Millennial population now set to overtake Boomers for primacy
LONDON: The Millennials are now set to overtake Boomers by way of numbers for the first time.
Australians aged 25 to 39 years are overtaking Baby Boomers as the largest share of the population, with newly released census data placing Millennials neck-and-neck with their cashed-up parents.
Millennials, born between 1981 and 1995, have increased from 20.4 per cent of the population in 2011 to 21.5 per cent last year. Boomers, people born between 1946 and 1965, have decreased from 25.4 per cent of the population to 21.5 per cent in the same period.
Both age groups included more than 5.4 million people in last year’s census, with 5662 more Baby Boomers reported in the national population snapshot.
In the 1966 census, nearly two in every five people, or 38.5 per cent, were Boomers, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Australians in the Boomer age cohort are critical carers for other peoples’ children, often their own grandchildren, with the data showing about one in eight, or 12.8 per cent, helped with caring. Among the group, two-thirds or 67.5 per cent, were female.
Boomers are also the generation most likely to regularly volunteer and provide unpaid assistance to others.
Census results categorise anyone born before 1945 as the Interwar generation. After Baby Boomers, Generation X covers births between 1966 and 1980. Generation Z takes over from Millennials, also known as Gen Y, covering births from 1996 until 2010. Generation Alpha covers births to 2021.
ABS chief statistician David Gruen said the new census data would assist governments and community organisations in understanding the needs of each cohort.
“We see that an increasing number of Baby Boomers are needing assistance with core activities – with 7.4 per cent reporting a need for assistance, compared to 2.8 per cent across the younger generations,” Dr Gruen said.
“This information will help frame policy that delivers positive outcomes for our communities.”
About 40 per cent of Australians attending vocational education, including TAFE courses, are Millennials, and they make up 48 per cent of all Australian Defence Force service members.
The generational shift is also reflected in religious affiliation in Australia. Nearly 60 per cent of Boomers report a Christian religious affiliation, compared with 30 per cent of Millennials.
More than 45 per cent of Millennials reported having no religion, compared with 30 per cent of Boomers.
Christianity remains the most common religion in the country, with 43.9 per cent identifying as having Christian affiliation. The figure has dropped from 52.1 per cent in 2016 and from 61.1 per cent in 2011.
Catholics are the largest Christian denomination at 20.0 per cent of the population, followed by Anglicans at 9.8 per cent.
Almost 39 per cent of Australians reported having no religion, an increase from 30.1 per cent in 2016 and 22.3 per cent in 2011.
Hinduism has grown by 55.3 per cent to 684,002 people, or 2.7 per cent of the population, in the latest figures. Islam has grown to 813,392 people, which is 3.2 per cent of the Australian population.
“Census religion data shows a characteristic of Australia that has changed significantly over the past two decades,” Dr Gruen said.
“Knowing about the religious affiliation across the population supports local planning for facilities, goods and services for Australians who identify as religious and helps them to live according to their beliefs.”
