Spatially consistent annual Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) data for Australian statistical areas, 1996 – 2021

National census data are frequently used to derive area-level socioeconomic indexes, such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA). However, these indexes are often limited for longitudinal analysis due to infrequent data collection and changes to administrative census boundaries. This dataset provides annual SEIFA data standardised to 2021 Statistical Area 1 (SA1) boundaries, offering spatially and temporally consistent data from 1996 to 2021. The dataset includes 59,421 SA1s, excluding areas without SEIFA data for any census year. This dataset addresses key challenges in tracking area-level socioeconomic changes over time and enhances the utility of census data for longitudinal research.