Tiwi Islands

2016 Census Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people QuickStats
Area code 702031060
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 2,189
Male 49.2%
Female 50.8%
Median age 28
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households 499
Average people per household 4.1
Median weekly household income $663
Median monthly mortgage repayments $0
Median weekly rent $57

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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 Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Aboriginal 2,134 97.5 55,808 95.8 590,062 90.9
Torres Strait Islander 3 0.1 739 1.3 32,344 5.0
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 52 2.4 1,699 2.9 26,767 4.1

For the 2016 Census in Tiwi Islands, there were 2,189 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Of these, 49.2% were male and 50.8% were female.

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

Age Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Median age 28 -- 25 -- 23 --
0-4 years 152 7.0 5,596 9.6 73,265 11.3
5-14 years 429 19.6 11,889 20.4 147,134 22.7
15-24 years 373 17.1 11,103 19.1 123,719 19.1
25-34 years 353 16.2 9,634 16.5 88,861 13.7
35-44 years 340 15.6 7,708 13.2 72,394 11.2
45-54 years 290 13.3 6,396 11.0 67,415 10.4
55-64 years 171 7.8 3,715 6.4 45,433 7.0
65 years and over 77 3.5 2,211 3.8 30,952 4.8

In Tiwi Islands, the median age of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people was 28 years. Of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 26.7% were children aged 0 to 14 years and 3.5% were people aged 65 years and over.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Married 372 23.2 15,934 39.1 105,086 24.5
Separated 18 1.1 1,475 3.6 19,112 4.5
Divorced 14 0.9 1,318 3.2 28,796 6.7
Widowed 75 4.7 2,041 5.0 13,794 3.2
Never married 1,124 70.1 19,989 49.0 261,980 61.1

In Tiwi Islands, 23.2% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were married and 2.0% were either divorced or separated.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Social marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Registered marriage 265 17.7 10,596 31.5 86,716 23.1
De facto marriage 412 27.6 4,254 12.7 60,051 16.0
Not married 817 54.7 18,769 55.8 228,281 60.9

In Tiwi Islands, 17.7% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were in a registered marriage and 27.6% were in a de facto marriage.

View the data quality statement for Social marital status (MDCP)
Education attendance Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Pre-school 31 4.9 1,339 6.0 16,698 6.4
Primary 275 43.1 7,755 34.5 97,859 37.5
Secondary 155 24.3 4,746 21.1 65,208 25.0
Technical or further education institution 9 1.4 470 2.1 14,227 5.5
University or tertiary institution 3 0.5 501 2.2 15,489 5.9
Other 9 1.4 285 1.3 5,047 1.9
Not stated 156 24.5 7,379 32.8 46,428 17.8

Of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Tiwi Islands, 29.1% were attending an educational institution. Of these, 43.1% were attending a primary school, 24.3% were attending a secondary school and 1.9% 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
Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Bachelor Degree level and above 13 0.8 959 2.4 24,911 5.8
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 16 1.0 958 2.3 23,795 5.5
Certificate level IV 18 1.1 736 1.8 14,308 3.3
Certificate level III 40 2.5 2,485 6.1 56,625 13.2
Year 12 215 13.5 4,164 10.2 59,949 14.0
Year 11 323 20.2 3,808 9.3 34,674 8.1
Year 10 497 31.1 6,545 16.1 77,265 18.0
Certificate level II 0 0.0 144 0.4 1,215 0.3
Certificate level I 0 0.0 92 0.2 241 0.1
Year 9 or below 206 12.9 9,036 22.2 64,604 15.1
No educational attainment 10 0.6 1,282 3.1 4,256 1.0
Not stated 241 15.1 9,692 23.8 56,698 13.2

Of people aged 15 and over in Tiwi Islands, 13.5% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 3.4% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 1.0% had completed an Advanced Diploma or Diploma.

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

Cultural & language diversity

Australian Indigenous language, top responses Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Tiwi 1,808 82.5 1,993 3.4 2,020 0.3
Burarra 6 0.3 990 1.7 997 0.2
Murrinh Patha 3 0.1 1,956 3.4 1,966 0.3
 null  null  null  null  null  null  null
English only spoken at home 93 4.3 17,680 30.4 544,491 83.9

English was the only language spoken at home by 4.3% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Tiwi Islands. The only other responses for language at home were Tiwi 82.5%, Burarra 0.3% and Murrinh Patha 0.1%.

View the data quality statement for Language spoken at home (LANP)
Ancestry, top responses Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Australian Aboriginal 2,018 91.4 37,479 57.1 140,480 15.8
Australian 86 3.9 14,038 21.4 399,843 45.0
English 10 0.5 3,760 5.7 152,758 17.2
Torres Strait Islander 9 0.4 365 0.6 14,948 1.7
Japanese 6 0.3 32 0.0 542 0.1

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 Tiwi Islands (including those who did not state an ancestry).

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Tiwi Islands, the most common ancestries were Australian Aboriginal 91.4%, Australian 3.9%, English 0.5%, Torres Strait Islander 0.4% and Japanese 0.3%.

