What ages were most commonly recorded when convicts arrived at a colony?

This line graph, based on data downloaded from the Digital Panopticon, records the ages of transported male and female convicts when they arrived in Australia, based on data from the Convict Indents. Each data point indicates the percentage of convicts of that sex who were recorded at the specified age. The graph suggests that on average transported female convicts (blue) were slightly younger than male convicts (orange). Note the spikes which appear at the round numbers of 20, 30, 40 and 50. These indicate the presence of age heaping, when convicts (or judicial officials) estimated a convict's age using round numbers.

Credit: Richard Ward

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