Homelessness Statistics in Australia 2022-2023

Homelessness can devastate the social reputation and economy of any nation. Several surveys and stats on homelessness show that the number of homeless people has increased over the past years. Economists worldwide have predicted that huge inflation is about to strike the world. Given that, homelessness is projected to increase further over the years.

Let’s take a quick look at a few homelessness facts in Australia.

Homelessness Australia Statistics

According to the Census night in 2016, over 116,000 people were homeless in Australia. Around 67280 of them were males aged 25-34, and the rest of them were female. 44% of people were living in several crowded dwellings.

Fast forward to 2022, and there has been a tremendous increase in homelessness Australia over the past years. The Salvation Army stated that as of 2021, there were around 278,000 homeless Australians nationwide. On any day in 2021, 61% of homeless children aged 12 to 18 lived in crowded dwellings. According to another survey, 1 in 200 Australians does not have a safe, secure home to sleep in every night.

Reasons for the Increase in Homeless Percentage in Australia

Authorities state several reasons for the increasing Australia homelessness rate. The leading cause of homelessness is the rising real estate rates over the years. Given the incoming inflation, the number of people homeless in Australia is projected to increase further. The “Australia population below poverty line 2022” was around 33,19,000. Here’s a graph showing the main reasons for the increasing prevalence of homelessness.

Stats on Homelessness in Australia

Homelessness in Australia has been a serious issue for over a decade. In Australia, around 49.1 people are homeless in every 10,000 Aussies. With a lack of affordable housing options and less awareness of the issue, homelessness is expected to get out of control in the next few years.

Here are several quick-read statistics based on the study “Census of Population and Housing: Estimating Homelessness” study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

• The number of homeless persons per 10,000 Aussies increased by 5% in 5 years ranging from 2011 to 2016.
• In the same era, homelessness in New South Wales increased by 27%, while in Western Australia, it decreased by 11%. Here’s a graph showing that most homeless people are young.

• The number of homeless people in crowded dwellings increased from 41,370 in 2011 to 51,088 in 2016.
• A total of 17,503 people were living in boarding houses in 2016.
• Around 32% of the homeless youth population (aged 12 to 24) lived in severely crowded dwellings in 2016.
• About 60% of people in overcrowded dwellings were under 35.
• In the five years (2011 to 2016), the male homelessness rate increased from 54 males per 10,000 Aussies to 58 males.

Conclusion

Homelessness in Australia has constantly been increasing over the past years. The above article’s statistics and figures have been taken from official Australian sources.