Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with disability, 2022

• In 2022, one-quarter (25.3%) or 183,700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had disability, similar to 24.0% in 2018 and 23.9% in 2015.
• Disability prevalence was similar for males (24.8%) and females (25.9%).
• 11.6% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had a profound or severe limitation. 
• Seven in ten (70.7%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, aged 5 years and over, had a schooling or employment restriction.

This article is based on data from the 2022 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) and provides insights into disability in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. It draws from survey respondents who identify as being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and have disability as defined by the survey. 

Identifying one of these attributes, let alone both, is influenced by a mix of cultural and social factors. One or more factors can influence an individual’s decision to disclose their Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status, and the degree to which they fully disclose their disability and its impact on their lives.¹ These factors include:

• A cultural understanding of ‘disability’ within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community as an accepted part of community life, so it is not viewed as a deficit in a way that disability can be viewed in other societies.
• Barriers to obtaining disability diagnoses can mean that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people may not have access to the vocabulary through which to identify their disability and seek out support. This issue may be elevated for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability in outer regional and remote communities.
• An apprehension to disclose Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status in addition to disability out of a fear that disclosure will attract discrimination such as racism and/or ableism. 

This article presents the best available survey data on the prevalence of disability for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. While it is the best available, the survey methods used and limitations that are both methodological and cultural means there is a likely under-identification of disability and its impact on life outcomes (see ‘Interpretation of results’ for more information). Information about the quality of this data including margins of error are included to help with interpretation of the data. However, it is not possible to determine the degree of under-identification from cultural and social influences and any associated impact on data quality.

Consideration has been given to concerns raised during community consultations that the reporting of this data about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with disability may be misused in secondary reporting, leading to stigma. This article does not include comparative benchmarks against people with disability who are not Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, or any other population group.

In SDAC, a person is considered to have disability if they have a limitation, restriction or impairment resulting from a long-term health condition, which has lasted, or is likely to last, for at least six months and restricts everyday activities. A long-term health condition could include diabetes, asthma, back problems or deafness. A limitation, restriction or impairment could include not being able to walk unaided or requiring help to do everyday tasks such as communicating or showering. The data collected is self-reported. It is based on disclosure of health conditions by the respondent or proxy. The data is also based on the respondent or proxy disclosing to what extent help or supervision with day-to-day activities is required. 

In the 2022 SDAC, of the estimated 727,200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia living in households (excluding those in very remote areas and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities - see ‘Interpretation of results’ for more information): 

• one-quarter (25.3% or 183,700 people) had disability, similar to 2018 (24.0% or 139,700 people) and 2015 (23.9% or 125,000 people)
• the proportion with disability was similar for males (24.8%) and females (25.9%)
• disability generally increased with age, with almost half (48.4%) of those aged 55 years and over having disability
• 23.8% of people aged 15-34 years had disability, up from 15.3% in 2018.

Disability status is a measure of the severity of limitations experienced by people with disability. Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people surveyed in SDAC 2022:

• 11.6% had a profound or severe limitation, meaning they needed another person’s help with everyday tasks such as communication, mobility and self-care always or most of the time, an increase from 2018 (8.8%) 
• the proportion with profound or severe limitation was similar for males (10.9%) and females (12.4%)
• 7.8% had a mild or moderate limitation, down from 2018 (10.5%).

Seven in ten (70.7%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, aged 5 years and over, had a schooling or employment restriction and/or a profound, severe, moderate or mild limitation. This translates to 19.3% of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population aged 5 years and over. Schooling or employment restrictions can be things like being unable to work or attend school, requiring time off, needing special tuition or equipment or requiring supervision. See the Methodology for more information on definitions of limitations and restrictions.

Profound or severe core activity limitations varied with age:

• profound or severe limitations were most common among older people (those aged 55 years and over, 26.4%) 
• almost one in ten (9.0%) children aged 0-14 years had a profound or severe limitation in 2022, similar to 2018 (11%) 
• 10.2% of people aged 15-34 years had a profound or severe limitation, up from 4.5% in 2018. 

The SDAC categorises people with disability into one or more disability groups (or types).  Disabilities can be broadly grouped depending on whether they relate to functioning of the mind or the senses, or to the body. See the Methodology for more information on disability group definitions.

Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in 2022:

• 13.5% had a physical disability such as breathing difficulties, chronic pain, limited use of limbs, or disfigurement that restricts everyday activities
• those aged 55 years and over were more likely to have a physical disability (40.2%) than other age groups
• one in ten (10.7%) had a learning and understanding disability, up from around one in thirteen (7.8%) in 2018 
• proportions of people with a learning and understanding disability for 15-34 year olds (12.2%) and 55 years and over (16.1%) have more than doubled since 2018 (4.8% and 6.7% respectively) 
• one in ten (10.3%) had a psychosocial disability such as nervous, emotional or mental health conditions 
• 6.9% had a sensory and speech disability, such as loss of sight, hearing or speech difficulties, which increased with age to 14.6% of those aged 55 years and over.

