National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, 2022-23 financial year

Any reference to persons/people/peoples in this product refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons/people/peoples.

This release has been developed in consultation with the ABS’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Surveys Advisory Group, a group of external stakeholders who have guided the ABS on the content and release of data from this survey.

Health conditions

Long-term health conditions are conditions which were current at the time of interview and had lasted, or were expected to last, 6 months or more. This survey collects information about a broad range of long-term health conditions, with a focus on conditions that are common, pose significant health problems, and have been a focus of ongoing public health monitoring.

Selected chronic conditions

Selected chronic conditions are a subset of long-term health conditions. People diagnosed with one or more selected chronic conditions may have complex health needs as these conditions are an ongoing cause of substantial ill health, disability and premature death[1].

In this survey, selected chronic conditions include arthritis, asthma, back problems, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, heart, stroke and vascular disease, kidney disease, osteoporosis and, for people aged 2 years and over, mental and behavioural conditions.

Around two in four people (49%) had one or more selected chronic conditions in 2022–23, up from 46% in 2018–19.
More than one in four people (27%) had 1 selected chronic condition, 13% had 2 conditions and 9% had 3 or more.
People living in non-remote areas were more likely to have one or more selected chronic conditions (52%) than people living in remote areas (34%).

Proportion of people by number of selected chronic conditions and remoteness, 2022–23
	Non-remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
1 selected chronic condition	27.5	25.2	29.8	20.5	18.5	22.5
2 selected chronic conditions	13.9	12.0	15.8	8.4	7.2	9.6
3 or more selected chronic conditions	10.1	8.7	11.5	4.7	3.7	5.7

Proportion of people by number of selected chronic conditions and remoteness, 2022–23

["","Non-remote","","Remote",""]

[["1 selected chronic condition","2 selected chronic conditions","3 or more selected chronic conditions"],[[27.5],[13.9],[10.1]],[[25.199999999999999,29.800000000000001],[12,15.800000000000001],[8.6999999999999993,11.5]],[[20.5],[8.4000000000000004],[4.7000000000000002]],[[18.5,22.5],[7.2000000000000002,9.5999999999999996],[3.7000000000000002,5.7000000000000002]]]

[]

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The most common selected chronic condition was mental and behavioural conditions (29% of people aged 2 years and over).

Between 2018–19 and 2022–23:

there was an increase in the proportion of people aged 2 years and over who had mental and behavioural conditions (from 24% to 29%)
there was a decrease in the proportion of people who had heart, stroke and vascular disease (from 5% to 4%)
the proportion of people who had any other selected chronic condition (excluding chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)[2]) remained about the same.

Proportion of people with selected chronic conditions, 2018–19 and 2022–23
	2018–19 (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	2022–23 (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Arthritis(a)	10.5	9.6	11.4	11.2	10.0	12.4
Asthma(a)	15.7	14.3	17.1	16.6	14.5	18.7
Back problems(a)	12.6	11.6	13.6	14.0	12.3	15.7
Cancer(a)	1.1	0.7	1.5	1.0	0.7	1.3
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)(b)	3.4	2.8	4.0	2.1	1.4	2.8
Diabetes mellitus(a)	7.9	7.1	8.7	7.4	6.5	8.3
Heart, stroke and vascular disease	5.2	4.5	5.9	4.0	3.1	4.9
Kidney disease(a)	1.8	1.4	2.2	1.4	1.1	1.7
Mental and behavioural conditions(c)	24.2	22.5	25.9	29.2	26.9	31.5
Osteoporosis(a)	2.3	1.8	2.8	1.6	1.0	2.2

Proportion of people with selected chronic conditions, 2018–19 and 2022–23

["","2018\u201319","","2022\u201323",""]

[["Arthritis(a)","Asthma(a)","Back problems(a)","Cancer(a)","Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)(b)","Diabetes mellitus(a)","Heart, stroke and vascular disease","Kidney disease(a)","Mental and behavioural conditions(c)","Osteoporosis(a)"],[[10.5],[15.699999999999999],[12.6],[1.1000000000000001],[3.3999999999999999],[7.9000000000000004],[5.2000000000000002],[1.8],[24.199999999999999],[2.2999999999999998]],[[9.5999999999999996,11.4],[14.300000000000001,17.100000000000001],[11.6,13.6],[0.69999999999999996,1.5],[2.7999999999999998,4],[7.0999999999999996,8.6999999999999993],[4.5,5.9000000000000004],[1.3999999999999999,2.2000000000000002],[22.5,25.899999999999999],[1.8,2.7999999999999998]],[[11.199999999999999],[16.600000000000001],[14],[1],[2.1000000000000001],[7.4000000000000004],[4],[1.3999999999999999],[29.199999999999999],[1.6000000000000001]],[[10,12.4],[14.5,18.699999999999999],[12.300000000000001,15.699999999999999],[0.69999999999999996,1.3],[1.3999999999999999,2.7999999999999998],[6.5,8.3000000000000007],[3.1000000000000001,4.9000000000000004],[1.1000000000000001,1.7],[26.899999999999999,31.5],[1,2.2000000000000002]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":null,"tick_interval":"5","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

The difference between 2018–19 and 2022–23 is not statistically significant.
Includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema and chronic airflow limitation. Asthma is reported separately. Estimates for 2022–23 may have been impacted by a change in collection methodology which may have affected the number of persons reporting emphysema. For more information see Health conditions in the Interpretation of results section in Methodology.
Persons aged 2 years and over.

A mental or behavioural condition was the most common selected chronic condition for people living in non-remote areas (33% of people aged 2 years and over). For people living in remote areas, diabetes (14%) and mental and behavioural conditions (12% of people aged 2 years and over) were equally the most common.

