Very Remote Australia (NT)

2016 Census Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people QuickStats
Geography type Remoteness Areas
Area code RA74
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 33,516
Male 49.3%
Female 50.7%
Median age 24
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households 5,271
Average people per household 5.1
Median weekly household income $1,004
Median monthly mortgage repayments $1,083
Median weekly rent $60

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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 Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Aboriginal 32,859 98.0 55,808 95.8 590,062 90.9
Torres Strait Islander 120 0.4 739 1.3 32,344 5.0
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 537 1.6 1,699 2.9 26,767 4.1

For the 2016 Census in Very Remote Australia (NT), there were 33,516 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Of these, 49.3% were male and 50.7% were female.

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

Age Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Median age 24 -- 25 -- 23 --
0-4 years 3,349 10.0 5,596 9.6 73,265 11.3
5-14 years 6,985 20.8 11,889 20.4 147,134 22.7
15-24 years 6,636 19.8 11,103 19.1 123,719 19.1
25-34 years 5,787 17.3 9,634 16.5 88,861 13.7
35-44 years 4,370 13.0 7,708 13.2 72,394 11.2
45-54 years 3,363 10.0 6,396 11.0 67,415 10.4
55-64 years 1,921 5.7 3,715 6.4 45,433 7.0
65 years and over 1,103 3.3 2,211 3.8 30,952 4.8

In Very Remote Australia (NT), the median age of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people was 24 years. Of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 30.8% were children aged 0 to 14 years and 3.3% were people aged 65 years and over.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Married 10,988 47.4 15,934 39.1 105,086 24.5
Separated 756 3.3 1,475 3.6 19,112 4.5
Divorced 509 2.2 1,318 3.2 28,796 6.7
Widowed 1,310 5.6 2,041 5.0 13,794 3.2
Never married 9,630 41.5 19,989 49.0 261,980 61.1

In Very Remote Australia (NT), 47.4% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were married and 5.5% were either divorced or separated.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Social marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Registered marriage 7,729 37.7 10,596 31.5 86,716 23.1
De facto marriage 1,813 8.8 4,254 12.7 60,051 16.0
Not married 10,955 53.4 18,769 55.8 228,281 60.9

In Very Remote Australia (NT), 37.7% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were in a registered marriage and 8.8% were in a de facto marriage.

View the data quality statement for Social marital status (MDCP)
Education attendance Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Pre-school 851 7.0 1,339 6.0 16,698 6.4
Primary 4,592 37.5 7,755 34.5 97,859 37.5
Secondary 2,566 21.0 4,746 21.1 65,208 25.0
Technical or further education institution 186 1.5 470 2.1 14,227 5.5
University or tertiary institution 75 0.6 501 2.2 15,489 5.9
Other 84 0.7 285 1.3 5,047 1.9
Not stated 3,883 31.7 7,379 32.8 46,428 17.8

Of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Very Remote Australia (NT), 36.5% were attending an educational institution. Of these, 37.5% were attending a primary school, 21.0% were attending a secondary school and 2.1% 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
Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Bachelor Degree level and above 217 0.9 959 2.4 24,911 5.8
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 258 1.1 958 2.3 23,795 5.5
Certificate level IV 202 0.9 736 1.8 14,308 3.3
Certificate level III 950 4.1 2,485 6.1 56,625 13.2
Year 12 2,267 9.8 4,164 10.2 59,949 14.0
Year 11 2,097 9.0 3,808 9.3 34,674 8.1
Year 10 3,721 16.1 6,545 16.1 77,265 18.0
Certificate level II 99 0.4 144 0.4 1,215 0.3
Certificate level I 81 0.3 92 0.2 241 0.1
Year 9 or below 6,348 27.4 9,036 22.2 64,604 15.1
No educational attainment 928 4.0 1,282 3.1 4,256 1.0
Not stated 5,561 24.0 9,692 23.8 56,698 13.2

Of people aged 15 and over in Very Remote Australia (NT), 9.8% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 5.0% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 1.1% 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 Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Djambarrpuyngu 4,176 12.5 4,260 7.3 4,264 0.7
Kriol 3,706 11.1 4,365 7.5 7,108 1.1
Murrinh Patha 1,941 5.8 1,956 3.4 1,966 0.3
Warlpiri 1,839 5.5 2,157 3.7 2,276 0.4
Alyawarr 1,458 4.4 1,525 2.6 1,549 0.2
 null  null  null  null  null  null  null
English only spoken at home 3,162 9.4 17,680 30.4 544,491 83.9

English was the only language spoken at home by 9.4% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Very Remote Australia (NT). Indigenous languages spoken at home include Djambarrpuyngu 12.5%, Kriol 11.1%, Murrinh Patha 5.8%, Warlpiri 5.5% and Alyawarr 4.4%.

View the data quality statement for Language spoken at home (LANP)
Ancestry, top responses Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Australian Aboriginal 29,243 84.5 37,479 57.1 140,480 15.8
Australian 2,003 5.8 14,038 21.4 399,843 45.0
English 453 1.3 3,760 5.7 152,758 17.2
Torres Strait Islander 169 0.5 365 0.6 14,948 1.7
Irish 122 0.4 1,284 2.0 45,887 5.2

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 Very Remote Australia (NT) (including those who did not state an ancestry).

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Very Remote Australia (NT), the most common ancestries were Australian Aboriginal 84.5%, Australian 5.8%, English 1.3%, Torres Strait Islander 0.5% and Irish 0.4%.

