Australia

2016 Census Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people QuickStats
Geography type Australia
Area code 0
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 649,173
Male 49.6%
Female 50.4%
Median age 23
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households 263,037
Average people per household 3.2
Median weekly household income $1,203
Median monthly mortgage repayments $1,660
Median weekly rent $250

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People

demographics & education | cultural & language diversity | employment

Demographics & education

People tables are based on a person's place of usual residence on Census night

People Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Aboriginal 590,062 90.9 495,760 90.4
Torres Strait Islander 32,344 5.0 31,405 5.7
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 26,767 4.1 21,205 3.9

For the 2016 Census in Australia, there were 649,173 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Of these, 49.6% were male and 50.4% were female.

View the data quality statements for: Place of Usual Residence (PURP) Indigenous status (INGP)

Age Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Median age 23 -- 21 --
0-4 years 73,265 11.3 67,416 12.3
5-14 years 147,134 22.7 129,671 23.6
15-24 years 123,719 19.1 105,652 19.3
25-34 years 88,861 13.7 71,803 13.1
35-44 years 72,394 11.2 67,674 12.3
45-54 years 67,415 10.4 53,145 9.7
55-64 years 45,433 7.0 32,233 5.9
65 years and over 30,952 4.8 20,773 3.8

In Australia, the median age of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people was 23 years. Of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 34.0% were children aged 0 to 14 years and 4.8% were people aged 65 years and over.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Married 105,086 24.5 85,741 24.4
Separated 19,112 4.5 14,925 4.2
Divorced 28,796 6.7 23,126 6.6
Widowed 13,794 3.2 12,141 3.5
Never married 261,980 61.1 215,347 61.3

In Australia, 24.5% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were married and 11.2% were either divorced or separated.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Social marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Registered marriage 86,716 23.1 71,573 23.3
De facto marriage 60,051 16.0 48,598 15.8
Not married 228,281 60.9 187,095 60.9

In Australia, 23.1% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were in a registered marriage and 16.0% were in a de facto marriage.

View the data quality statement for Social marital status (MDCP)
Education attendance Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Pre-school 16,698 6.4 13,977 6.2
Primary 97,859 37.5 81,555 36.4
Secondary 65,208 25.0 50,987 22.8
Technical or further education institution 14,227 5.5 13,212 5.9
University or tertiary institution 15,489 5.9 10,127 4.5
Other 5,047 1.9 3,663 1.6
Not stated 46,428 17.8 50,411 22.5

Of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, 40.2% were attending an educational institution. Of these, 37.5% were attending a primary school, 25.0% were attending a secondary school and 11.4% were attending a tertiary or technical institution.

View the data quality statement for Educational Institution Attendee Status (TYSTAP)
Level of highest educational attainment
People aged 15 years and over
Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Bachelor Degree level and above 24,911 5.8 -- --
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 23,795 5.5 -- --
Certificate level IV 14,308 3.3 -- --
Certificate level III 56,625 13.2 -- --
Year 12 59,949 14.0 -- --
Year 11 34,674 8.1 -- --
Year 10 77,265 18.0 -- --
Certificate level II 1,215 0.3 -- --
Certificate level I 241 0.1 -- --
Year 9 or below 64,604 15.1 -- --
No educational attainment 4,256 1.0 -- --
Not stated 56,698 13.2 -- --

Of people aged 15 and over in Australia, 14.0% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 16.5% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 5.5% had completed an Advanced Diploma or Diploma.

2011 benchmarks are not available for this data item.

View the data quality statement for Level of highest educational attainment (HEAP)

Cultural & language diversity

Australian Indigenous language, top responses Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Kriol 7,108 1.1 6,692 1.2
Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 6,000 0.9 5,149 0.9
Djambarrpuyngu 4,264 0.7 2,931 0.5
Pitjantjatjara 3,054 0.5 3,394 0.6
Warlpiri 2,276 0.4 2,509 0.5
 null  null  null  null  null
English only spoken at home 544,491 83.9 453,895 82.8

English was the only language spoken at home by 83.9% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. Indigenous languages spoken at home include Kriol 1.1%, Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 0.9%, Djambarrpuyngu 0.7%, Pitjantjatjara 0.5% and Warlpiri 0.4%.

View the data quality statement for Language spoken at home (LANP)
Ancestry, top responses Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Australian 399,843 45.0 318,443 44.9
English 152,758 17.2 109,442 15.4
Australian Aboriginal 140,480 15.8 125,052 17.6
Irish 45,887 5.2 30,092 4.2
Scottish 30,843 3.5 19,209 2.7

Respondents had the option of reporting up to two ancestries on their Census form, and this is captured by the Ancestry Multi Response (ANCP) variable used in this table. Therefore, the total responses count will not equal the persons count for this area. Calculated percentages represent a proportion of all responses from people in Australia (including those who did not state an ancestry).

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, the most common ancestries were Australian 45.0%, English 17.2%, Australian Aboriginal 15.8%, Irish 5.2% and Scottish 3.5%.

View the data quality statement for Ancestry (ANCP)

Employment

Employment
People who reported being in the labour force, aged 15 years and over
Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Worked full-time 106,960 48.0 86,713 48.7
Worked part-time 61,049 27.4 47,034 26.4
Away from work 14,143 6.4 13,958 7.8
Unemployed 40,486 18.2 30,460 17.1
Not in the labour force 190,132 44.3 155,885 44.4

There were 222,638 people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in Australia. Of these 48.0% were employed full time, 27.4% were employed part-time and 18.2% were unemployed.