Proportion of people with selected chronic conditions by remoteness, 2022–23
	Non-remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Arthritis	12.3	10.9	13.7	4.9	3.9	5.9
Asthma	18.2	15.7	20.7	8.1	6.8	9.4
Back problems	15.0	13.0	17.0	8.3	7.0	9.6
Cancer(a)	1.0	0.6	1.4	0.7	0.4	1.0
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)(b)	2.4	1.6	3.2	1.2	0.8	1.6
Diabetes mellitus	6.4	5.3	7.5	13.6	12.1	15.1
Heart, stroke and vascular disease(a)	4.2	3.1	5.3	2.9	2.1	3.7
Kidney disease	1.2	0.8	1.6	2.6	1.8	3.4
Mental and behavioural conditions(c)	32.5	29.8	35.2	11.9	10.0	13.8
Osteoporosis	1.8	1.1	2.5	0.5	0.2	0.8

Proportion of people with selected chronic conditions by remoteness, 2022–23

["","Non-remote","","Remote",""]

[["Arthritis","Asthma","Back problems","Cancer(a)","Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)(b)","Diabetes mellitus","Heart, stroke and vascular disease(a)","Kidney disease","Mental and behavioural conditions(c)","Osteoporosis"],[[12.300000000000001],[18.199999999999999],[15],[1],[2.3999999999999999],[6.4000000000000004],[4.2000000000000002],[1.2],[32.5],[1.8]],[[10.9,13.699999999999999],[15.699999999999999,20.699999999999999],[13,17],[0.59999999999999998,1.3999999999999999],[1.6000000000000001,3.2000000000000002],[5.2999999999999998,7.5],[3.1000000000000001,5.2999999999999998],[0.80000000000000004,1.6000000000000001],[29.800000000000001,35.200000000000003],[1.1000000000000001,2.5]],[[4.9000000000000004],[8.0999999999999996],[8.3000000000000007],[0.69999999999999996],[1.2],[13.6],[2.8999999999999999],[2.6000000000000001],[11.9],[0.5]],[[3.8999999999999999,5.9000000000000004],[6.7999999999999998,9.4000000000000004],[7,9.5999999999999996],[0.40000000000000002,1],[0.80000000000000004,1.6000000000000001],[12.1,15.1],[2.1000000000000001,3.7000000000000002],[1.8,3.3999999999999999],[10,13.800000000000001],[0.20000000000000001,0.80000000000000004]]]

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The difference between non-remote and remote is not statistically significant.
Includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema and chronic airflow limitation. Asthma is reported separately. Estimates may have been impacted by a change in collection methodology which may have affected the number of persons reporting emphysema. For more information see Health conditions in the Interpretation of results section in Methodology.
Persons aged 2 years and over.

Data available in Tables 1 to 5 in Data downloads.

Other selected long-term health conditions

Between 2018–19 and 2022–23:

there was an increase in the proportion of people who had eye or sight problems (from 38% to 41%) and hay fever and allergic rhinitis (from 14%[3] to 19%)
the proportion of people who had ear or hearing problems remained about the same (14% in 2018–19 and 13% in 2022–23), as did the proportion of people who had hypertension (8%).

Eye disease or sight problems were more common for people living in non-remote areas (43%) than remote areas (29%).

Proportion of people with selected long-term health conditions by remoteness, 2022–23
	Non-remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Ear or hearing problems(a)	13.5	11.8	15.2	11.4	9.5	13.3
Eye or sight problems	43.4	40.9	45.9	28.8	26.4	31.2
Hay fever and allergic rhinitis	20.9	18.2	23.6	7.7	6.1	9.3
Hypertension	7.6	6.4	8.8	10.6	9.4	11.8

Proportion of people with selected long-term health conditions by remoteness, 2022–23

["","Non-remote","","Remote",""]

[["Ear or hearing problems(a)","Eye or sight problems","Hay fever and allergic rhinitis","Hypertension"],[[13.5],[43.399999999999999],[20.899999999999999],[7.5999999999999996]],[[11.800000000000001,15.199999999999999],[40.899999999999999,45.899999999999999],[18.199999999999999,23.600000000000001],[6.4000000000000004,8.8000000000000007]],[[11.4],[28.800000000000001],[7.7000000000000002],[10.6]],[[9.5,13.300000000000001],[26.399999999999999,31.199999999999999],[6.0999999999999996,9.3000000000000007],[9.4000000000000004,11.800000000000001]]]

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The difference between non-remote and remote is not statistically significant.

Data available in Tables 1 to 5 in Data downloads.

High measured blood pressure

Psychological distress

A person’s level of psychological distress provides an indication of their mental health and wellbeing.

Three in ten people aged 18 years and over (30%) experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress in the last 4 weeks, about the same as in 2018–19 (31%).
People aged 18 years and over living in non-remote areas were more likely to have experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress in the last 4 weeks (31%) than people living in remote areas (24%).

Data available in Tables 1 to 4 and Table 6 in Data downloads.

Disability and unpaid care

There are many kinds of disability – some result from accidents, illness or genetic disorders, while others have no known cause. People with more restrictive disabilities may have difficulty with mobility, communication or caring for themselves. Having disability may also affect a person’s participation in education, employment and social or community activities.

Caring for a person with a long-term health condition, disability or problems related to old age can impact a carer’s physical and emotional health and wellbeing[5].

Disability

Unpaid care

Use of health services

Regular monitoring of health may help prevent illness or injury. Consultations with health professionals can assist in many ways, including the treatment and management of short-term illnesses and injuries and long-term health conditions, monitoring health risk factors, and general maintenance of good health.

General practitioner (GP), specialist, dentist or hospital

In the last 12 months:

more than eight in ten people (83%) had seen a general practitioner (GP) or specialist, down from 86% in 2018–19[6]
more than four in ten people aged 2 years and over (45%) had seen a dentist or dental professional, about the same as in 2018–19 (44%)[6]
almost two in ten people (16%) had been admitted to hospital, about the same as in 2018–19 (17%)[6].

People aged 2 years and over living in non-remote areas were more likely to have seen a dentist or dental professional (47%) than those living in remote areas (37%).

Proportion of people who used selected health services in the last 12 months by remoteness, 2022–23
	Non-remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
GP or specialist	84.6	82.6	86.6	74.5	71.1	77.9
Dentist/dental professional(a)	46.7	43.3	50.1	37.0	33.7	40.3
Hospital admission(b)	15.7	13.9	17.5	15.9	13.5	18.3

Proportion of people who used selected health services in the last 12 months by remoteness, 2022–23

["","Non-remote","","Remote",""]

[["GP or specialist","Dentist\/dental professional(a)","Hospital admission(b)"],[[84.599999999999994],[46.700000000000003],[15.699999999999999]],[[82.599999999999994,86.599999999999994],[43.299999999999997,50.100000000000001],[13.9,17.5]],[[74.5],[37],[15.9]],[[71.099999999999994,77.900000000000006],[33.700000000000003,40.299999999999997],[13.5,18.300000000000001]]]

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Persons aged 2 years and over.
The difference between non-remote and remote is not statistically significant.

People living in remote areas were more than 3 times as likely to have seen a GP who is part of an Aboriginal Medical Service or community clinic (70%) than people living in non-remote areas (22%).