It is possible to have one or more impairments or restrictions, that is, to have multiple disabilities across different disability groups. Of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability:

• 57.4% were in two or more disability groups and 30.9% were in three or more disability groups
• 24.0% reported having both a physical restriction and a psychosocial disability 
• 20.3% reported having a learning and understanding disability and a psychosocial disability 
• 14.5% reported having a physical restriction only
• 12.4% reported having a learning and understanding disability only
• 5.1% reported having a psychosocial disability only. 

A person may have more than one long-term health condition. In SDAC, people whose long-term condition(s) limit their activities are identified as having disability. Not all long-term health conditions cause disability. It is possible for a respondent to have a long-term health condition that is restrictive enough to cause disability but have other long-term health conditions that are not restrictive.

Of the 183,700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability in 2022, 70.1% reported having two or more long-term health conditions and 53.0% reported having three or more long-term health conditions. 

The most common physical conditions, reported as the main health condition causing the most problems, were diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (17.6%), similar to 2018 (19.0%), including:

• back problems (9.8%)
• arthritis and related disorders (5.0%).

The most common mental and behavioural disorders, reported as the main health condition causing the most problems, were:

• problems with psychological development (11.1%), including Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) (7.7%) and Dyslexia (2.8%)
• behavioural, cognitive and emotional problems with usual onset in childhood or adolescence (13.9%), including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (8.7%)
• Anxiety disorders (12.1%), including Generalised Anxiety Disorder (9.0%) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (5.4%).

Of the 66,700 young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, aged 5-20 years, who reported disability:

• six in ten (60.0%) had difficulty learning and understanding things
• four in ten (43.8%) had a psychosocial disability
• around a quarter (27.0%) had a sensory and speech disability
• a quarter (24.6%) had a physical restriction.

The main long-term health conditions causing the most problems were:

• ADHD (24.6%)
• ASD (14.1%)
• Dyslexia (9.4%). 

Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability may encounter significant barriers in accessing and participating in education. In 2022:

• eight in ten (79.8%) of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, aged 5-20 years, were attending school
• 65.1% reported having a schooling restriction such as having difficulty at school, attending special classes, needing special assistance, equipment or arrangements when attending school 
• 25.6% reported being excluded from school-based activities due to their condition
• 15.3% reported being expelled or suspended from school.

In 2022, of the 183,700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, almost two-thirds (64.8% or 119,100 people) needed assistance with at least one activity of daily life. 

The most common activities where help was needed were:

• cognitive and emotional tasks (40.7% of those with disability)
• mobility (29.4% of those with disability)
• health care (24.1% of those with disability)
• self-care (23.0% of those with disability)
• household chores (22.5% of those with disability).

Almost 9 in 10 (89.3%) of those people who needed assistance received assistance with at least one activity (similar to 2018, 92.7%). More than half (51.7%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability had informal providers of assistance such as family members. One third (33.7%) received assistance from paid formal providers.

In 2022, of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over with disability:

• three in ten (29.4%) had completed year 12, compared with four in ten (42.9%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people without disability
• around one-quarter (24.6%) had completed an advanced diploma, diploma or certificate III or IV as their highest level of educational attainment, less than those without disability (32.7%)
• 6.3% had completed a bachelor degree or higher
• 45.5% had not completed education beyond year 10 or below, compared with 28.5% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people without disability. 

These rates were similar to those in 2018. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability were less likely to be participating in the labour force than those without disability. In 2022, among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability aged 15-64 years: 

• over half (52.1%) were not in the labour force, compared with 17.9% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people without disability
• four in ten (40.2%) were employed, compared with three-quarters (74.5%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people without disability
• one in five (20.7%) were employed full-time and one in five part-time (19.5%) compared with almost half employed full-time (48.4%) and one in four part-time (27.0%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people without disability
• unemployment rates were not significantly different for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with and without disability (15.3% and 9.1% respectively). 

Eight in ten (79.9%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability aged 15-64 years had experienced employment restrictions such as being restricted in hours or type of work, or regularly needing time off work. 

In 2022, of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, aged 15 years and over:

• 61.6% had seen family and friends who were living outside the same household at least once per week in the last 3 months
• 26.2% had seen family and friends who were living outside the same household less than once per week but at least once in the last 3 months
• 8.2% had not seen family or friends living outside of the same household in the last 3 months.

Almost all (94.5%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, aged 15 years and over, had non-visit contact with family or friends living outside of the same household in the last 3 months. 

