Torres Strait

Latest release
2021 Census Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people QuickStats
Geography type Indigenous Regions
Area code IREG307
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 6,093
Male 49.2%
Female 50.8%
Median age 25
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander families 1,536
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households 1,603
Average number of people per household 3.6
Median weekly household income $1,201
Median monthly mortgage repayments $1,733
Median weekly rent (a) $150

(a) For 2021, median weekly rent calculations exclude dwellings being occupied rent-free.

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All tables refer to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander persons in Torres Strait, unless otherwise stated.
Small random changes have been made to all cell values for privacy reasons. These changes may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from the table totals.

People and population

Indigenous status
All people
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander total 6,093 80.9 237,303 4.6 812,728 3.2
Aboriginal 146 1.9 193,405 3.8 742,882 2.9
Torres Strait Islander 4,596 61.0 21,772 0.4 33,765 0.1
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 1,355 18.0 22,122 0.4 36,083 0.1
Non-Indigenous 1,040 13.8 4,635,042 89.9 23,375,949 91.9
Not stated 399 5.3 283,793 5.5 1,234,112 4.9

More information on Place of Usual Residence (PURP), Indigenous status (INGP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Age
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Median age 25 N/A 23 N/A 24 N/A
0-4 years 611 10.0 25,731 10.8 85,941 10.6
5-14 years 1,365 22.4 54,439 22.9 179,604 22.1
15-24 years 980 16.1 44,204 18.6 150,057 18.5
25-34 years 900 14.8 33,612 14.2 117,969 14.5
35-44 years 731 12.0 25,219 10.6 87,910 10.8
45-54 years 603 9.9 23,680 10.0 81,802 10.1
55-64 years 507 8.3 17,354 7.3 61,759 7.6
65 years and over 400 6.6 13,065 5.5 47,677 5.9

More information on Age (AGEP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Registered marital status
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Married 830 20.1 33,341 21.2 127,525 23.3
Separated 86 2.1 6,967 4.4 23,982 4.4
Divorced 99 2.4 10,657 6.8 37,473 6.8
Widowed 173 4.2 4,181 2.7 16,329 3.0
Never married 2,935 71.2 101,985 64.9 341,871 62.5

Note: In December 2017, amendments to the Marriage Act 1961 came into effect enabling marriage equality for all couples. For 2021, registered marriages include all couples.

More information on Registered marital status (MSTP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Social marital status
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over, usually resident and present in the household on Census night
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Registered marriage (a) 692 18.8 30,074 21.4 112,643 23.0
De facto marriage (b) 989 26.9 25,417 18.0 81,295 16.6
Not married 2,005 54.4 85,357 60.6 296,032 60.4

(a) In December 2017, amendments to the Marriage Act 1961 came into effect enabling marriage equality for all couples. For 2021, registered marriages include all couples.
(b) De facto marriage is when two people live together as partners who are not in a registered marriage. It includes people who report de facto, partner, common law husband/wife/spouse, lover, girlfriend or boyfriend.

More information on Social marital status (MDCP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Education

Type of educational institution attending
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people attending an educational institution
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Preschool 118 6.0 6,070 6.6 25,485 8.0
Primary 1,006 50.8 35,874 38.9 120,864 37.9
Secondary 490 24.8 26,207 28.4 83,631 26.2
Tertiary - Vocational education (including TAFE and private training providers) 98 5.0 4,967 5.4 21,273 6.7
Tertiary - University or higher education 35 1.8 6,362 6.9 21,149 6.6
Other 14 0.7 2,803 3.0 7,310 2.3
Not stated 224 11.3 9,970 10.8 38,814 12.2