Almost two in ten people (16%) did not see a GP when they needed to on at least one occasion, up from 13% in 2018–19[6]. People living in non-remote areas were almost twice as likely not to see a GP when they needed to on at least one occasion (17%) than those living in remote areas (9%).

Data available in Tables 7 to 9 in Data downloads.

Cultural safety when accessing general practitioners (GPs) and hospitals

Mental health services and support

More than one in four people aged 15 years and over (27%) accessed health services for their own mental health in the last 12 months. The most common health services people accessed for their own mental health were counselling services (19%), general practitioners (GPs) (14%) and psychiatrists or psychologists (10%).

People aged 15 years and over living in non-remote areas were:

around 3 times more likely to access GPs for mental health (16%) than those living in remote areas (5%)
equally likely to access an Aboriginal Medical Service or community clinic (6%) as those living in remote areas (4%).

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over(a) by type of health service accessed for their own mental health in the last 12 months and remoteness, 2022–23
	Non-remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Counselling service	20.0	17.3	22.7	12.6	10.1	15.1
General practitioner (GP) (for mental health)	15.8	13.4	18.2	4.8	2.8	6.8
Aboriginal Medical Service/community clinic(b)	5.5	3.9	7.1	4.4	3.4	5.4
Psychiatrist/psychologist	11.4	9.3	13.5	3.8	1.8	5.8
Mental health nurse(b)	2.1	1.2	3.0	1.5	0.8	2.2
Other(c)	4.2	3.1	5.3	2.1	1.1	3.1

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over(a) by type of health service accessed for their own mental health in the last 12 months and remoteness, 2022–23

["","Non-remote","","Remote",""]

[["Counselling service","General practitioner (GP) (for mental health)","Aboriginal Medical Service\/community clinic(b)","Psychiatrist\/psychologist","Mental health nurse(b)","Other(c)"],[[20],[15.800000000000001],[5.5],[11.4],[2.1000000000000001],[4.2000000000000002]],[[17.300000000000001,22.699999999999999],[13.4,18.199999999999999],[3.8999999999999999,7.0999999999999996],[9.3000000000000007,13.5],[1.2,3],[3.1000000000000001,5.2999999999999998]],[[12.6],[4.7999999999999998],[4.4000000000000004],[3.7999999999999998],[1.5],[2.1000000000000001]],[[10.1,15.1],[2.7999999999999998,6.7999999999999998],[3.3999999999999999,5.4000000000000004],[1.8,5.7999999999999998],[0.80000000000000004,2.2000000000000002],[1.1000000000000001,3.1000000000000001]]]

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Excludes persons not physically present at interview if another person (a proxy) is answering on their behalf. For more information see Methodology.
The difference between non-remote and remote is not statistically significant.
Includes traditional healer and other health services.

Around one in four people aged 15 years and over (26%) would have liked to access support for their mental health but did not in the last 12 months. People living in non-remote areas were around twice as likely to have wanted to access support (28%) than those living in remote areas (14%).

For people aged 15 years and over who would have liked to access support but did not:

counselling services (51%) were the main service they would have liked to access
people living in non-remote areas were more likely to have wanted to access counselling services (53%) than those living in remote areas (32%).

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over(a) who would have liked to access support for their mental health but did not in the last 12 months by type of support and remoteness, 2022–23
	Non-remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Counselling service	53.1	47.1	59.1	31.9	25.5	38.3
General practitioner (GP) (for mental health)(b)	17.7	12.2	23.2	10.9	2.5	19.3
Aboriginal Medical Service/community clinic(c)	14.9	10.3	19.5	33.3	16.6	50.0
Psychiatrist/psychologist	39.8	32.5	47.1	22.5	13.0	32.0
Mental health nurse(b)	5.8	2.8	8.8	10.1	4.0	16.2
Community elder/family member/neighbour, friend or other community member(b)	21.4	16.3	26.5	24.6	16.5	32.7
Other(b)(d)	15.4	11.0	19.8	16.7	9.0	24.4

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over(a) who would have liked to access support for their mental health but did not in the last 12 months by type of support and remoteness, 2022–23

["","Non-remote","","Remote",""]

[["Counselling service","General practitioner (GP) (for mental health)(b)","Aboriginal Medical Service\/community clinic(c)","Psychiatrist\/psychologist","Mental health nurse(b)","Community elder\/family member\/neighbour, friend or other community member(b)","Other(b)(d)"],[[53.100000000000001],[17.699999999999999],[14.9],[39.799999999999997],[5.7999999999999998],[21.399999999999999],[15.4]],[[47.100000000000001,59.100000000000001],[12.199999999999999,23.199999999999999],[10.300000000000001,19.5],[32.5,47.100000000000001],[2.7999999999999998,8.8000000000000007],[16.300000000000001,26.5],[11,19.800000000000001]],[[31.899999999999999],[10.9],[33.299999999999997],[22.5],[10.1],[24.600000000000001],[16.699999999999999]],[[25.5,38.299999999999997],[2.5,19.300000000000001],[16.600000000000001,50],[13,32],[4,16.199999999999999],[16.5,32.700000000000003],[9,24.399999999999999]]]

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Excludes persons not physically present at interview if another person (a proxy) is answering on their behalf. For more information see Methodology.
The difference between non-remote and remote is not statistically significant.
The proportion for remote has a high margin of error and should be used with caution.
Includes traditional healer, volunteer organisation or community group and other types of support.

Data available in Table 10 in Data downloads.

Prescription medication (non-remote areas only)

Health risk factors

This survey collects information about selected health risk factors which are behaviours, events and circumstances that may increase the likelihood of developing a health condition.

Food security

Food security is a social determinant of health. Food insecurity is associated with nutritional imbalances and some chronic conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, hypertension, and mental and behavioural conditions[8].

In this survey, households were classified as food secure or food insecure based on whether one or more members of the household had enough food, or money to buy the food, needed for an active, healthy life at all times in the last 12 months. The food security status assigned to a household may not reflect the experience of each individual within the household. The specific experiences of children in the household do not form part of this measure. For more information see the Assessing health risk factors section in Methodology.

Almost six in ten households (58%) were food secure at all times in the last 12 months. Around four in ten households (41%) experienced food insecurity due to a lack of money for food at some time in the last 12 months. Of all households:

7% experienced marginal food insecurity
17% experienced moderate food insecurity
17% experienced severe food insecurity.

Households with one or more children aged less than 18 years were more likely to experience food insecurity at some time in the last 12 months (47%) than households without children (36%).

