For the first time, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has published experimental estimates of Australia’s LGBTI+ populations, offering a unique insight into this diverse community.
Drawing on data from nearly 45,000 respondents across four recent ABS health surveys, the report reveals that 4.5 per cent of Australians aged 16 and older – over 900,000 people – identify as LGBTI+.
“Younger Australians are more likely to identify as LGBTI+,” said Linda Fardell, ABS Head of Health Statistics. “Nearly 10 per cent of those aged 16 to 24 years are part of this community.”
Breaking the data down further, approximately 740,000 Australians identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or use another term to describe their sexual orientation, representing 3.6 per cent of the population. Among them, one in three are married or in a de facto relationship.
The estimates also highlight that nearly 1 per cent of Australians, equivalent to around 178,900 people, are trans or gender diverse, encompassing trans men, trans women, and non-binary individuals.
Additionally, about 0.3 per cent of Australians – approximately 63,300 people – report being born with variations of sex characteristics.
The findings align closely with New Zealand’s 2023 Census results, where 3.6 per cent of respondents identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or similar, and 0.6 per cent identified as trans or gender diverse.
Significantly, the 2026 Australian Census will, for the first time, include questions on gender and sexual orientation for respondents aged 16 and older, enabling the ABS to gather more comprehensive data on LGB+ and trans and gender-diverse populations across Australia.
 has published experimental estimates of Australia’s LGBTI+ populations, offering a unique insight into this diverse community.){kind=link}