1911 Australian census

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First commonwealth census
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3 April 1911;114 years ago (1911-04-03)
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General information
CountryCommonwealth of Australia
Authority Bureau of Census and Statistics
Website abs.gov.au (1911)
Results
Total population4,455,005 (Increase2.svg18.05%)
Most populous  state or territory New South Wales (1,646,734)
Least populous  state or territory Federal Territory (1,714)

The 1911 Australian census was the first national population census held in Australia and was conducted by the Bureau of Census and Statistics. The day used for the census, was taken for the night between 2 and 3 April 1911. The total population of the Commonwealth of Australia was counted as 4,455,005 – an increase of 681,204 people, 18.05% over the 1901 "Federation" census. [1] [a] [2]

Contents

The Census Volumes II and III were published on 30 September 1914. At that time it was intended to issue shortly thereafter Volume 1. [3]

Collection method

The first Commonwealth Statistician was George Handley Knibbs. He began his career as a licensed surveyor in government service. On Monday 3 April 1911, census collectors set out all over Australia under mostly clear skies to begin gathering in Australia's first national census forms. They covered suburbs to rural towns and the outback. They travelled by bike or horse where they had the transport that was needed to cover large areas, however, most travelled by foot. Some in Northern Queensland had to find their way through a flooded landscape while others in South Australia had difficulties finding water and fodder for their horses due to droughts. They had distributed the forms prior to the census day. [4]

The Rialto building, 497-503 Collins Street, where Knibbs and staff occupied during the census. Collins Street The Rialto 2010-11-22 08.jpg
The Rialto building, 497–503 Collins Street, where Knibbs and staff occupied during the census.

There was a permanent staff of the 'Bureau of Census and Statistics' which consisted of the Statistician (Knibbs) and many assistants, some young men working as clerks as well as a couple of messenger boys. A female typist had joined soon after. The bureau was located in the old Rialto Building in Collins Street, Melbourne which at that time the temporary seat of federal government, by 1928, the bureau relocated to Canberra. [6]

Collectors had to supply their own transport and cover any associated costs such as fodder and petrol. They were paid according to their method of transport. Collectors on foot were paid ten shilling a day, those on bicycle fifteens shillings a day and those on horse 20 shillings a day. Police were used in the days immediately following the census to get travellers, swagmen and campers to provide their information. Train conductors and ships' captains were also used as collectors in the 1911 census and several subsequent censuses, to cover people travelling overnight on census night. [7]

Census questions

"For Every Person present in the Night from 2 to 3 April 1911, or returning on 3rd April (if not included elsewhere). [8]
1. Name in full (Underline Surname.)
2. Sex – {Write M for Male}, {Write F for Female}
3. Date of Birth: Day, Month, Year
(a) Where exact date of birth is unknown, age at last birthday____years
4. If married, write M. If widowed, write W. If divorced, write D. If never married, write N. M.
5. Date of existing Marriage: Year...........
6. Number of Children (living and dead) from existing Marriage...........

7. Relation to Head of Household
8. State if Blind or Deaf and Dumb ..............
9. Country (or Australian State) where born
10. If a British subject by parentage. write P.

11. If born outside Commonwealth, state length of residence therein

12. Religion

13. Education

14. Profession or Occupation
(If engaged in more than one occupation. underline principal occupation.)

Population and dwellings

Population counts for Australian states and territories had 4,455,005 and 19,939 full-Aboriginals (counted separately) for a total population of 4,474,944. [9]

Note: All figures are for the census usually resident population count.

States and Territories MalesFemalesTotal
Flag of New South Wales.svg New South Wales 857,698789,0361,646,734
Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Victoria 655,591659,9601,315,551
Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland 329,506276,307605,813
Flag of South Australia.svg South Australia 207,358201,200408,558
Flag of Western Australia (1870-1953).svg Western Australia 161,565120,549282,114
Flag of Tasmania.svg Tasmania 97,59193,620191,211
Territories
Northern Territory 2,7345763,310
Federal Territory 9927221,714
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Commonwealth of Australia 2,313,0352,141,9704,455,005
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics [b] [10] [11]

Aboriginal population

States and TerritoriesMalesFemalesTotal
     New South Wales 1,1528602,012
     Victoria 10393196
     Queensland 5,1453,5428,687
     South Australia 8026371,439
     Western Australia 3,4332,9366,369
     Tasmania 213
Territories
     Northern Territory 7434801,223
     Federal Territory 5510
Commonwealth of Australia11,3858,55419,939
Source: [12]

Birthplace

At the Census of 3 April 1911, each person was asked to state on a "personal" card, the "Country or Australian State where born," and to state on a "personal" card, and from the replies to this query, taken in conjunction with the other data furnished, the tables contained in Part II. [13]

% of the overseas-born [14]
  1. England (50.0%)
  2. Ireland (20.0%)
  3. Scotland (13.0%)
  4. Germany (5.00%)
  5. New Zealand (5.00%)
  6. China (3.00%)
  7. Wales (2.00%)
  8. Italy (1.00%)
  9. British India (1.00%)
  10. United States (0.00%)

