Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians

Latest release

Final 2021 Census-based estimated resident population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians for various geographies

Reference period
30 June 2021

Key statistics

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.

This publication presents final 2021 Census-based estimates of the resident Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. These estimates use finalised component data for births, deaths and migration. Preliminary estimates were released on 21 September 2022.

Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2011 to 2036 will be released in 2024.

The increase in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is not wholly explained by demographic factors. The change in Census counts between 2016 and 2021 is explained in Understanding change in counts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: Census.

Difference between preliminary and final estimates

Preliminary (no.)Final (no.)Difference between preliminary and final (no.)
New South Wales339,546339,710164
Victoria78,69878,696-2
Queensland273,224273,119-105
South Australia52,08352,069-14
Western Australia120,037120,006-31
Tasmania33,89433,857-37
Northern Territory76,73676,487-249
Australian Capital Territory9,5449,525-19
Australia984,002983,709-293

Indigenous status (individual categories)

Among the 983,700 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in 2021:

  • 91.7% identified as Aboriginal
  • 4.0% identified as Torres Strait Islander
  • 4.3% identified as both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
Estimated resident population, Indigenous status – 30 June 2021
Aboriginal only (no.)Torres Strait Islander only (no.)Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (no.)Total Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (no.)Non-Indigenous (no.)Total (no.)
NSW326,9275,9716,812339,7107,757,3528,097,062
Vic.74,2632,4631,97078,6966,469,1266,547,822
Qld222,30925,16925,641273,1194,942,6955,215,814
SA49,7211,1951,15352,0691,750,5321,802,601
WA114,9952,2132,798120,0062,629,3592,749,365
Tas.31,1401,3611,35633,857533,382567,239
NT73,1019172,46976,487171,664248,151
ACT8,9712413139,525442,983452,508
Aust.(a)901,65539,53842,516983,70924,701,70325,685,412
  1. Includes Other Territories.

Age and sex structure

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population had a younger age structure than the non-Indigenous population, with both larger proportions of young people and smaller proportions of older people. This reflects higher birth rates and lower life expectancy in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population compared with that in the non-Indigenous population.

  • The median age of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population was 24.0 years.
  • One-third (33.1%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians were aged under 15 years compared with 17.9% of non-Indigenous people in the same age group.
  • People aged 65 years and over comprised 5.4% of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population compared with 17.2% of the non-Indigenous population.
  • The age structures of the male and female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations were similar.
  • Overall, there were slightly more males than females (a sex ratio of 101 males to every 100 females), but females outnumbered males in age groups over 35 years.

States and territories

  • New South Wales had the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population (339,700 people), followed by Queensland (273,100 people) and Western Australia (120.000 people). These three states comprised almost three-quarters of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population (732,800 people or 74.5%).
  • The Northern Territory had the highest proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people relative to its total population size (30.8%), and Victoria had the lowest (1.2%). 
  • The Northern Territory had the highest median age of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population (27.0 years). New South Wales and Queensland had the lowest (both were 23.4 years).
Estimated resident population, Indigenous status by state and territory of usual residence – 30 June 2021
  Estimated resident population Median age 
  Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait IslanderAboriginal and/or Torres Strait IslanderNon-IndigenousNon-IndigenousAboriginal and/or Torres Strait IslanderNon-Indigenous
  no.%no.%yearsyears
Males
 NSW170,4174.23,854,97695.822.638.3
 Vic.39,6581.23,197,93698.823.737.2
 Qld136,2245.32,449,31994.722.838.5
 SA26,1182.9864,94997.123.040.0
 WA61,3024.51,315,01595.524.538.1
 Tas.16,7876.0264,61794.023.441.5
 NT37,90230.088,26470.025.936.2
 ACT4,8352.2218,52697.824.035.0
 Aust.(a)493,3583.912,256,05296.123.338.1
Females
 NSW169,2934.23,902,37695.824.340.1
 Vic.39,0381.23,271,19098.824.239.0
 Qld136,8955.22,493,37694.824.140.0
 SA25,9512.8885,58397.224.542.3
 WA58,7044.31,314,34495.725.139.2
 Tas.17,0706.0268,76594.026.744.0
 NT38,58531.683,40068.428.135.7
 ACT4,6902.0224,45798.025.436.4
 Aust.(a)490,3513.812,445,65196.224.839.8
Persons
 NSW339,7104.27,757,35295.823.439.2
 Vic.78,6961.26,469,12698.824.038.1
 Qld273,1195.24,942,69594.823.439.2
 SA52,0692.91,750,53297.123.841.2
 WA120,0064.42,629,35995.624.838.6
 Tas.33,8576.0533,38294.025.042.8
 NT76,48730.8171,66469.227.036.0
 ACT9,5252.1442,98397.924.835.7
 Aust.(a)983,7093.824,701,70396.224.038.9

a. Includes Other Territories.

Distribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population by state and territory of usual residence – 30 June 2021 (%)

Loading map...

Map showing distribution of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population across Australia's states and territories

Remoteness Areas

  • Over a third of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population lived in Major Cities of Australia (401,700 people).
  • One quarter (24.8%) of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population (244,000 people) lived in Inner Regional Australia.
  • 187,200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (19.0%) lived in Outer Regional Australia.
  • The remaining 15.4% of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population lived in Remote (58,700 people or 6.0%) and Very Remote (92,100 people or 9.4%) Australia.
Estimated resident population, Indigenous status by Remoteness Areas – 30 June 2021
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (%)Non-Indigenous (%)Total (%)
Major Cities of Australia40.873.472.2
Inner Regional Australia24.817.517.8
Outer Regional Australia197.78.1
Remote Australia611.2
Very Remote Australia9.40.40.8

Indigenous Regions

The Indigenous Regions (IREGs) that had the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population were:

  • Central and North Coast, New South Wales (116,100 people)
  • Brisbane, Queensland (114,600 people)
  • Sydney-Wollongong, New South Wales (103,300 people)
  • Over a third of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population (333,900 people) lived in these three Regions.

Data downloads

Data files

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 3238.0.55.001.

Post release changes

2/11/2023 - Column heading was updated in data cube 'Table 7: Estimated resident Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander, non-Indigenous and total populations, States and territories, single year of age – 30 June 2021', table 7.6.

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