Households in remote areas were more likely to experience food insecurity (51%) than households in non-remote areas (40%). They were also more likely to experience severe food insecurity (23%) than those in non-remote areas (17%).

Proportion of households by food security status and remoteness, 2022–23
	Non-remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Food secure	59.2	55.6	62.8	48.5	43.9	53.1
Experienced marginal food insecurity(a)	6.6	5.1	8.1	7.0	5.5	8.5
Experienced moderate food insecurity	16.9	14.6	19.2	20.7	19.0	22.4
Experienced severe food insecurity	16.8	14.5	19.1	23.1	20.7	25.5

Proportion of households by food security status and remoteness, 2022–23

["","Non-remote","","Remote",""]

[["Food secure","Experienced marginal food insecurity(a)","Experienced moderate food insecurity","Experienced severe food insecurity"],[[59.200000000000003],[6.5999999999999996],[16.899999999999999],[16.800000000000001]],[[55.600000000000001,62.799999999999997],[5.0999999999999996,8.0999999999999996],[14.6,19.199999999999999],[14.5,19.100000000000001]],[[48.5],[7],[20.699999999999999],[23.100000000000001]],[[43.899999999999999,53.100000000000001],[5.5,8.5],[19,22.399999999999999],[20.699999999999999,25.5]]]

[]

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The difference between non-remote and remote is not statistically significant.

Lower income households were more likely to experience food insecurity than higher income households. For example, the lowest income households were around 8 times more likely to experience food insecurity (66%) than the highest income households (8%).

Proportion of households by food security status and household income quintile(a), 2022–23
	Lowest quintile (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Second quintile (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Third quintile (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Fourth quintile (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Highest quintile (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Food secure(b)	33.5	28.8	38.2	44.1	36.8	51.4	63.0	55.5	70.5	79.6	71.0	88.2	94.5	88.8	100.0
Experienced food insecurity	65.7	60.2	71.2	55.2	49.1	61.3	37.2	29.9	44.5	22.4	13.3	31.5	8.4	3.9	12.9

Proportion of households by food security status and household income quintile(a), 2022–23

["","Lowest quintile","","Second quintile","","Third quintile","","Fourth quintile","","Highest quintile",""]

[["Food secure(b)","Experienced food insecurity"],[[33.5],[65.700000000000003]],[[28.800000000000001,38.200000000000003],[60.200000000000003,71.200000000000003]],[[44.100000000000001],[55.200000000000003]],[[36.799999999999997,51.399999999999999],[49.100000000000001,61.299999999999997]],[[63],[37.200000000000003]],[[55.5,70.5],[29.899999999999999,44.5]],[[79.599999999999994],[22.399999999999999]],[[71,88.200000000000003],[13.300000000000001,31.5]],[[94.5],[8.4000000000000004]],[[88.799999999999997,100],[3.8999999999999999,12.9]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"100","tick_interval":"10","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Total current weekly household equivalised income quintiles. The proportion of households in each quintile may not be 20%. For more information see Income in the Interpretation of results section in Methodology.
The proportion of households in the highest quintile that were food secure has a high margin of error and should be used with caution.

Households that were renting were more than twice as likely to experience food insecurity at some time in the last 12 months (55%) than households that owned their own home with or without a mortgage (21%).

Proportion of households by food security status and tenure type, 2022–23
	Renter household (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Owner household with or without a mortgage (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Food secure	44.1	40.0	48.2	78.6	74.0	83.2
Experienced marginal food insecurity(a)	7.6	5.7	9.5	5.4	3.5	7.3
Experienced moderate food insecurity	22.9	19.9	25.9	8.9	6.5	11.3
Experienced severe food insecurity	24.5	21.4	27.6	6.6	4.4	8.8

Proportion of households by food security status and tenure type, 2022–23

["","Renter household","","Owner household with or without a mortgage",""]

[["Food secure","Experienced marginal food insecurity(a)","Experienced moderate food insecurity","Experienced severe food insecurity"],[[44.100000000000001],[7.5999999999999996],[22.899999999999999],[24.5]],[[40,48.200000000000003],[5.7000000000000002,9.5],[19.899999999999999,25.899999999999999],[21.399999999999999,27.600000000000001]],[[78.599999999999994],[5.4000000000000004],[8.9000000000000004],[6.5999999999999996]],[[74,83.200000000000003],[3.5,7.2999999999999998],[6.5,11.300000000000001],[4.4000000000000004,8.8000000000000007]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":null,"tick_interval":"10","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

The difference between renter and owner households is not statistically significant.

Data available in Table 13 in Data downloads.

Dietary behaviours

A healthy and nutritious diet can reduce the risk of overweight or obesity and developing health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes[9].

Fruit and vegetable consumption

Fruit and vegetable consumption is assessed using the National Health and Medical Research Council’s 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines[10]. To meet the guidelines, people need to consume a minimum number of serves of fruit and vegetables each day, depending on their age and sex.

Between 2018–19 and 2022–23:

the proportion of children aged 2–14 years who met the fruit guideline remained about the same (69% in 2018–19 and 66% in 2022–23)[6]
the proportion of people aged 15 years and over who met the fruit guideline decreased from 39% to 35%
the proportion of children aged 2–14 years who met the vegetable guideline remained about the same (7% in 2018–19 and 6% in 2022–23)[6]
the proportion of people aged 15 years and over who met the vegetable guideline remained about the same (4% in 2018–19 and 5% in 2022–23).

Children aged 2–14 years were almost twice as likely to meet the fruit guideline (66%) than people aged 15 years and over (35%).

Proportion of people aged 2 years and over who met the fruit and vegetable guidelines by age group, 2022–23
	2–14 years (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	15 years and over (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Met fruit guideline	66.1	61.7	70.5	35.1	32.5	37.7
Met vegetable guideline(a)	5.8	3.8	7.8	5.3	4.0	6.6

Proportion of people aged 2 years and over who met the fruit and vegetable guidelines by age group, 2022–23

["","2\u201314 years","","15 years and over",""]

[["Met fruit guideline","Met vegetable guideline(a)"],[[66.099999999999994],[5.7999999999999998]],[[61.700000000000003,70.5],[3.7999999999999998,7.7999999999999998]],[[35.100000000000001],[5.2999999999999998]],[[32.5,37.700000000000003],[4,6.5999999999999996]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":null,"tick_interval":"10","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

The difference between 2–14 years and 15 years and over is not statistically significant.

