Census 2021: Bass Coast population booms, up 24.3% to 40,789
THE numbers are in from the 2021 Census showing a dramatic increase in the population of Bass Coast, up a whopping 24.3 per cent in the five years between 2016 and 2021. The Bass Coast population has crashed through the 40,000 barrier with 40,789...
THE numbers are in from the 2021 Census showing a dramatic increase in the population of Bass Coast, up a whopping 24.3 per cent in the five years between 2016 and 2021.
The Bass Coast population has crashed through the 40,000 barrier with 40,789 people calling Bass Coast home on the night of Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The locality numbers aren’t out yet but you can bet the lions’ share of that increase will be at places like Phillip Island and Inverloch. I’d be surprised if the permanent population of Phillip Island and San Remo hasn’t increased by 3000 or more,” said Cowes real estate agent Greg Price.
“And that’s probably still not capturing the number of people who spend most of their time on the Island but still list their principal place of residence elsewhere.
“Even so, to have almost a 25 per cent increase in the shire’s population is huge,” he said.
South Gippsland’s population was up by a much more modest 6.5 per cent, from 2016 to 2021, still healthy growth but not nearly as heavily impacted by Melbourne’s urban sprawl as Bass Coast.
South Gippsland’s population has gone up from 28,703 in 2016 to 30,577 in August last year.
Also of interest is the growth in housing in Bass Coast in the past five years, up from 25,775 dwellings in 2016 to 28,938 dwellings in August 2021, an increase of 3163 dwellings in five years, or 12.3 per cent.
South Gippsland recorded an extra 1241 dwellings in the five years to August 2021, up from 15,873 to 17,114, an increase of 7.8 per cent in the five years, which represents very steady growth.
Across Australia, two million more people (2,178,094) were at home on Census night, Tuesday, August 10, than in 2016. With COVID-19 restrictions in place across the nation on Census night, 96 per cent of people counted were at home rather than travelling.
This means more families and households were together in the data collected, which presents a unique picture of Australian homes and families.
The COVID-19 pandemic may also have contributed to how Australians completed their Census. The Census household response rate increased from 95.1 per cent in 2016 to 96.1 per cent in 2021, and the percentage of households completing online increased to nearly four out of every five forms received (79 per cent).
The impact of COVID-19 restrictions and limits on overseas travel can also be seen, with a decrease of more than 80 per cent in the number of overseas visitors counted in the Census, from 315,531 in 2016 to 61,860 in 2021.
While Australia welcomed over one million new migrants (1,020,007) since 2017, most arrived before the COVID-19 pandemic. Census data on year of arrival in Australia shows that more than 850,000 people arrived (853,887) over the years 2017, 2018 and 2019. By contrast, during the 2020 and 2021 pandemic years, the arrival numbers declined to 165,000 people (166,125).
Dr David Gruen AO, Australian Statistician, said “The Census was conducted at an unprecedented time in Australia’s history and provides a unique snapshot of the population during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is different from previous Censuses.”
“The Census also shows the population under varying lockdown restrictions across the country. Deeper insights on the impacts of COVID-19 will be available in the second release of Census data in October. We expect the second release data will show some very interesting changes and patterns in mobility of the population between Censuses, including employment arrangements, journey to work, occupation and internal migration.”