More information Type of educational institution attending (TYPP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Level of highest educational attainment
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Bachelor Degree level and above 148 3.6 11,028 7.0 40,554 7.4
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 246 6.0 10,614 6.8 34,681 6.3
Certificate level IV 187 4.5 6,227 4.0 23,374 4.3
Certificate level III 762 18.5 27,557 17.5 84,821 15.5
Year 12 1,027 24.9 28,526 18.2 82,998 15.2
Year 11 340 8.3 11,349 7.2 43,335 7.9
Year 10 458 11.1 28,737 18.3 102,707 18.8
Certificate level II 14 0.3 344 0.2 1,262 0.2
Certificate level I 0 0.0 52 0.0 241 0.0
Year 9 or below 413 10.0 18,908 12.0 75,326 13.8
Inadequately described 95 2.3 3,131 2.0 11,038 2.0
No educational attainment 29 0.7 1,193 0.8 5,242 1.0
Not stated 391 9.5 9,409 6.0 41,467 7.6

More information on Level of highest educational attainment (HEAP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Cultural diversity

Australian Indigenous language, top responses
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 4,165 68.4 7,380 3.1 7,596 0.9
Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Kalaw Lagaw Ya 452 7.4 805 0.3 875 0.1
Meriam Mir 80 1.3 220 0.1 256 0.0
Aboriginal English, so described 60 1.0 585 0.2 1,371 0.2
Australian Indigenous Languages, nfd 39 0.6 1,407 0.6 4,197 0.5
 null  null  null  null  null  null  null
Australian Indigenous languages used at home 4,822 79.1 19,018 8.0 76,978 9.5
English only used at home 857 14.1 202,342 85.3 683,122 84.1
Ancestry, top responses
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Torres Strait Islander 5,725 94.0 38,500 16.2 57,353 7.1
Australian Aboriginal 1,444 23.7 194,063 81.8 695,359 85.6
Papua New Guinean 308 5.1 1,395 0.6 1,742 0.2
Australian 249 4.1 78,079 32.9 277,467 34.1
English 94 1.5 35,211 14.8 131,618 16.2

Note 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 sum of all ancestry responses for an area will not equal the total number of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in the area.
Note 2: Calculated percentages represent a proportion of the number of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in the area (including those who did not state an ancestry). In 2016 QuickStats percentages were based on total number of responses and will not be comparable to this table.

More information on Ancestry multi response (ANCP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Income and work

Participation in the labour force
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
In the labour force 2,034 49.4 88,971 56.6 296,172 54.1
Not in the labour force 1,989 48.3 64,129 40.8 234,314 42.8
Not stated 99 2.4 4,029 2.6 16,695 3.1

Note 1: Calculated percentages represent a proportion of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 and over in the area.
Note 2: The ABS Labour Force Survey provides the official estimates of Australia's labour force. More information is provided in Comparing 2021 Census and Labour Force Survey.
Note 3: For information on Community Development Program participation (CDPP), please refer to the Census Dictionary. CDPP data is available in TableBuilder.

More information on Labour force status (LFSP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Employment status
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people who reported being in the labour force, aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Employed  null  null  null  null  null  null
Worked full-time 1,024 50.3 42,934 48.3 144,659 48.8
Worked part-time 603 29.6 25,926 29.1 87,019 29.4
Away from work (a) 220 10.8 8,254 9.3 28,075 9.5
Total employed 1,846 90.8 77,118 86.7 259,754 87.7
Unemployed 186 9.1 11,853 13.3 36,419 12.3

Note 1: Calculated percentages represent a proportion of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 and over, who reported being in the labour force in the area.
Note 2: The ABS Labour Force Survey provides the official estimates of Australia's labour force. More information is provided in Comparing 2021 Census and Labour Force Survey.
Note 3: For information on Community Development Program participation (CDPP), please refer to the Census Dictionary. CDPP data is available in TableBuilder.

(a) Counts employed people who reported 0 hours of work the week before the Census or did not state their hours of work.