People aged 15 years and over living in non-remote areas were:

less likely to meet the fruit guideline (33%) than those living in remote areas (44%)
just as likely as those living in remote areas to meet the vegetable guideline (5%).

Data available in Tables 1 to 4, 17 and 18 in Data downloads.

Sugar sweetened or diet drink consumption

Sugar sweetened or diet drinks were usually consumed at least once a week by:

more than six in ten children aged 2–14 years (65%), about the same as in 2018–19 (63%)[6]
almost eight in ten people aged 15 years and over (77%), up from around seven in ten (71%) in 2018–19[6].

Almost three in ten people aged 15 years and over (28%) usually consumed diet drinks at least once a week, up from around two in ten (19%) in 2018–19[6].

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over who usually consumed sugar sweetened or diet drinks at least once a week, 2018–19(a) and 2022–23
	2018–19 (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	2022–23 (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Sugar sweetened drinks(b)	61.3	59.1	63.5	63.5	60.8	66.2
Diet drinks	18.6	16.6	20.6	27.6	24.9	30.3

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over who usually consumed sugar sweetened or diet drinks at least once a week, 2018–19(a) and 2022–23

["","2018\u201319","","2022\u201323",""]

[["Sugar sweetened drinks(b)","Diet drinks"],[[61.299999999999997],[18.600000000000001]],[[59.100000000000001,63.5],[16.600000000000001,20.600000000000001]],[[63.5],[27.600000000000001]],[[60.799999999999997,66.200000000000003],[24.899999999999999,30.300000000000001]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":null,"tick_interval":"10","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

2018–19 figures sourced from National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia, 2018–19.
The difference between 2018–19 and 2022–23 is not statistically significant.

People aged 15 years and over living in non-remote areas were less likely to usually consume sugar sweetened or diet drinks at least once a week (76%) than those living in remote areas (83%).

Data available in Tables 17 and 18 in Data downloads.

Alcohol consumption

Harmful levels of alcohol consumption are associated with an increased risk of developing chronic conditions, injury, and premature death[11].

Alcohol consumption is assessed using an interpretation of the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Adult Guideline for the consumption of alcohol[10].

In this survey, people were considered to have exceeded the 2020 Australian Adult Alcohol Guideline if they had consumed:

more than 10 standard drinks in the last week, and/or
5 or more standard drinks on at least 12 days in the last 12 months.

The National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines recommend people under 18 years of age should not drink alcohol. In this survey, people aged 15–17 years are assessed against the Adult Guideline to provide an estimate of the level of risk for this age group.

In 2022–23:

around one in three people aged 15 years and over (34%) exceeded the Guideline by consuming more than 10 standard drinks in the last week and/or consuming 5 or more standard drinks on at least 12 days in the last 12 months
the proportion of people aged 15 years and over who exceeded the Guideline was about the same for people living in non-remote areas (34%) and remote areas (35%)
people aged 15 years and over were more likely to exceed the Guideline by consuming 5 or more standard drinks on at least 12 days in the last 12 months (30%) than by consuming more than 10 standard drinks in the last week (20%).

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over(a) who exceeded the 2020 Australian Adult Alcohol Guideline by remoteness, 2022–23
	Non-remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Consumed more than 10 standard drinks in last week(b)	20.3	17.7	22.9	18.4	15.7	21.1
Consumed 5 or more standard drinks on at least 12 days in last 12 months(b)	29.0	26.2	31.8	32.6	29.2	36.0
Total exceeded Guideline(b)	33.6	30.6	36.6	34.7	31.3	38.1

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over(a) who exceeded the 2020 Australian Adult Alcohol Guideline by remoteness, 2022–23

["","Non-remote","","Remote",""]

[["Consumed more than 10 standard drinks in last week(b)","Consumed 5 or more standard drinks on at least 12 days in last 12 months(b)","Total exceeded Guideline(b)"],[[20.300000000000001],[29],[33.600000000000001]],[[17.699999999999999,22.899999999999999],[26.199999999999999,31.800000000000001],[30.600000000000001,36.600000000000001]],[[18.399999999999999],[32.600000000000001],[34.700000000000003]],[[15.699999999999999,21.100000000000001],[29.199999999999999,36],[31.300000000000001,38.100000000000001]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"40","tick_interval":"5","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

The National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines recommend people under 18 years of age should not drink alcohol. In this survey, persons aged 15–17 years have been assessed against the Adult Guideline to provide an estimate of the level of risk for this age group.
The difference between non-remote and remote is not statistically significant.

In 2022–23:

more than one in ten people aged 15 years and over (13%) had never consumed alcohol, down from 16% in 2018–19[6]
almost two in ten people aged 15 years and over (17%) had consumed alcohol 12 or more months ago, up from 14% in 2018–19[6].

People aged 15 years and over living in remote areas were more likely than those living in non-remote areas to have:

never consumed alcohol (22% compared with 11%)
consumed alcohol 12 or more months ago (22% compared with 16%).

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over(a) who have never consumed alcohol or had consumed alcohol 12 or more months ago by remoteness, 2022–23
	Non-remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Never consumed alcohol	11.0	9.3	12.7	22.1	18.6	25.6
Consumed alcohol 12 or more months ago	15.9	13.5	18.3	22.3	19.6	25.0

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over(a) who have never consumed alcohol or had consumed alcohol 12 or more months ago by remoteness, 2022–23

["","Non-remote","","Remote",""]

[["Never consumed alcohol","Consumed alcohol 12 or more months ago"],[[11],[15.9]],[[9.3000000000000007,12.699999999999999],[13.5,18.300000000000001]],[[22.100000000000001],[22.300000000000001]],[[18.600000000000001,25.600000000000001],[19.600000000000001,25]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":null,"tick_interval":"5","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

The National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines recommend people under 18 years of age should not drink alcohol.

Data available in Tables 1 to 4 and Table 15 in Data downloads.

Smoking and vaping

Smoking is associated with an increased risk of health conditions including heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, eye disease and respiratory conditions such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis[12].

In 2022–23:

around three in ten people aged 15 years and over (29%) were current daily smokers, down from almost four in ten (37%) in 2018–19
almost three in ten people aged 15 years and over (26%) were ex-smokers, up from 22% in 2018–19
more than four in ten people aged 15 years and over (43%) had never smoked, up from 37% in 2018–19.