The most common forms of non-visit contact were:

• phone calls (89.6%)
• texting (77.3%)
• online networking, such as social media (43.4%)
• video calls (33.9%).

In 2022, of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, aged 15 years and over, who answered for themselves:

• 56.4% reported they felt satisfied most or all of the time with their level of social and community participation in the last three months  
• 10.8% reported they felt satisfied none of the time with their level of social and community participation in the last three months 
• 55.6% reported they left home as often as they would like
• 60.3% said they wanted more contact with friends or family not living in the same household.

Over two-thirds (70.0%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, aged 15 years and over who answered for themselves, said they had experienced barriers to participating in social or community activities in the last 3 months. Of those who reported barriers, some of the commonly reported ones were: 

• cost (56.6%) 
• their disability or age or condition (54.7%)
• fear or anxiety (45.9%).

For the first time, the 2022 SDAC asked about experiences of physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect that occurred in the previous 12 months. The collection and reporting of data relating to violence and abuse is in response to demands for improvements in the data available to better understand its prevalence, drivers, and preventive factors, as expressed through the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.²

The new questions were asked of people who:

• were aged 18 years and over, and
• were living in households, and
• received a personal interview which was answered by them and not by someone else for them (via proxy).

It is important to note that the questions about abuse and neglect were voluntary, and some respondents chose not to answer some or all of these questions. Those who preferred not to answer the questions are still included in the total population denominator used to calculate the proportions presented in this analysis.

Of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability who met the above criteria:

• one in five (20.1%) reported they had experienced at least one form of abuse or neglect in the past 12 months
• around one in six (17.1%) reported they had experienced emotional abuse
• one in ten (9.8%) reported they had experienced physical abuse
• around one-third (who were asked) chose not to answer these questions  (32.6%). 

Given the sensitive nature of this subject matter it is important to consider the responsibility to cultural safety when reporting this data. 

In 2022, 102,500 or one in seven (14.1%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were carers. Of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, one in five (20.2%) were carers, almost double that of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people without disability (11.9%). See the Methodology for more information about how carer types are defined.

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary carers, that is people who provided the most care:

• seven in ten (70.1%) were females
• the average age was 43 years
• over four in ten (43.6%) had disability themselves. 

This section examines factors that may influence the interpretation of the data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with disability in relation to the 2022 SDAC conceptual underpinnings, scope, sample design and methodology.

The 2022 SDAC was designed to collect extensive national level data on disability, and to provide accurate prevalence rates of disability for the total Australian population. It was not developed and tested to collect data for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population specifically, so there are limitations in the collection and representativeness of disability data for this population, including:

• Population weights in the 2022 SDAC were not separately calibrated (or benchmarked) to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander estimated resident population (ERP). This means that when the SDAC sample was weighted to the total population, no compensation was made to correct any sampling bias that may occur in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population estimates. See the Methodology for information on survey design, sampling and weighting of the 2022 SDAC.
• The scope of the survey was limited to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in households, and excludes people living in cared accommodation such as hospitals, nursing homes, aged care hostels and other 'homes' such as group homes for people with disability where a person must have been a resident, or expected to be a resident, for three months or more.
• The scope of the survey includes people living in households in urban, regional and remote areas of Australia and excludes people living in very remote areas of Australia and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This analysis of SDAC data makes no assessment of the disability prevalence in those areas excluded from the survey. 
• Reductions to the overall sample collected in 2022, compared with previous cycles of SDAC, mean that comparisons between estimates for some populations may be challenging due to increased margins of error. Caution should be used when comparing estimates for small populations.
• These data limitations should be taken into consideration when interpreting the analysis.

The ABS collects disability data in surveys and the Census of Population and Housing.

The Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) collects a broad range of information about people with disability including levels of severity. SDAC is considered to be the most comprehensive and accurate survey vehicle for estimates of disability prevalence. 

Other ABS surveys, including the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS), have used a shorter module of disability questions to provide useful information about the characteristics of people with disability relative to those without disability. 

The Census collects information on whether a person has a need for assistance with core activities due to a long-term health condition, a disability or old age. Core activities are defined as those which are essential to everyday living: self-care, mobility and communication. This aims to identify people with more severe forms of disability that need personal support, rather than being a broad measure of people with a disability.

It is important to consider the data need when deciding what source of information to use.  More information on the different sources of ABS disability data can be found here: Understanding disability statistics in the Census and the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers | Australian Bureau of Statistics It is important to understand these differences when considering the data outcomes from the different data sources.

Suggested citation: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Avery S. (2025) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with disability, 2022 Survey Disability Ageing and Carers. ABS, Canberra.

1. Avery S, (2018) ‘Culture is Inclusion: A Narrative of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with Disability’, First Peoples Disability Network (Australia), Sydney.
2. Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, Final report (2023).