South Australia

2016 Census Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people QuickStats
Geography type State/Territory
Area code 4
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 34,192
Male 49.4%
Female 50.6%
Median age 23
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households 14,801
Average people per household 3
Median weekly household income $1,014
Median monthly mortgage repayments $1,387
Median weekly rent $220

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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 South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Aboriginal 32,617 95.4 28,831 94.7 590,062 90.9
Torres Strait Islander 941 2.8 1,043 3.4 32,344 5.0
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 634 1.9 559 1.8 26,767 4.1

For the 2016 Census in South Australia, there were 34,192 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Of these, 49.4% were male and 50.6% were female.

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

Age South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Median age 23 -- 22 -- 23 --
0-4 years 3,787 11.1 3,579 11.8 73,265 11.3
5-14 years 7,631 22.3 6,967 22.9 147,134 22.7
15-24 years 6,564 19.2 5,899 19.4 123,719 19.1
25-34 years 4,851 14.2 4,174 13.7 88,861 13.7
35-44 years 3,706 10.8 3,752 12.3 72,394 11.2
45-54 years 3,614 10.6 3,027 9.9 67,415 10.4
55-64 years 2,439 7.1 1,776 5.8 45,433 7.0
65 years and over 1,581 4.6 1,260 4.1 30,952 4.8

In South Australia, the median age of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people was 23 years. Of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 33.4% were children aged 0 to 14 years and 4.6% were people aged 65 years and over.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Married 4,778 21.0 4,140 20.8 105,086 24.5
Separated 1,012 4.4 867 4.4 19,112 4.5
Divorced 1,571 6.9 1,394 7.0 28,796 6.7
Widowed 755 3.3 737 3.7 13,794 3.2
Never married 14,641 64.3 12,738 64.1 261,980 61.1

In South Australia, 21.0% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were married and 11.4% were either divorced or separated.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Social marital status
People aged 15 years and over
South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Registered marriage 3,859 19.6 3,450 20.2 86,716 23.1
De facto marriage 3,237 16.4 2,642 15.5 60,051 16.0
Not married 12,585 63.9 10,992 64.3 228,281 60.9

In South Australia, 19.6% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were in a registered marriage and 16.4% were in a de facto marriage.

View the data quality statement for Social marital status (MDCP)
Education attendance South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Pre-school 1,020 7.1 844 6.6 16,698 6.4
Primary 5,406 37.6 4,563 35.4 97,859 37.5
Secondary 3,165 22.0 2,579 20.0 65,208 25.0
Technical or further education institution 799 5.6 752 5.8 14,227 5.5
University or tertiary institution 847 5.9 594 4.6 15,489 5.9
Other 306 2.1 262 2.0 5,047 1.9
Not stated 2,853 19.8 3,291 25.5 46,428 17.8

Of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in South Australia, 42.1% were attending an educational institution. Of these, 37.6% were attending a primary school, 22.0% 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
South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Bachelor Degree level and above 1,198 5.3 -- -- 24,911 5.8
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 1,159 5.1 -- -- 23,795 5.5
Certificate level IV 776 3.4 -- -- 14,308 3.3
Certificate level III 2,932 12.9 -- -- 56,625 13.2
Year 12 2,846 12.5 -- -- 59,949 14.0
Year 11 2,906 12.8 -- -- 34,674 8.1
Year 10 3,510 15.4 -- -- 77,265 18.0
Certificate level II 77 0.3 -- -- 1,215 0.3
Certificate level I 12 0.1 -- -- 241 0.1
Year 9 or below 3,101 13.6 -- -- 64,604 15.1
No educational attainment 224 1.0 -- -- 4,256 1.0
Not stated 3,452 15.2 -- -- 56,698 13.2

Of people aged 15 and over in South Australia, 12.5% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 16.3% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 5.1% 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 South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Pitjantjatjara 1,813 5.3 2,094 6.9 3,054 0.5
Ngarrindjeri 283 0.8 238 0.8 302 0.0
Adnymathanha 128 0.4 144 0.5 134 0.0
Yankunytjatjara 107 0.3 192 0.6 417 0.1
Aboriginal English, so described 79 0.2 71 0.2 625 0.1
 null  null  null  null  null  null  null
English only spoken at home 28,540 83.5 25,008 82.2 544,491 83.9

English was the only language spoken at home by 83.5% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in South Australia. Indigenous languages spoken at home include Pitjantjatjara 5.3%, Ngarrindjeri 0.8%, Adnymathanha 0.4%, Yankunytjatjara 0.3% and Aboriginal English, so described 0.2%.

View the data quality statement for Language spoken at home (LANP)
Ancestry, top responses South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Australian 21,514 45.8 17,614 44.4 399,843 45.0
English 7,980 17.0 6,147 15.5 152,758 17.2
Australian Aboriginal 7,936 16.9 7,533 19.0 140,480 15.8
Irish 1,992 4.2 1,482 3.7 45,887 5.2
Scottish 1,602 3.4 1,068 2.7 30,843 3.5

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 South Australia (including those who did not state an ancestry).

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in South Australia, the most common ancestries were Australian 45.8%, English 17.0%, Australian Aboriginal 16.9%, Irish 4.2% and Scottish 3.4%.