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over by smoker status, 2018–19 and 2022–23
	2018–19 (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	2022–23 (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Current daily smoker	37.4	35.2	39.6	28.8	26.5	31.1
Current smoker less than daily(a)	3.1	2.2	4.0	2.7	1.9	3.5
Ex-smoker	22.1	20.3	23.9	25.5	23.1	27.9
Never smoked	37.4	35.3	39.5	42.9	40.3	45.5

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over by smoker status, 2018–19 and 2022–23

["","2018\u201319","","2022\u201323",""]

[["Current daily smoker","Current smoker less than daily(a)","Ex-smoker","Never smoked"],[[37.399999999999999],[3.1000000000000001],[22.100000000000001],[37.399999999999999]],[[35.200000000000003,39.600000000000001],[2.2000000000000002,4],[20.300000000000001,23.899999999999999],[35.299999999999997,39.5]],[[28.800000000000001],[2.7000000000000002],[25.5],[42.899999999999999]],[[26.5,31.100000000000001],[1.8999999999999999,3.5],[23.100000000000001,27.899999999999999],[40.299999999999997,45.5]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":null,"tick_interval":"5","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

The difference between 2018–19 and 2022–23 is not statistically significant.

People aged 15 years and over living in remote areas were almost twice as likely to smoke every day (46%) as those living in non-remote areas (26%).

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over by smoker status and remoteness, 2022–23
	Non-remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Current daily smoker	25.5	22.9	28.1	46.3	43.3	49.3
Current smoker less than daily	2.0	1.0	3.0	7.0	5.0	9.0
Ex-smoker	27.8	24.9	30.7	13.8	11.9	15.7
Never smoked	44.8	41.7	47.9	32.9	29.1	36.7

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over by smoker status and remoteness, 2022–23

["","Non-remote","","Remote",""]

[["Current daily smoker","Current smoker less than daily","Ex-smoker","Never smoked"],[[25.5],[2],[27.800000000000001],[44.799999999999997]],[[22.899999999999999,28.100000000000001],[1,3],[24.899999999999999,30.699999999999999],[41.700000000000003,47.899999999999999]],[[46.299999999999997],[7],[13.800000000000001],[32.899999999999999]],[[43.299999999999997,49.299999999999997],[5,9],[11.9,15.699999999999999],[29.100000000000001,36.700000000000003]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"50","tick_interval":"5","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

More than four in ten current smokers aged 15 years and over (44%) had attempted to quit smoking in the last 12 months, down from around five in ten (51%) in 2018–19[6].

More than two in ten people aged 15 years and over (24%) had used an e-cigarette or vaping device at least once in their life, while almost one in ten (8%) reported currently using a device.

Data available in Tables 1 to 4 and Table 14 in Data downloads.

Waist circumference risk level and Body Mass Index

Waist circumference is a good indicator of total body fat and an alternate predictor to Body Mass Index for certain chronic conditions such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes[13].

Based on their measured waist circumference:

around three in four people aged 18 years and over (74%) were at increased or substantially increased risk of developing chronic disease, about the same as in 2018–19 (71%)[6]
people aged 18 years and over living in non-remote areas were just as likely to be at increased or substantially increased risk as those living in remote areas (74%).

Body Mass Index is an index of weight-for-height, used to classify people as underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese.

Based on their measured height and weight:

three in ten children aged 2–14 years (30%) were overweight or obese, down from 37% in 2018–19[6]
almost seven in ten people aged 15 years and over (68%) were overweight or obese, down from 71% in 2018–19.

Proportion of people aged 2 years and over by measured Body Mass Index category and age group, 2022–23
	2–14 years (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	15 years and over (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Underweight	10.2	7.7	12.7	3.9	3.0	4.8
Normal weight	59.9	55.4	64.4	28.5	25.9	31.1
Overweight	20.0	16.6	23.4	26.3	24.0	28.6
Obese	9.5	7.1	11.9	41.4	38.4	44.4

Proportion of people aged 2 years and over by measured Body Mass Index category and age group, 2022–23

["","2\u201314 years","","15 years and over",""]

[["Underweight","Normal weight","Overweight","Obese"],[[10.199999999999999],[59.899999999999999],[20],[9.5]],[[7.7000000000000002,12.699999999999999],[55.399999999999999,64.400000000000006],[16.600000000000001,23.399999999999999],[7.0999999999999996,11.9]],[[3.8999999999999999],[28.5],[26.300000000000001],[41.399999999999999]],[[3,4.7999999999999998],[25.899999999999999,31.100000000000001],[24,28.600000000000001],[38.399999999999999,44.399999999999999]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":null,"tick_interval":"10","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

People aged 15 years and over living in non-remote areas were more likely to be overweight or obese (69%) than people living in remote areas (59%).

Data available in Tables 1 to 4, 19 and 20 in Data downloads.

Physical activity (non-remote areas only)

Unfair treatment

Cultural determinants of health and social and emotional wellbeing

Cultural determinants of health and social and emotional wellbeing are protective factors that enhance resilience, strengthen identity, and support good health and social and emotional wellbeing. These include but are not limited to:

connection to country
family, kinship and community
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander beliefs and knowledge
cultural expression and continuity
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language
self-determination and leadership[7].

Some selected cultural determinants corresponded with lower levels of psychological distress for people aged 18 years and over. For example:

people who felt satisfied or very satisfied with their own level of knowledge of culture were more likely to experience low or moderate levels of psychological distress in the last 4 weeks (71%) than those who were not very satisfied or not at all satisfied (61%)
people who did not experience themselves or their relatives being removed from their natural family were more likely to experience low or moderate levels of psychological distress in the last 4 weeks (74%) than those who did (60%).

Proportion of people aged 18 years and over(a) by selected cultural determinants and level of psychological distress in the last 4 weeks, 2022–23
	Low/moderate psychological distress (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	High/very high psychological distress (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Satisfied/very satisfied with level of own knowledge of culture	71.1	67.2	75.0	24.7	21.3	28.1
Not very satisfied/not at all satisfied with level of own knowledge of culture	61.0	54.4	67.6	37.0	31.9	42.1
Neither individual nor relative removed from natural family	73.8	68.6	79.0	22.4	18.4	26.4
Individual and/or relative removed from natural family	60.0	55.5	64.5	37.9	33.5	42.3

Proportion of people aged 18 years and over(a) by selected cultural determinants and level of psychological distress in the last 4 weeks, 2022–23

["","Low\/moderate psychological distress","","High\/very high psychological distress",""]

[["Satisfied\/very satisfied with level of own knowledge of culture","Not very satisfied\/not at all satisfied with level of own knowledge of culture","Neither individual nor relative removed from natural family","Individual and\/or relative removed from natural family"],[[71.099999999999994],[61],[73.799999999999997],[60]],[[67.200000000000003,75],[54.399999999999999,67.599999999999994],[68.599999999999994,79],[55.5,64.5]],[[24.699999999999999],[37],[22.399999999999999],[37.899999999999999]],[[21.300000000000001,28.100000000000001],[31.899999999999999,42.100000000000001],[18.399999999999999,26.399999999999999],[33.5,42.299999999999997]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"80","tick_interval":"10","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Excludes persons not physically present at interview if another person (a proxy) is answering on their behalf. For more information see Methodology.