Ethnic origin and Religion

Race

At the first Australian census in 1911 only those "aboriginal natives" living near European settlements were enumerated, and the main population tables included only those of half or less Aboriginal descent. Details of those "full-blood" Aborigines enumerated were included in separate tables. [16]

RacePopulationPercent (%)
European 4,402,66298.83
Totals, non-European52,3431.17
Aboriginals (half)10,1130.23
Asiatic 38,6900.87
     Chinese 25,7720.57
     Hindus 3,6980.08
     Japanese 3,5760.08
African 6930.01
American 890.0
     American Indians 510.0
     West Indies (so described)350.0
Polynesian 2,7510.06
     Polynesians (so described)2,1970.04
     Papuans 3750.0
Indefinite70.0
Total4,455,005100.0
Full-Aboriginal (Counted separately)*19,939-
Totals4,474,944100.0
Source [17] [18]

Religion

According to these figures it appears that of the 4,455,005 people in Australia on census day (3 April 1911) 4,274,414 were Christians, 36,785 non-Christians, 14,673 are described as indefinite, 10,016 were of no religion, 83,003 objected to state to what faith, if any, they belonged, and the remaining 36,114 were unspecified.

Religion. 1911 Census
NumberPercent (%)
Christian 4,274,41495.95
     Church of England 1,710,44338.4
     Presbyterians 558,33612.5
     Methodists 547,80612.3
     Baptist 97,0742.2
     Congregational 74,0461.6
     Lutheran 72,3951.6
     Church of Christ 38,7480.9
     Salvation Army 26,6650.6
     Seventh-day Adventist 6,0950.1
     Unitarian 2,1750.0
     Protestant (undefined)109,8612.46
     Roman Catholic 921,42520.7
     Greek Catholic 2,6460.0
     Catholic (undefined)75,3791.7
     Others31,3200.7
Non-Christian36,7850.8
     Hebrew 17,2870.4
     Confucian 5,1940.1
     Mohammedan 3,9080.08
     Buddhist 3,2690.07
     Pagan 1,4470.0
     Others5,6800.1
Indefinite14,6730.3
     Freethinker 3,2540.07
     Agnostic 3,0840.0
     No Denomination2,6880.06
    Others5,6470.0
No Religion10,0160.2
    No Religion9,2510.2
    Atheist5790.0
    Others1860.0
Object to state83,0031.8
Unspecified36,1140.8
Grand total ..4,455,005100.0
Source [19]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ (Excluding the Dwellings occupied solely by Full-blooded Aboriginals).
  2. ↑ At the Census of 3 April 1911 (Full-blooded Aboriginals not included).

References

  1. ↑ "Census of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1911]". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 3 April 1911. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "Census of The Commonwealth Of Australia, 1911 PART XIV.-SUMMARY TABLES" (PDF). ausstats.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  3. ↑ "VOLUME I. STATISTICIAN'S REPORT INCLUDING APPENDICES" (PDF). ausstats.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  4. ↑ "Reflecting a Nation Stories from the 1911 – 2011 Census". abs.gov.au. July 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  5. ↑ "Reflecting a Nation Stories from the 1911 – 2011 Census". abs.gov.au. July 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  6. ↑ "Reflecting a Nation Stories from the 1911 – 2011 Census". abs.gov.au. July 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  7. ↑ "Reflecting a Nation Stories from the 1911 – 2011 Census". abs.gov.au. July 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  8. ↑ "SPECIMEN OF A FILLED IN PERSONAL CARD. COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA. CENSUS, 3rd APRIL 1911" (PDF). ausstats.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Census of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1911 Australian Bureau of Statistics". abs.gov.au. 3 April 1911. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  10. ↑ Census of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1911, Australian Bureau of Statistics
  11. ↑ "Census of The Commonwealth Of Australia, 1911 PART XIV.-SUMMARY TABLES" (PDF). ausstats.abs.gov. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  12. ↑ "Census of The Commonwealth Of Australia, 1911 PART XIV.-SUMMARY TABLES" (PDF). ausstats.abs.au. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  13. ↑ "Census of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1911" (PDF). Australian Bureau of Statistics . 1911. p. 114. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  14. ↑ "Towards a super connected Australia" (PDF). nbnco.com.au. 2015. p. 7. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  15. ↑ "Census of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1911" (PDF). Australian Bureau of Statistics . 1911. p. 114. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  16. ↑ Madden, Richard; Al-Yaman, Fadwa (2003). "How Statisticians Describe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples" (PDF). 2003 Seminars on Health and Society: An Australian Indigenous Context. Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2006. Retrieved 25 June 2006.
  17. ↑ "Pocket Compendium of Australian Statistics Volumes 20–24". 1934. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  18. ↑ "PART VIII. NON.EUROPEAN RACES Census of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1911". abs.gov.au. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  19. ↑ "Census of The Commonwealth Of Australia, 1911. PART XIV.-SUMMARY TABLES Religion" (PDF). ausstats.abs.gov.au. p. 2111. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
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