View the data quality statement for Ancestry (ANCP)

Employment

Employment
People who reported being in the labour force, aged 15 years and over
South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Worked full-time 4,770 43.9 4,309 46.6 106,960 48.0
Worked part-time 3,195 29.4 2,580 27.9 61,049 27.4
Away from work 733 6.7 697 7.5 14,143 6.4
Unemployed 2,164 19.9 1,670 18.0 40,486 18.2
Not in the labour force 10,821 47.5 9,597 48.3 190,132 44.3

There were 10,862 people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in South Australia. Of these 43.9% were employed full time, 29.4% were employed part-time and 19.9% 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
South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Community and Personal Service Workers 1,671 19.2 1,448 19.1 30,991 17.0
Labourers 1,371 15.8 1,272 16.8 27,814 15.3
Professionals 1,191 13.7 1,085 14.3 24,339 13.4
Clerical and Administrative Workers 1,162 13.4 986 13.0 23,174 12.7
Technicians and Trades Workers 944 10.9 894 11.8 24,399 13.4
Sales Workers 717 8.3 462 6.1 15,791 8.7
Machinery Operators and Drivers 714 8.2 641 8.4 16,774 9.2
Managers 609 7.0 471 6.2 12,844 7.1

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in South Australia, the most common occupations were Community and Personal Service Workers 19.2%, Labourers 15.8%, Professionals 13.7%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 13.4%, Technicians and Trades Workers 10.9%, Sales Workers 8.3%, Machinery Operators and Drivers 8.2% and Managers 7.0%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
State Government Administration 339 3.9 386 5.2 4,176 2.3
Other Social Assistance Services 315 3.7 332 4.4 5,302 2.9
Supermarket and Grocery Stores 270 3.1 207 2.8 5,555 3.1
Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 227 2.6 237 3.2 5,542 3.0
Primary Education 221 2.6 198 2.6 4,897 2.7

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in South Australia, the most common industries of employment were State Government Administration 3.9%, Other Social Assistance Services 3.7%, Supermarket and Grocery Stores 3.1%, Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 2.6% and Primary Education 2.6%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly incomes
People aged 15 years and over
South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Personal 413 -- 348 -- 441 --
Household 1,014 -- 842 -- 1,203 --

The median weekly personal income for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in South Australia was $413 and the median weekly household income was $1,014.

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

Unpaid work
People aged 15 years and over
South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 13,372 58.8 11,208 56.4 263,334 61.4
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 6,560 28.8 5,881 29.6 136,079 31.7
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 3,026 13.3 2,369 11.9 58,541 13.7
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 3,230 14.2 2,459 12.4 63,303 14.8

In South Australia, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 58.8% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 28.8% provided care for children and 13.3% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 14.2% 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
South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Average number of people per household 3 -- 3 -- 3.2 --
Average number of persons per bedroom 1 -- (a) -- 1 --
Average number of registered motor vehicles per dwelling 1.6 -- 1.4 -- 1.7 --

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 South Australia, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the average household size was 3 persons, with 1 persons per bedroom and 1.6 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
South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Median weekly rent 220 -- 165 -- 250 --
Median monthly mortgage repayments 1,387 -- 1,300 -- 1,660 --

In South Australia, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the median weekly rent was $220 and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,387.

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
South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
One family household: Couple family with no children 2,308 15.6 1,726 14.0 42,536 16.2
One family household: Couple family with children 3,979 26.9 3,306 26.8 80,803 30.7
One family household: One parent family 4,112 27.8 3,609 29.2 67,528 25.7
One family household: Other family 353 2.4 297 2.4 5,547 2.1
Multiple family household: Couple family with no children 96 0.6 61 0.5 2,223 0.8
Multiple family household: Couple family with children 152 1.0 187 1.5 4,951 1.9
Multiple family household: One parent family 236 1.6 237 1.9 5,768 2.2
Multiple family household: Other family 16 0.1 15 0.1 471 0.2
Other household 3,544 24.0 2,914 23.6 53,195 20.2

In South Australia, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households, 16.2% were a couple family with no children, 27.9% were a couple family with children and 29.4% 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
South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Separate house 11,459 77.7 9,816 79.5 211,205 80.7
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 2,519 17.1 1,588 12.9 27,017 10.3
Flat or apartment 703 4.8 860 7.0 20,580 7.9
Other dwelling 69 0.5 77 0.6 2,897 1.1

In South Australia there were 14,801 private dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Where a dwelling type was stated, 77.7% were separate houses, 17.1% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 4.8% were flats or apartments and 0.5% 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
South Australia % South Australia 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Owned outright 1,509 10.2 1,182 9.6 32,045 12.2
Owned with a mortgage 3,734 25.2 3,030 24.5 68,085 25.9
Rented 8,841 59.7 7,431 60.2 150,832 57.3
Other tenure type 119 0.8 138 1.1 1,888 0.7
Tenure type not stated 602 4.1 564 4.6 10,182 3.9

In South Australia, of dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 10.2% were owned outright, 25.2% were owned with a mortgage and 59.7% 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.