For some other selected cultural determinants, there was no statistically significant difference in the survey data for the proportion of people experiencing low or moderate levels of psychological distress.

Data available in Table 12 in Data downloads.

Housing

A dwelling may not be suitable for a household if additional bedrooms are required based on the size and composition of the household.

In this survey, the bedroom requirements of a household have been assessed using the Canadian National Occupancy Standard. This Standard does not adequately reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural norms such as maintaining a large, open household. These cultural norms mean household size can vary due to visiting family seeking accommodation for reasons such as accessing health or other services in the area or attending cultural events[16].

Almost one in ten households (7%) were living in a dwelling that required at least one additional bedroom, down from 9% in 2018–19[6].

Households in remote areas were around 4 times as likely to live in a dwelling that required at least one additional bedroom (20%) than households in non-remote areas (5%).

Proportion of households by number of bedrooms required in dwelling and remoteness, 2022–23
	Non-remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
One or more additional bedrooms required	5.4	4.0	6.8	19.9	18.5	21.3
No additional bedrooms required/none spare(a)	25.1	22.2	28.0	25.8	23.5	28.1
One or more additional bedrooms spare	69.8	66.0	73.6	54.3	49.8	58.8

Proportion of households by number of bedrooms required in dwelling and remoteness, 2022–23

["","Non-remote","","Remote",""]

[["One or more additional bedrooms required","No additional bedrooms required\/none spare(a)","One or more additional bedrooms spare"],[[5.4000000000000004],[25.100000000000001],[69.799999999999997]],[[4,6.7999999999999998],[22.199999999999999,28],[66,73.599999999999994]],[[19.899999999999999],[25.800000000000001],[54.299999999999997]],[[18.5,21.300000000000001],[23.5,28.100000000000001],[49.799999999999997,58.799999999999997]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":null,"tick_interval":"10","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

The difference between non-remote and remote is not statistically significant.

The quality of housing can influence a range of health indicators, including chronic disease, disability, and life expectancy[17]. A dwelling is of an acceptable standard if there are 4 working facilities (for washing people, for washing clothes or bedding, for storing and preparing food, and sewerage) and no more than 2 major structural problems.

Almost two in ten households (18%) were living in a dwelling that was not of an acceptable standard, about the same as in 2018–19 (20%)[3].
Households in remote areas were more than twice as likely to be living in a dwelling that was not of an acceptable standard (36%) than households in non-remote areas (16%).

Data available in Table 24 in Data downloads.

Personal use of the internet

The ability to use the internet may influence the information and services a person can access or their ability to connect with family, friends and the wider community.

In 2022–23:

almost eight in ten children aged 5–14 years (78%) and around eight in ten people aged 15 years and over (81%) had personally used the internet every day
the proportions of children aged 5–14 years (8%) and people aged 15 years and over (10%) who had never personally used the internet were about the same.

People aged 15 years and over living in non-remote areas were more likely to have personally used the internet every day (85%) than those in living in remote areas (61%).

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over by personal use of the internet status and remoteness, 2022–23
	Non-remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)	Remote (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Used daily	85.3	83.1	87.5	60.8	57.1	64.5
Used in last 3 months but not daily	5.6	4.1	7.1	14.2	11.7	16.7
Used but not in last 3 months(a)	1.3	0.6	2.0	1.8	1.1	2.5
Never used	7.8	6.3	9.3	23.6	21.1	26.1

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over by personal use of the internet status and remoteness, 2022–23

["","Non-remote","","Remote",""]

[["Used daily","Used in last 3 months but not daily","Used but not in last 3 months(a)","Never used"],[[85.299999999999997],[5.5999999999999996],[1.3],[7.7999999999999998]],[[83.099999999999994,87.5],[4.0999999999999996,7.0999999999999996],[0.59999999999999998,2],[6.2999999999999998,9.3000000000000007]],[[60.799999999999997],[14.199999999999999],[1.8],[23.600000000000001]],[[57.100000000000001,64.5],[11.699999999999999,16.699999999999999],[1.1000000000000001,2.5],[21.100000000000001,26.100000000000001]]]

[]

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The difference between non-remote and remote is not statistically significant.

The most common reasons for using the internet in the last 3 months for children aged 5–14 years were entertainment (95%), formal educational activities (56%) and social networking (37%).

For people aged 15 years and over who had personally used the internet in the last 3 months:

entertainment (86%) and social networking (85%) were equally the most common reasons for using the internet
around six in ten (59%) had used the internet to access government services or information about government services
almost four in ten (37%) had used the internet to access health services.

The main reason people aged 15 years and over had not used the internet in the last 3 months was not wanting or needing to use the internet (46%).

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over who did not personally use the internet in the last 3 months by reason, 2022–23
	Reason for not using the internet (%)	(%) (low)	(%) (high)
Cost(a)(b)	10.0	4.4	15.6
No access to a computer or mobile technology(c)	22.6	15.1	30.1
Lack of appropriate training/support from others/assistive technology(c)	20.3	16.2	24.4
Lack of confidence/knowledge in accessing the internet(c)	26.0	21.3	30.7
Internet services not available/of too poor quality for use in local area(a)	4.7	1.7	7.7
Did not want/need to use the internet	45.8	38.5	53.1
Other(b)(d)	11.7	6.4	17.0

Proportion of people aged 15 years and over who did not personally use the internet in the last 3 months by reason, 2022–23

["","Reason for not using the internet",""]

[["Cost(a)(b)","No access to a computer or mobile technology(c)","Lack of appropriate training\/support from others\/assistive technology(c)","Lack of confidence\/knowledge in accessing the internet(c)","Internet services not available\/of too poor quality for use in local area(a)","Did not want\/need to use the internet","Other(b)(d)"],[[10],[22.600000000000001],[20.300000000000001],[26],[4.7000000000000002],[45.799999999999997],[11.699999999999999]],[[4.4000000000000004,15.6],[15.1,30.100000000000001],[16.199999999999999,24.399999999999999],[21.300000000000001,30.699999999999999],[1.7,7.7000000000000002],[38.5,53.100000000000001],[6.4000000000000004,17]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":null,"tick_interval":"10","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

The difference between cost and internet services not available/of too poor quality for use in local area is not statistically significant.
The difference between cost and other is not statistically significant.
The differences between no access to a computer or mobile technology, lack of appropriate training/support from others/assistive technology and lack of confidence/knowledge in accessing the internet are not statistically significant.
Includes privacy or security concerns, no time and other.

