The 1966 Australian census was the seventh national population census held in Australia and was conducted by the Bureau of Census and Statistics. The day used for the census, was taken on 30 June 1966. The total population of the Commonwealth of Australia was counted as 11,550,462 â an increase of 1,042,276 people or 9.92% over the 1961 census.
Census results were released under statistician J. P. O'Neill in a series of three publications beginning in April 1967 with a summary of the population.
Key topics in 1966 included:
The population counts for Australian states and territories were that New South Wales remains the most populous state, with 4,233,822 people counted, ahead of Victoria (3,219,526) and Queensland (1,663,685). Australian Capital Territory (ACT) experienced the largest average annual growth rate of any state or territory over the past five years, with an average annual increase of 10.29% while Tasmania had the smallest growth at 1.18% since the 1961 census. Persons count based on place of usual residence on Census night.
At the seventh Australian census in 1966 the population was self-enumeration. In the official sense, the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, which collected demographic data, defined the term "European" to "cover those ethnic or racial groups (e.g. Caucasian, Slavonic, Celtic, Latin) which have their origins in the countries of Europe while terms such as "Afghan", "Filipino", etc. cover those ethnic groups normally to be found in the countries of Afghanistan and the Philippines, etc.". The 1966 census enumeration of Aboriginals (full-blood) progressively made significant effort for those in contact and out of contact with population centres.
Population by religious affiliation according to the 1966 census results.