View the data quality statement for Ancestry (ANCP)

Employment

Employment
People who reported being in the labour force, aged 15 years and over
Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Worked full-time 116 22.3 6,870 45.2 106,960 48.0
Worked part-time 194 37.2 3,130 20.6 61,049 27.4
Away from work 49 9.4 1,142 7.5 14,143 6.4
Unemployed 162 31.1 4,064 26.7 40,486 18.2
Not in the labour force 1,026 63.9 21,861 53.6 190,132 44.3

There were 521 people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in Tiwi Islands. Of these 22.3% were employed full time, 37.2% were employed part-time and 31.1% 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
Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Community and Personal Service Workers 75 20.9 2,356 21.2 30,991 17.0
Professionals 67 18.7 1,953 17.5 24,339 13.4
Labourers 59 16.5 1,546 13.9 27,814 15.3
Clerical and Administrative Workers 36 10.1 1,546 13.9 23,174 12.7
Not stated 35 9.8 419 3.8 2,729 1.5
Sales Workers 26 7.3 622 5.6 15,791 8.7
Technicians and Trades Workers 21 5.9 1,056 9.5 24,399 13.4
Managers 16 4.5 647 5.8 12,844 7.1

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Tiwi Islands, the most common occupations were Community and Personal Service Workers 20.9%, Professionals 18.7%, Labourers 16.5%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 10.1%, Not stated 9.8%, Sales Workers 7.3%, Technicians and Trades Workers 5.9% and Managers 4.5%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Local Government Administration 57 16.8 881 7.9 5,511 3.0
Supermarket and Grocery Stores 29 8.6 413 3.7 5,555 3.1
Other Allied Health Services 23 6.8 227 2.0 1,218 0.7
Primary Education 17 5.0 396 3.6 4,897 2.7
Child Care Services 6 1.8 168 1.5 2,535 1.4

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Tiwi Islands, the most common industries of employment were Local Government Administration 16.8%, Supermarket and Grocery Stores 8.6%, Other Allied Health Services 6.8%, Primary Education 5.0% and Child Care Services 1.8%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly incomes
People aged 15 years and over
Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Personal 217 -- 281 -- 441 --
Household 663 -- 1,225 -- 1,203 --

The median weekly personal income for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Tiwi Islands was $217 and the median weekly household income was $663.

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

Unpaid work
People aged 15 years and over
Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 852 53.5 25,146 61.7 263,334 61.4
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 475 29.7 17,078 41.9 136,079 31.7
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 170 10.6 6,038 14.8 58,541 13.7
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 99 6.2 4,298 10.5 63,303 14.8

In Tiwi Islands, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 53.5% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 29.7% provided care for children and 10.6% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 6.2% 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
Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Average number of people per household 4.1 -- 4 -- 3.2 --
Average number of persons per bedroom 1.4 -- 1.5 -- 1 --
Average number of registered motor vehicles per dwelling 0.3 -- 1.2 -- 1.7 --

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 Tiwi Islands, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the average household size was 4.1 persons, with 1.4 persons per bedroom and 0.3 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
Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Median weekly rent 57 -- 97 -- 250 --
Median monthly mortgage repayments 0 -- 2,167 -- 1,660 --

In Tiwi Islands, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the median weekly rent was $57 and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $0.

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
Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
One family household: Couple family with no children 82 16.3 1,718 13.5 42,536 16.2
One family household: Couple family with children 173 34.5 3,854 30.2 80,803 30.7
One family household: One parent family 81 16.1 2,399 18.8 67,528 25.7
One family household: Other family 31 6.2 371 2.9 5,547 2.1
Multiple family household: Couple family with no children 21 4.2 390 3.1 2,223 0.8
Multiple family household: Couple family with children 29 5.8 1,086 8.5 4,951 1.9
Multiple family household: One parent family 25 5.0 826 6.5 5,768 2.2
Multiple family household: Other family 13 2.6 153 1.2 471 0.2
Other household 47 9.4 1,962 15.4 53,195 20.2

In Tiwi Islands, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households, 20.5% were a couple family with no children, 40.2% were a couple family with children and 21.1% 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
Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Separate house 467 93.8 10,018 79.2 211,205 80.7
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 8 1.6 1,307 10.3 27,017 10.3
Flat or apartment 23 4.6 1,047 8.3 20,580 7.9
Other dwelling 0 0.0 280 2.2 2,897 1.1

In Tiwi Islands there were 499 private dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Where a dwelling type was stated, 93.8% were separate houses, 1.6% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 4.6% were flats or apartments and 0.0% 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
Tiwi Islands % Tiwi Islands Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Owned outright 6 1.2 727 5.7 32,045 12.2
Owned with a mortgage 0 0.0 2,025 15.9 68,085 25.9
Rented 467 93.8 9,194 72.1 150,832 57.3
Other tenure type 3 0.6 178 1.4 1,888 0.7
Tenure type not stated 22 4.4 630 4.9 10,182 3.9

In Tiwi Islands, of dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 1.2% were owned outright, 0.0% were owned with a mortgage and 93.8% 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.