What population did Australia's 2021 census count?

Australia’s 2021 census counted 25,422,788 people.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducted the national census on August 10, 2021. The headline figure refers to people counted in Australia according to the census population concept and excludes overseas visitors. It was an increase of 2,020,896 people, or 8.6%, compared with the 2016 census.

The 2021 census was Australia’s 18th national census. It also showed a changing population structure: the median age was 38, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people numbered more than 800,000 in the census count. The results captured Australia’s increasing cultural diversity as well as differences among states and territories.

A frequent mistake is substituting the census count with the Estimated Resident Population. That estimate is a separate statistical measure, adjusted for factors such as people missed by the census and residents temporarily overseas. The question asks for the direct census count, which is 25,422,788.