In the coming week The Daily News will run a special series of informative graphics revealing our region's pre-Census 2016 demographic make-up.

ON AUGUST 9, the 35,716 Southern Downs residents will be counted in the nation's five-yearly Census.

By completing our Census forms - whether electronic or paper - we will give Australian policymakers the data they need to improve the services our community relies on.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics number crunchers will also turn that data into a demographic snapshot of our region.

By mid-2017, we will know more about who we are, where we come from, what we do for a living, how much we earn, what our families look like, what faiths we follow and even how we identify in terms of sexuality.

Demographer Glenn Capuano says we can expect some interesting population shifts when the results of the nationwide data collection are released.

For example, the population expert from id.com.au says the area's indigenous population, currently assessed as about 1460 residents, will increase by 25% to around 1825.

"That's not because the population is going up, it's because the propensity to identify is higher - people are more willing to identify with their heritage," Mr Capuano said of his predicted leap in numbers.

Mr Capuano said the ABS's decision to change how it asks one particular question could also transform our region's religion profile.

According to the last Census, 74.5% of Southern Downs residents are Christian, 16% of us have no religion and 1.1% of us follow non-Christian faiths.

Catholicism was the area's dominant religion in 2011.

Back then 27.2% of locals followed the Catholic faith and 24.4% of residents said they were Anglicans.

"(The statement) 'No religion' now appears at the top of the question," Mr Capuano said.

"Expect this to increase the 'no religion' numbers, which have been increasing every Census for the past 50 years anyway."

- APN NEWSDESK