View the data quality statement for Ancestry (ANCP)

Employment

Employment
People who reported being in the labour force, aged 15 years and over
Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Worked full-time 2,450 32.1 6,870 45.2 106,960 48.0
Worked part-time 1,718 22.5 3,130 20.6 61,049 27.4
Away from work 585 7.7 1,142 7.5 14,143 6.4
Unemployed 2,883 37.8 4,064 26.7 40,486 18.2
Not in the labour force 13,207 56.9 21,861 53.6 190,132 44.3

There were 7,636 people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in Very Remote Australia (NT). Of these 32.1% were employed full time, 22.5% were employed part-time and 37.8% 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
Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Community and Personal Service Workers 1,251 26.3 2,356 21.2 30,991 17.0
Professionals 910 19.1 1,953 17.5 24,339 13.4
Labourers 784 16.5 1,546 13.9 27,814 15.3
Clerical and Administrative Workers 358 7.5 1,546 13.9 23,174 12.7
Technicians and Trades Workers 294 6.2 1,056 9.5 24,399 13.4
Not stated 287 6.0 419 3.8 2,729 1.5
Sales Workers 273 5.7 622 5.6 15,791 8.7
Machinery Operators and Drivers 250 5.3 679 6.1 16,774 9.2

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Very Remote Australia (NT), the most common occupations were Community and Personal Service Workers 26.3%, Professionals 19.1%, Labourers 16.5%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 7.5%, Technicians and Trades Workers 6.2%, Not stated 6.0%, Sales Workers 5.7% and Machinery Operators and Drivers 5.3%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Local Government Administration 688 14.6 881 7.9 5,511 3.0
Combined Primary and Secondary Education 295 6.3 393 3.5 2,639 1.4
Supermarket and Grocery Stores 280 5.9 413 3.7 5,555 3.1
Primary Education 243 5.2 396 3.6 4,897 2.7
Other Social Assistance Services 135 2.9 285 2.6 5,302 2.9

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Very Remote Australia (NT), the most common industries of employment were Local Government Administration 14.6%, Combined Primary and Secondary Education 6.3%, Supermarket and Grocery Stores 5.9%, Primary Education 5.2% and Other Social Assistance Services 2.9%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly incomes
People aged 15 years and over
Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Personal 243 -- 281 -- 441 --
Household 1,004 -- 1,225 -- 1,203 --

The median weekly personal income for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Very Remote Australia (NT) was $243 and the median weekly household income was $1,004.

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

Unpaid work
People aged 15 years and over
Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 15,885 68.5 25,146 61.7 263,334 61.4
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 12,077 52.1 17,078 41.9 136,079 31.7
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 4,100 17.7 6,038 14.8 58,541 13.7
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 2,515 10.8 4,298 10.5 63,303 14.8

In Very Remote Australia (NT), of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 68.5% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 52.1% provided care for children and 17.7% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 10.8% 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
Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Average number of people per household 5.1 -- 4 -- 3.2 --
Average number of persons per bedroom 1.9 -- 1.5 -- 1 --
Average number of registered motor vehicles per dwelling 0.6 -- 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 Very Remote Australia (NT), for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the average household size was 5.1 persons, with 1.9 persons per bedroom and 0.6 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
Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Median weekly rent 60 -- 97 -- 250 --
Median monthly mortgage repayments 1,083 -- 2,167 -- 1,660 --

In Very Remote Australia (NT), for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the median weekly rent was $60 and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,083.

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
Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
One family household: Couple family with no children 519 9.9 1,718 13.5 42,536 16.2
One family household: Couple family with children 1,603 30.4 3,854 30.2 80,803 30.7
One family household: One parent family 622 11.8 2,399 18.8 67,528 25.7
One family household: Other family 154 2.9 371 2.9 5,547 2.1
Multiple family household: Couple family with no children 292 5.5 390 3.1 2,223 0.8
Multiple family household: Couple family with children 865 16.4 1,086 8.5 4,951 1.9
Multiple family household: One parent family 607 11.5 826 6.5 5,768 2.2
Multiple family household: Other family 114 2.2 153 1.2 471 0.2
Other household 491 9.3 1,962 15.4 53,195 20.2

In Very Remote Australia (NT), of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households, 15.4% were a couple family with no children, 46.9% were a couple family with children and 23.3% 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
Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Separate house 4,462 84.9 10,018 79.2 211,205 80.7
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 453 8.6 1,307 10.3 27,017 10.3
Flat or apartment 208 4.0 1,047 8.3 20,580 7.9
Other dwelling 131 2.5 280 2.2 2,897 1.1

In Very Remote Australia (NT) there were 5,271 private dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Where a dwelling type was stated, 84.9% were separate houses, 8.6% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 4.0% were flats or apartments and 2.5% 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
Very Remote Australia (NT) % Very Remote Australia (NT) Northern Territory % Northern Territory Australia % Australia
Owned outright 117 2.2 727 5.7 32,045 12.2
Owned with a mortgage 69 1.3 2,025 15.9 68,085 25.9
Rented 4,703 89.3 9,194 72.1 150,832 57.3
Other tenure type 126 2.4 178 1.4 1,888 0.7
Tenure type not stated 250 4.7 630 4.9 10,182 3.9

In Very Remote Australia (NT), of dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 2.2% were owned outright, 1.3% were owned with a mortgage and 89.3% 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.