The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today published the 2026 Census Topics and Data Release Plan.
The publication outlines the questions that will be included in the 2026 Census, and when and how the data will be released.
Census General Manager, Jenny Telford, said the publication is a significant milestone in the lead up to Australia's next Census on 11 August 2026.
"Today's release of the 2026 Census topics and data release plan follows a period of extensive public consultation and testing to ensure the Census produces high-quality data that reflects contemporary Australia," Ms Telford said.
"The 2026 Census will deliver richer insights, with the addition of a new topic on gender and sexual orientation, and updates to existing topics to meet emerging data needs.
"We will make Census results freely available across a range of products making it easier than ever for people to access and use."
The ABS will release data from the 2026 Census in three phases, with data for most topics to be released in June 2027.
Data for a smaller set of topics, including employment-related data, will be released in October 2027.
The remaining data, including the distance people live from where they work, will be released in early 2028.
The 2026 Census topics and data release plan is available on the ABS website.
The information provided on a Census form is confidential. The ABS will never release information in a way that can identify any individual or household.
The Census is the most comprehensive picture of Australia's population and housing. Census data tells us about the economic, social and cultural make-up of the nation.
Census night is Tuesday 11 August 2026.
The 2026 Census topic review provides detailed information on the topic review process.
Census data informs important decisions about transport, schools, health care, infrastructure and business. It also helps plan local services for individuals, families and communities. For example, knowing the number of people living in regional and remote areas informs where doctors are needed, and understanding local births and languages spoken at home links Australians to the community services they need.
Statistics from the 2026 Census will be released through QuickStats, TableBuilder and new ABS DataMaps. More detailed information about plans for 2026 Census data products will be released in mid-2026.
Census Privacy Impact Assessments
For the 2026 Census, we engaged an independent provider to conduct a three-phased Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA). The PIA process is a key part of ensuring privacy considerations remain central to ABS decisions when designing the Census and using Census data.