People aged 15 years and over living in non-remote areas were more likely to have not used the internet in the last 3 months because of a lack of confidence or knowledge in accessing the internet (30%) than those living in remote areas (19%). For all other reasons for not using the internet in the last 3 months, there was no significant difference between the proportions for people living in non-remote and remote areas.

Data available in Table 25 in Data downloads.

Data downloads

All data cubes

Includes the Data item list and Tables 1 to 74.

Data files

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Data item list

Data files

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Table 1 Selected health characteristics, 2004–05 to 2022–23

Data files

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Tables 2–4 Selected health characteristics, by remoteness, state and territory, sex and Indigenous status

Data files

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Table 5 Detailed long-term health conditions

Data files

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Table 6 Psychological distress

Data files

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Tables 7–11 Use of health services, barriers to accessing health services, health service actions, use of mental health services and prescription medication

Data files

Download xlsx [119.4 KB]

Table 12 Cultural determinants of health and social and emotional wellbeing

Data files

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Tables 13–23 Health risk factors

Includes food security status, smoking and vaping, alcohol consumption, substance use, dietary behaviours, waist circumference risk level and Body Mass Index (BMI), measured blood pressure, physical activity, and selected stressors and unfair treatment.

Data files

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Table 24 Selected housing characteristics

Data files

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Table 25 Personal use of the internet

Data files

Download xlsx [43.22 KB]

Tables 26–32 New South Wales

Data files

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Tables 33–39 Victoria

Data files

Download xlsx [184.6 KB]

Tables 40–46 Queensland

Data files

Download xlsx [198.35 KB]

Tables 47–53 South Australia

Data files

Download xlsx [186.6 KB]

Tables 54–60 Western Australia

Data files

Download xlsx [192.03 KB]

Tables 61–67 Tasmania

Data files

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Tables 68–74 Northern Territory

Data files

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Post-release changes

27/11/2024 – Label change made to Tables 66.1 to 66.4: 'Has personally used the internet but not in the last 3 months' amended to 'Has never personally used the internet'.

Footnotes

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Chronic conditions, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/chronic-conditions, accessed 30/10/24.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema and chronic airflow limitation. Asthma is reported separately. COPD estimates for 2022–23 may have been impacted by a change in collection methodology which may have affected the number of persons reporting emphysema. For more information see Health conditions in the Interpretation of results section in Methodology.
Source: 2018–19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey unpublished data.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, High blood pressure, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/risk-factors/high-blood-pressure/contents/summary, accessed 30/10/24.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Dementia in Australia, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/dementia/dementia-in-aus/contents/carers-and-care-needs-of-people-with-dementia/impact-of-the-caring-role-on-carers, accessed 30/10/2024.
2018–19 figures sourced from National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia, 2018–19.
Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2021–2031, https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/national-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-health-plan-2021-2031, accessed 30/10/24.
Weaver, LJ and Fasel, CB, A systematic review of the literature on the relationships between chronic diseases and food insecurity, Food and Nutrition Sciences, Vol. 9 No. 5, May 2018: 519-541; Vozoris NT and Tarasuk VS, Household food insufficiency is associated with poorer health, Journal of Nutrition, Jan 2003;133(1):120-126.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Food and nutrition: Overview, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/behaviours-risk-factors/food-nutrition/overview, accessed 30/10/24.
For more information about the fruit and vegetable consumption, alcohol consumption or physical activity guidelines, see the Assessing health risk factors section in Methodology.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Alcohol: Overview, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/behaviours-risk-factors/alcohol/overview, accessed 30/10/24.
Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, Effects of Smoking and Tobacco, https://www.health.gov.au/topics/smoking-vaping-and-tobacco/about-smoking/effects, accessed 30/10/24.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Risk Factors to Health, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/risk-factors/risk-factors-to-health/contents/overweight-and-obesity, accessed 30/10/24.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Physical activity: Overview, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/behaviours-risk-factors/physical-activity/overview, accessed 30/10/24.
Kairuz, C.A., Casanelia, L.M., Bennett-Brook, K. et al, Impact of racism and discrimination on physical and mental health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples living in Australia: a systematic scoping review, BMC Public Health 21, 1302 (2021).
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Housing Statistics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, 2021.
Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision, Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage, 2020.

APA

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey

APA

Key statistics

Health conditions

Selected chronic conditions

Other selected long-term health conditions

High measured blood pressure

Psychological distress

Disability and unpaid care

Disability

Unpaid care

Use of health services

General practitioner (GP), specialist, dentist or hospital

Cultural safety when accessing general practitioners (GPs) and hospitals

Mental health services and support

Prescription medication (non-remote areas only)

Health risk factors

Food security

Dietary behaviours

Fruit and vegetable consumption

Sugar sweetened or diet drink consumption

Alcohol consumption

Smoking and vaping

Waist circumference risk level and Body Mass Index

Physical activity (non-remote areas only)

Unfair treatment

Cultural determinants of health and social and emotional wellbeing

Housing

Personal use of the internet

Data downloads

All data cubes

Data item list

Table 1 Selected health characteristics, 2004–05 to 2022–23

Tables 2–4 Selected health characteristics, by remoteness, state and territory, sex and Indigenous status

Table 5 Detailed long-term health conditions

Table 6 Psychological distress

Tables 7–11 Use of health services, barriers to accessing health services, health service actions, use of mental health services and prescription medication

Table 12 Cultural determinants of health and social and emotional wellbeing

Tables 13–23 Health risk factors

Table 24 Selected housing characteristics

Table 25 Personal use of the internet

Tables 26–32 New South Wales

Tables 33–39 Victoria

Tables 40–46 Queensland

Tables 47–53 South Australia

Tables 54–60 Western Australia

Tables 61–67 Tasmania

Tables 68–74 Northern Territory

Post-release changes

Footnotes

Methodology

Scope

Geography

Source

Collection method

Concepts, sources and methods

History of changes

Articles

Closing the Gap: guide to data specifications for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey

Media releases

10 insights into health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for 2022–23

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