Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life expectancy at birth for the period 2020–2022 was:

• 71.9 years for males and 75.6 years for females
• highest for both males (73.8 years) and females (77.9 years) in New South Wales
• lowest for both males (65.6 years) and females (69.4 years) in the Northern Territory
• lower in Remote and Very Remote Areas (67.3 years for males and 71.3 years for females) compared with Major Cities (72.5 years and 76.5 years).

• 812,728 people identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin, representing 3.2 per cent of the total population.
• Of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people counted: 91.4 per cent identified as Aboriginal; 4.2 per cent identified as Torres Strait Islander; 4.4 per cent identified as both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
• The median age for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has increased. In 2021, the median was 24 years, up from 23 years in 2016, 21 years in 2011.
• Most (89.1 per cent) people who identified as being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander at the Indigenous status question reported an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander ancestry in 2021.
• There were 167 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages used at home in 2021 by 76,978 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The most widely reported language groups used were Arnhem Land and Daly River Region Languages (14.5 per cent) and Torres Strait Island Languages (12.0 per cent).

Trends in smoking prevalence, initiation and quitting among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population for the period 1994 to 2014–15

Data highlighting the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to celebrate the 2018 NAIDOC week theme: "Because of her, we can!"

• 812,728 people identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander in 2021 – up from 649,171 in 2016
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people represented 3.2% of the total population – up from 2.8% in 2016
• Nearly two-thirds of people lived in NSW (34.2%) and Queensland (29.2%) in 2021

Provides insights into the contemporary social and economic situation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians

Statistics on Torres Strait Islander people living in the Torres Strait region

Overview of ABS collections used in Closing the Gap and National Government Reporting

In 2021: 

• 39.0% of people aged 20 years and over had Year 12 as their highest year of school completed.
• 42.6% of non-school students were at university and other higher education institutions.
• Almost half (46.0%) of people aged 20 years and over had completed a non-school education qualification.

• Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population as at 30 June 2021 (983,700 people) is projected to reach between 1,171,700 and 1,193,600 people by 2031.
• Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory are projected to have the fastest average annual growth rate over the projection period of between 2.2% and 2.4% per year.
• The median age (24.0 years) is projected to increase to between 25.4 and 25.7 years.

At 30 June 2021, there were 983,700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, representing 3.8% of the total Australian population:

• One-third (33.1%) were under 15 years of age.
• The median age was 24.0 years.
• Three-quarters (74.5%) lived in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia combined.

• Home ownership increased to 42.3% of households in 2021, up from 39.6% in 2016.

• Four in five people (81.4%) lived in appropriately sized (not overcrowded) dwellings in 2021, up from 78.9% in 2016.

• The median weekly rent was $300 in 2021, while the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,721.

• Over 150 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages were spoken in 2021.
• 76,978 (9.5%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people reported speaking an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language in 2021, up from 63,754 (9.8%) in 2016.
• Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) was the most commonly spoken language.

A directory of data items from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collections, relating to mental health and social and emotional wellbeing.

• 41% of households experienced food insecurity due to a lack of money for food at some time in the last 12 months.
• 29% of people aged 15 years and over smoked daily (excluding e-cigarettes or vaping devices), down from 37% in 2018–19.
• 8% of people aged 15 years and over reported currently using an e-cigarette or vaping device.
• 31% of people aged 18 years and over living in non-remote areas experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress in the last 4 weeks compared with 24% of people living in remote areas.
• 4% of people had heart, stroke and vascular disease, down from 5% in 2018–19.

Outlines revisions to alcohol data by risk level from the 2002 and 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Surveys

• 812,728 people identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin in the 2021 Census – up 25.2% (163,557 people) from 2016.
• 76.2% of the increase was in the 0-19 year age cohort.
• 43.5% of the increase was due to demographic factors – births, deaths and migration.