, with 38.9 per cent of the population reporting no religious affiliation compared to 30.1 per cent in 2016.<\/p>\n
The national census was conducted in August 2021 at a time of COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns. There were two million extra people at home on census night compared to 2016.<\/p>\n
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