4430.0 - Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings, 2015 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 20/09/2017   
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A PROFILE OF OLDER PEOPLE IN AUSTRALIA
A one page profile with key figures on older people in Australia. See text below for more information.

As in most developed countries, Australia’s population is ageing. Understanding the characteristics and contributions to society of this growing community is increasingly important.

The results from the 2015 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers provides a profile of older people (those aged 65 years and over) in Australia.

  • There were 3.5 million Australians aged 65 years and over in 2015
  • Most older people lived in households
  • 1 in 20 older people lived in residential care1
  • The proportion of older people with disability decreased in 2015
  • Over 1 in 3 older people needed assistance2 with daily activities
  • Most older people3 had their assistance needs2 fully or partly met
  • Around 1 in 7  older people3 were participating in the labour force
  • Over 1 in 53 older people were involved in voluntary activities4
  • The majority of older people3 owned their home outright
1 Includes hospitals, nursing homes, hostels or other health establishments where the resident had been, or was expected to be living there or in another health establishment for a period of three months or more.
2 Needed assistance with at least one activity of daily living such as self care, communication or mobility.
3 Living in households.
4 Includes unpaid voluntary or community service activities both inside and outside the home in the previous three months.
Further information is available in Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings, 2015 (cat. no. 4430.0) available from the ABS website (www.abs.gov.au).

A pdf version of the information sheet is available from the Downloads tab of this publication.