3238.0.55.001 - Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, June 2016 Quality Declaration 
Latest ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 31/08/2018   
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This document was added 18/09/2018.



SUMMARY COMMENTARY


ESTIMATES OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER AUSTRALIANS

This publication presents the final population estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians as at 30 June 2016 for various geographies, replacing the national, state and territory preliminary estimates released on 27 September 2017 in Australian Demographic Statistics, March Quarter 2017 (cat. no. 3101.0). Estimates are disaggregated by age (5-year age groups, with some single year of age data available) and sex for state and territory, Remoteness Areas and Indigenous Regions. Only total person estimates for Statistical Areas Level 2 are available.

The final estimated resident Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Australia as at 30 June 2016 was 798,400 people, or 3.3% of the total Australian population. This population estimate represents a 19% increase in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population estimates from the estimate of 669,900 for 30 June 2011. The size of this increase cannot be explained by demographic factors alone and will be explored in the upcoming publication Census of Population and Housing: Understanding the Increase in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Counts Between 2011 and 2016 (cat. no. 2077.0) to be released October, 2018.


Indigenous Status (individual categories)

Among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in 2016, 91% of people (727,500 people) identified as being of Aboriginal origin only, 5% (38,700) were of Torres Strait Islander origin only, and 4% (32,200) were of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin.

Estimated resident population, Indigenous status, 30 June 2016
Aboriginal only
Torres Strait Islander only
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Total Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Non-Indigenous
Total
no.
no.
no.
no.
no.
no.
NSW
254 842
5 888
4 955
265 685
7 467 173
7 732 858
Vic.
54 044
2 350
1 373
57 767
6 115 405
6 173 172
Qld
176 910
24 873
19 493
221 276
4 623 876
4 845 152
SA
40 393
1 115
757
42 265
1 670 578
1 712 843
WA
96 497
1 882
2 133
100 512
2 455 466
2 555 978
Tas.
26 152
1 322
1 063
28 537
488 977
517 514
NT
71 288
1 020
2 238
74 546
171 132
245 678
ACT
7 113
196
204
7 513
395 591
403 104
Aust.(a)
727 485
38 660
32 220
798 365
23 392 542
24 190 907
(a) Includes Other Territories.



Age structure

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population at 30 June 2016 had a younger age structure than the non-Indigenous population, with larger proportions of young people and smaller proportions of older people.This is reflective of higher fertility rates as well as higher mortality rates than the Non-Indigenous population. The median age of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population at 30 June 2016 was 23.0 years, compared to 37.8 years for the Non-Indigenous population.



ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER AND NON-INDIGENOUS POPULATION - 30 JUNE 2016





States and territories

Of the states and territories, the largest populations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians lived in New South Wales (265,700 people) and Queensland (221,400 people). The smallest population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians lived in The Australian Capital Territory (7,500 people). In 2016, about three quarters of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population lived in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia combined.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians comprised 30% of the population of the Northern Territory, the highest proportion of any state or territory.

Estimated resident population, Indigenous status, 30 June 2016
Estimated resident population
Median age
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Non-Indigenous
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Non-Indigenous
no.
%
no.
%
years
years
Males
NSW
132 708
3.5
3 701 099
96.5
21.8
37.3
Vic.
28 805
0.9
3 022 251
99.1
22.4
36.2
Qld
109 991
4.6
2 293 182
95.4
21.4
37.1
SA
20 927
2.5
825 950
97.5
22.1
39.3
WA
50 217
3.9
1 231 751
96.1
23.3
36.3
Tas.
14 164
5.5
242 049
94.5
22.2
42.0
NT
37 668
29.5
90 008
70.5
25.2
35.4
ACT
3 802
1.9
195 978
98.1
22.7
34.5
Aust.(a)
398 413
3.3
11 604 626
96.7
22.3
37.0
Females
NSW
132 977
3.4
3 766 074
96.6
23.4
39.1
Vic.
28 962
0.9
3 093 154
99.1
23.2
38.1
Qld
111 285
4.6
2 330 694
95.4
22.7
38.6
SA
21 338
2.5
844 628
97.5
23.4
41.4
WA
50 295
3.9
1 223 715
96.1
24.3
37.6
Tas.
14 373
5.5
246 928
94.5
24.5
44.1
NT
36 878
31.3
81 124
68.7
27.0
34.4
ACT
3 711
1.8
199 613
98.2
24.4
35.9
Aust.(a)
399 952
3.3
11 787 916
96.7
23.7
38.7
Persons
NSW
265 685
3.4
7 467 173
96.6
22.6
38.2
Vic.
57 767
0.9
6 115 405
99.1
22.8
37.1
Qld
221 276
4.6
4 623 876
95.4
22.0
37.9
SA
42 265
2.5
1 670 578
97.5
22.8
40.3
WA
100 512
3.9
2 455 466
96.1
23.8
36.9
Tas.
28 537
5.5
488 977
94.5
23.3
43.1
NT
74 546
30.3
171 132
69.7
26.0
34.9
ACT
7 513
1.9
395 591
98.1
23.5
35.1
Aust.(a)
798 365
3.3
23 392 542
96.7
23.0
37.8
(a) Includes Other Territories.



Remoteness Areas

At 30 June 2016, over one-third of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people lived in Major Cities of Australia (298,400 people), compared with around three-quarters of the Non-Indigenous population (17,013,400). A further 189,400 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (24%) and 4,153,900 Non-Indigenous people (18%) lived in Inner Regional Australia.

There were 161,800 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (20%) who lived in Outer Regional Australia compared with 1,879,100 Non-Indigenous people (8.0%). The 53,500 remaining Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (7%) lived in Remote Australia and Very Remote Australia (95,200 or 12.0%), while 239,900 Non-Indigenous people (1.0%) lived in Remote Australia and 106,300 or 0.5% in very remote Australia.

Estimated resident Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, Remoteness Areas, 30 June 2016
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Non-Indigenous
Total
Remoteness Areas
%
%
%
Major Cities
37.4
72.7
71.6
Inner Regional
23.7
17.8
18.0
Outer Regional
20.3
8.0
8.4
Remote
6.7
1.0
1.2
Very Remote
11.9
0.5
0.8


NOTES

ABOUT THIS RELEASE

The estimates of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous populations presented in this publication are based on 2016 Census of Population and Housing counts adjusted for net undercount as measured by the Post Enumeration Survey. The extent of undercoverage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in the 2016 Census and the relatively small sample size of the Post Enumeration Survey to adjust for that undercoverage means the estimates should be interpreted with a degree of caution.

Description of the methods used to produce the estimates are contained in the technical note in this product.

Single year of age population estimates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for 30 June 2016 should be used with additional caution. The estimates are subject to errors that cannot be comprehensively adjusted for within the population estimates compilation process, given the limited ability to estimate Census undercount by Indigenous status and other demographic characteristics. Features present in single year of age Census counts may be likely to appear in population estimates even after adjustments for undercount and other factors have been applied. The ABS recommends that five year age groups should be used in preference to single year of age data wherever possible, particularly for states and territories with relatively small Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.


INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.