FACTBase Bulletin 66 - Who is Perth? A Comparative Analysis of Greater Perth's Population in the 1947 and 2016 Census Periods

The latest FACTBase Bulletin is a comparative analysis of Greater Perth’s population between 1947 and 2016. From the end of the Second World War to the most recent Census, the bulletin shows the extensive changes to the average Western Australian within that 70-year period. This report is the fifth research input into the Committee for Perth's major project, Hashtag Perth.

Key Findings

• In 1947, 54 per cent of Greater Perth residents owned their home with 77 per cent of those owning their home outright yet by 2016 only 28 per cent of homeowners owned their home outright;
• In 1947 average weekly rent was the equivalent of $72.79 (in 2016 prices) and in 2016 the median weekly rent was $360;
• Female participation in the labour force tripled between 1947 and 2016;
• In 1947 less than 0.5 per cent of Greater Perth’s population identified as non-religious; growing in 2016 with more than 32 per cent identified and non-religious; and
• The average age to get married has increased from 23 (women) and 27 (men) in 1947 to 29 and 31 respectively