3238.0 - Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2001 to 2026

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ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 30/04/2014

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Contents >> Main Features >> Australia

AUSTRALIA

In 2011, the estimated resident Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population was 669,900 people, representing 3% of the total Australian population. Between 2001 and 2011 the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population increased by 2.3% (from 534,700 people) per year on average, compared with 1.5% for the total Australian population.

The population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians is projected to increase to between 907,800 and 945,600 people in 2026, at an average growth rate of between 2.0% and 2.3% per year. In comparison, the average growth rate of the total Australian population is projected to be between 1.5% and 1.8% per year over the same period (Population Projections, Australia, 2012 (base) to 2101, cat. no. 3222.0).

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is projected to increase across all age groups between 2011 and 2026 albeit at different rates. The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (0-14 years) is projected to increase from 240,600 in 2011 to between 285,200 and 315,200 in 2026, while the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15-64 years is projected to increase from 406,600 in 2011 to between 565,300 and 568,500 in 2026. The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 65 years and over is projected to more than double over the period, from 22,700 in 2011 to between 57,400 and 61,900 in 2026.

1.2 ESTIMATED AND PROJECTED ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER POPULATION, by age group, Australia - at 30 June
Diagram: 1.2 ESTIMATED AND PROJECTED ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER POPULATION, by age group, Australia—at 30 June

Diagram: 1.2 ESTIMATED AND PROJECTED ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER POPULATION, by age group, Australia—at 30 June

Consistent with this, the median age of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is estimated to have increased from 20.4 years in 2001 to 21.6 years in 2011, and is projected to increase to between 24.7 and 25.4 years in 2026.

The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0-14 years is therefore projected to decrease from 36% in 2011 to between 31% and 33% in 2026, while the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15-64 years is projected to remain relatively stable, from 61% in 2011 to between 60% and 62% in 2026. The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 65 years and over is projected to increase from 3.4% in 2011 to between 6.3% and 6.5% in 2026.