The ABS Labour Force Survey provides the official estimates of Australia's unemployment rate. More information about Census and labour force status is provided in Understanding the Census and Census Data.

For information on the Community Development Programme (CDP) please refer to the Census Data Dictionary. CDP data is available in TableBuilder.

View the data quality statement for Labour force status (LFSP)
Occupation, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Community and Personal Service Workers 30,991 17.0 24,486 16.6
Labourers 27,814 15.3 25,936 17.6
Technicians and Trades Workers 24,399 13.4 19,007 12.9
Professionals 24,339 13.4 19,358 13.1
Clerical and Administrative Workers 23,174 12.7 19,216 13.0
Machinery Operators and Drivers 16,774 9.2 13,689 9.3
Sales Workers 15,791 8.7 10,961 7.4
Managers 12,844 7.1 9,406 6.4

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, the most common occupations were Community and Personal Service Workers 17.0%, Labourers 15.3%, Technicians and Trades Workers 13.4%, Professionals 13.4%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 12.7%, Machinery Operators and Drivers 9.2%, Sales Workers 8.7% and Managers 7.1%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Supermarket and Grocery Stores 5,555 3.1 3,989 2.7
Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 5,542 3.0 4,202 2.8
Local Government Administration 5,511 3.0 6,897 4.7
Other Social Assistance Services 5,302 2.9 4,490 3.0
Primary Education 4,897 2.7 4,011 2.7

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, the most common industries of employment were Supermarket and Grocery Stores 3.1%, Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 3.0%, Local Government Administration 3.0%, Other Social Assistance Services 2.9% and Primary Education 2.7%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly incomes
People aged 15 years and over
Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Personal 441 -- 362 --
Household 1,203 -- 991 --

The median weekly personal income for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Australia was $441 and the median weekly household income was $1,203.

View the data quality statements for: Total personal income (INCP) Total household income (HIND)

Unpaid work
People aged 15 years and over
Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 263,334 61.4 210,956 60.1
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 136,079 31.7 115,878 33.0
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 58,541 13.7 45,328 12.9
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 63,303 14.8 44,813 12.8

In Australia, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 61.4% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 31.7% provided care for children and 13.7% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 14.8% of people did voluntary work through an organisation or a group.

View the data quality statements for: Unpaid domestic work (DOMP) Unpaid child care (CHCAREP) Unpaid assistance (UNCAREP) Voluntary work (VOLWP)

Dwellings

dwelling characteristics | dwelling structure

Dwelling characteristics

Dwelling tables exclude visitor only and other non-classifiable households

Dwelling characteristics
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Average number of people per household 3.2 -- 3.3 --
Average number of persons per bedroom 1 -- (a) --
Average number of registered motor vehicles per dwelling 1.7 -- 1.5 --

a) There has been change in methodology used to calculate the average number of persons per bedroom. To compare the time series for average number of persons per bedroom please refer to Understanding the Census and Census Data

In Australia, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the average household size was 3.2 persons, with 1 persons per bedroom and 1.7 registered motor vehicles per dwelling.

View the data quality statements for: Number of Bedrooms in Private Dwelling (BEDD) Household composition (HHCD) Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

Housing costs
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Median weekly rent 250 -- 195 --
Median monthly mortgage repayments 1,660 -- 1,636 --

In Australia, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the median weekly rent was $250 and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,660.

View the data quality statements for: Rent weekly payments (RNTD) Mortgage monthly repayments (MRED) Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

Family household composition
Counts the types of families within family households at the dwelling level
Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
One family household: Couple family with no children 42,536 16.2 31,339 15.0
One family household: Couple family with children 80,803 30.7 65,019 31.1
One family household: One parent family 67,528 25.7 56,246 26.9
One family household: Other family 5,547 2.1 4,421 2.1
Multiple family household: Couple family with no children 2,223 0.8 1,086 0.5
Multiple family household: Couple family with children 4,951 1.9 4,534 2.2
Multiple family household: One parent family 5,768 2.2 5,708 2.7
Multiple family household: Other family 471 0.2 280 0.1
Other household 53,195 20.2 40,424 19.3

In Australia, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households, 17.0% were a couple family with no children, 32.6% were a couple family with children and 27.9% were a one parent family.

In multiple family households, only the family composition of the primary family is recorded. Other household includes lone person households and group households.

View the data quality statement for Family Household Composition, dwelling level (HCFMD)

Dwelling structure

Dwelling structure
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Separate house 211,205 80.7 168,751 80.7
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 27,017 10.3 16,436 7.9
Flat or apartment 20,580 7.9 20,637 9.9
Other dwelling 2,897 1.1 2,947 1.4

In Australia there were 263,037 private dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Where a dwelling type was stated, 80.7% were separate houses, 10.3% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 7.9% were flats or apartments and 1.1% were other dwellings.

View the data quality statement for Dwelling structure (STRD)
Tenure
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Australia % Australia 2011 % 2011
Owned outright 32,045 12.2 23,331 11.2
Owned with a mortgage 68,085 25.9 51,759 24.8
Rented 150,832 57.3 124,097 59.4
Other tenure type 1,888 0.7 1,514 0.7
Tenure type not stated 10,182 3.9 8,337 4.0

In Australia, of dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 12.2% were owned outright, 25.9% were owned with a mortgage and 57.3% were rented.

View the data quality statement for Tenure type (TEND)

Small random adjustments have been made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from the table totals. For further information, go to the User Guide for QuickStats.

Data reported for Australia and Other Territories now includes Norfolk Island, following an amendment to the Acts Interpretation Act, 1901. Because Norfolk Island has not previously been included in the Census, any 2011 benchmarks will not include Norfolk Island.