More information on Labour force status (LFSP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Occupation, top responses
Employed Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Community and Personal Service Workers 335 18.1 13,289 17.2 45,221 17.4
Clerical and Administrative Workers 304 16.5 9,217 12.0 30,731 11.8
Professionals 275 14.9 9,392 12.2 36,013 13.9
Labourers 268 14.5 12,156 15.8 37,003 14.2
Managers 202 10.9 5,606 7.3 21,218 8.2
Technicians and Trades Workers 178 9.6 10,330 13.4 35,333 13.6
Sales Workers 151 8.2 7,120 9.2 22,365 8.6
Machinery Operators and Drivers 76 4.1 7,488 9.7 23,291 9.0

More information on Occupation (OCCP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Industry of employment, top responses
Employed Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Local Government Administration 328 17.8 2,337 3.0 6,639 2.6
Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 139 7.5 2,897 3.8 9,313 3.6
Primary Education 121 6.6 1,737 2.3 6,313 2.4
State Government Administration 113 6.1 1,205 1.6 5,577 2.1
Supermarket and Grocery Stores 93 5.0 2,658 3.4 8,816 3.4

More information on Industry of employment (INDP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Median weekly incomes (a)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Personal (b) 470 N/A 563 N/A 540 N/A
Family (c) 1,125 N/A 1,510 N/A 1,527 N/A
Household (d) 1,201 N/A 1,517 N/A 1,507 N/A

(a) Incomes are collected in ranges. The medians are then calculated using information from the Survey of Income and Housing.
(b) Excludes people aged 15 years and over who did not state their income.
(c) Excludes families where at least one family member aged 15 years and over did not state their income.
(d) Excludes households where at least one household member aged 15 years and over did not state their income.

More information on Total personal income (weekly) (INCP), Total family income (weekly) (FINF), Total household income (weekly) (HIND), Indigenous household indicator (INGDWTD), Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander family indicator (INGF)
Personal income data is based on place of usual residence
Family and household income data is based on place of enumeration

Unpaid work and care

Unpaid work and care
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Did unpaid domestic work (week before Census Night) 2,620 63.6 93,340 59.4 328,022 59.9
Provided unpaid care for child/children (during two weeks before Census Night) 1,455 35.3 46,884 29.8 166,628 30.5
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability, health condition or due to old age (during two weeks before Census Night) 499 12.1 20,506 13.1 76,568 14.0
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 636 15.4 16,824 10.7 58,029 10.6

Health

Type of long-term health condition
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Arthritis 122 2.0 13,964 5.9 50,807 6.3
Asthma 273 4.5 30,328 12.8 107,162 13.2
Cancer (including remission) 33 0.5 3,684 1.6 12,927 1.6
Dementia (including Alzheimer's) 23 0.4 1,084 0.5 3,610 0.4
Diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes) 544 8.9 14,227 6.0 47,688 5.9
Heart disease (including heart attack or angina) 175 2.9 8,644 3.6 30,160 3.7
Kidney disease 66 1.1 2,678 1.1 10,053 1.2
Lung condition (including COPD or emphysema) 25 0.4 4,813 2.0 17,552 2.2
Mental health condition (including depression or anxiety) 66 1.1 29,713 12.5 107,776 13.3
Stroke 22 0.4 2,004 0.8 7,059 0.9
Any other long-term health condition(s) 215 3.5 20,408 8.6 70,592 8.7
No long-term health condition(s) 4,578 75.1 138,929 58.5 462,348 56.9
Not stated 311 5.1 17,857 7.5 65,539 8.1

Note 1: Measures the number of people who reported that they have been told by a doctor or nurse that they have any of these long-term health conditions.
Note 2: Respondents had the option of reporting multiple long-term health conditions. Therefore, the sum of all long-term health condition responses for an area will not equal the total number of people in the area.
Note 3: Calculated percentages represent a proportion of the number of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in the area (including those who did not answer the long-term health conditions question).

More information on Type of long-term health condition (LTHP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Count of selected long-term health conditions
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
None of the selected conditions 4,727 77.6 147,859 62.3 493,110 60.7
One condition 839 13.8 47,176 19.9 167,204 20.6
Two conditions 156 2.6 15,219 6.4 54,174 6.7
Three or more conditions 60 1.0 9,182 3.9 32,701 4.0
Not stated 311 5.1 17,857 7.5 65,539 8.1

Note: Selected long-term health conditions include arthritis, asthma, cancer (including remission), dementia (including Alzheimer's), diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes), heart disease (including heart attack or angina), kidney disease, lung condition (including COPD or emphysema), mental health condition (including depression or anxiety) and stroke. Other long-term health conditions are not included in this count.

More information on Count of selected long-term health conditions (CLTHP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Housing

Dwelling characteristics
Occupied private dwellings (excl. visitor only households and other non-classifiable households) where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Number of dwellings requiring one or more extra bedroom(s) (a) 256 16.0 9,479 9.3 31,268 8.9
Average number of people per household 3.6 N/A 3.2 N/A 3.1 N/A
Average number of persons per bedroom 1.1 N/A 1 N/A 1 N/A
Average number of registered motor vehicles per dwelling 0.9 N/A 1.9 N/A 1.9 N/A

(a) The Canadian National Occupancy Standard for Housing Appropriateness is used to determine whether there are enough bedrooms in the dwelling for the usual residents. See Housing suitability information below for more details.

More information on Number of bedrooms in private dwelling (BEDD), Household composition (HHCD), Indigenous household indicator (INGDWTD), Housing suitability (HOSD)
Table based on place of enumeration

Mortgage and Rent
Occupied private dwellings (excl. visitor only households and other non-classifiable households) where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Median weekly rent (a) $150 N/A $305 N/A $300 N/A
Median monthly mortgage repayments $1,733 N/A $1,670 N/A $1,721 N/A

(a) Median rent calculations exclude dwellings being occupied rent-free, this is not comparable to 2016 QuickStats data.

More information on Rent (weekly) dollar values (RNTD), Mortgage repayments (monthly) dollar values (MRED), Indigenous household indicator (INGDWTD)
Table based on place of enumeration

Family household composition
Occupied private dwellings (excl. visitor only households and other non-classifiable households) where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
One family household: Couple family with no children 174 10.9 18,041 17.8 62,751 17.8
One family household: Couple family with children 513 32.0 30,193 29.7 104,435 29.7
One family household: One parent family 342 21.3 25,214 24.8 86,135 24.5
One family household: Other family 47 2.9 2,079 2.0 7,040 2.0
Multiple family household: Couple family with no children 12 0.7 570 0.6 2,130 0.6
Multiple family household: Couple family with children 90 5.6 2,042 2.0 6,813 1.9
Multiple family household: One parent family 107 6.7 2,678 2.6 8,606 2.4
Multiple family household: Other family 4 0.2 108 0.1 412 0.1
Other household 315 19.7 20,562 20.3 73,717 20.9

Note: This table counts the types of families within family households at the dwelling level. In multiple family households, only the family composition of the primary family is recorded. Other household includes lone person households and group households.

More information on Family household composition (dwelling) (HCFMD)
Table based on place of enumeration

Dwelling structure
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Separate house 1,359 84.8 80,529 79.3 281,729 80.0
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc. 183 11.4 11,082 10.9 38,396 10.9
Flat or apartment 43 2.7 8,530 8.4 27,919 7.9
Other dwelling 12 0.7 1,003 1.0 2,861 0.8

More information on Dwelling structure (STRD)
Table based on place of enumeration

Tenure type
Occupied private dwellings (excl. visitor only households and other non-classifiable households) where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Torres Strait % Torres Strait Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Owned outright 131 8.2 12,395 12.2 48,452 13.8
Owned with a mortgage (a) 30 1.9 26,096 25.7 96,647 27.5
Rented (b) 1,365 85.2 59,211 58.3 192,703 54.7
Other (c) 53 3.3 1,295 1.3 5,582 1.6
Not stated 34 2.1 2,502 2.5 8,652 2.5

(a) Includes dwellings purchased under a shared equity scheme.
(b) Excludes dwellings being occupied rent-free, this is not comparable to 2016 QuickStats data.
(c) Comprises dwellings occupied rent-free, occupied under a life tenure scheme and other tenure type

More information on Tenure type (TEND)
Table based on place of enumeration

Please note that there are small random adjustments 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 table totals.