Torres Strait Islands

2016 Census Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people QuickStats
Area code 315011402
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 4,148
Male 50.6%
Female 49.4%
Median age 23
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households 924
Average people per household 3.8
Median weekly household income $904
Median monthly mortgage repayments $0
Median weekly rent $120

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People

demographics & education | cultural & language diversity | employment

Demographics & education

People tables are based on a person's place of usual residence on Census night

People Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Aboriginal 50 1.2 148,940 79.9 590,062 90.9
Torres Strait Islander 3,595 86.7 21,056 11.3 32,344 5.0
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 503 12.1 16,487 8.8 26,767 4.1

For the 2016 Census in Torres Strait Islands, there were 4,148 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Of these, 50.6% were male and 49.4% were female.

View the data quality statements for: Place of Usual Residence (PURP) Indigenous status (INGP)

Age Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Median age 23 -- 22 -- 23 --
0-4 years 526 12.7 21,857 11.7 73,265 11.3
5-14 years 979 23.7 44,223 23.7 147,134 22.7
15-24 years 716 17.3 35,876 19.2 123,719 19.1
25-34 years 622 15.0 24,524 13.2 88,861 13.7
35-44 years 434 10.5 20,754 11.1 72,394 11.2
45-54 years 373 9.0 18,739 10.0 67,415 10.4
55-64 years 293 7.1 12,308 6.6 45,433 7.0
65 years and over 196 4.7 8,194 4.4 30,952 4.8

In Torres Strait Islands, the median age of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people was 23 years. Of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 36.2% were children aged 0 to 14 years and 4.7% were people aged 65 years and over.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Married 564 21.4 26,266 21.8 105,086 24.5
Separated 39 1.5 5,219 4.3 19,112 4.5
Divorced 39 1.5 7,870 6.5 28,796 6.7
Widowed 106 4.0 3,492 2.9 13,794 3.2
Never married 1,892 71.7 77,564 64.4 261,980 61.1

In Torres Strait Islands, 21.4% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were married and 3.0% were either divorced or separated.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Social marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Registered marriage 440 19.6 22,449 21.1 86,716 23.1
De facto marriage 589 26.3 18,992 17.9 60,051 16.0
Not married 1,214 54.1 64,807 61.0 228,281 60.9

In Torres Strait Islands, 19.6% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were in a registered marriage and 26.3% were in a de facto marriage.

View the data quality statement for Social marital status (MDCP)
Education attendance Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Pre-school 80 5.4 3,597 4.9 16,698 6.4
Primary 758 50.9 29,132 39.8 97,859 37.5
Secondary 211 14.2 19,602 26.8 65,208 25.0
Technical or further education institution 72 4.8 3,177 4.3 14,227 5.5
University or tertiary institution 14 0.9 4,645 6.3 15,489 5.9
Other 11 0.7 1,750 2.4 5,047 1.9
Not stated 342 23.0 11,357 15.5 46,428 17.8

Of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Torres Strait Islands, 35.9% were attending an educational institution. Of these, 50.9% were attending a primary school, 14.2% were attending a secondary school and 5.8% were attending a tertiary or technical institution.

View the data quality statement for Educational Institution Attendee Status (TYSTAP)
Level of highest educational attainment
People aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Bachelor Degree level and above 49 1.9 6,490 5.4 24,911 5.8
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 118 4.5 7,156 5.9 23,795 5.5
Certificate level IV 106 4.0 3,808 3.2 14,308 3.3
Certificate level III 416 15.8 17,714 14.7 56,625 13.2
Year 12 582 22.0 21,285 17.7 59,949 14.0
Year 11 173 6.6 9,701 8.1 34,674 8.1
Year 10 300 11.4 21,474 17.8 77,265 18.0
Certificate level II 14 0.5 280 0.2 1,215 0.3
Certificate level I 3 0.1 58 0.0 241 0.1
Year 9 or below 275 10.4 15,282 12.7 64,604 15.1
No educational attainment 16 0.6 920 0.8 4,256 1.0
Not stated 534 20.2 13,484 11.2 56,698 13.2

Of people aged 15 and over in Torres Strait Islands, 22.0% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 19.8% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 4.5% had completed an Advanced Diploma or Diploma.

View the data quality statement for Level of highest educational attainment (HEAP)

Cultural & language diversity

Australian Indigenous language, top responses Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 2,464 59.5 5,742 3.1 6,000 0.9
Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Kalaw Lagaw Ya 493 11.9 912 0.5 939 0.1
Meriam Mir 120 2.9 187 0.1 213 0.0
Kriol 3 0.1 354 0.2 7,108 1.1
 null  null  null  null  null  null  null
English only spoken at home 112 2.7 161,165 86.4 544,491 83.9

English was the only language spoken at home by 2.7% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Torres Strait Islands. The only other responses for language at home were Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 59.5%, Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Kalaw Lagaw Ya 11.9%, Meriam Mir 2.9% and Kriol 0.1%.

View the data quality statement for Language spoken at home (LANP)
Ancestry, top responses Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Torres Strait Islander 3,593 69.7 13,059 5.0 14,948 1.7
Australian Aboriginal 462 9.0 36,062 13.8 140,480 15.8
Papua New Guinean 246 4.8 1,329 0.5 1,621 0.2
Australian 155 3.0 114,137 43.5 399,843 45.0
Maritime South-East Asian, nec 144 2.8 144 0.1 152 0.0

Respondents had the option of reporting up to two ancestries on their Census form, and this is captured by the Ancestry Multi Response (ANCP) variable used in this table. Therefore, the total responses count will not equal the persons count for this area. Calculated percentages represent a proportion of all responses from people in Torres Strait Islands (including those who did not state an ancestry).

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Torres Strait Islands, the most common ancestries were Torres Strait Islander 69.7%, Australian Aboriginal 9.0%, Papua New Guinean 4.8%, Australian 3.0% and Maritime South-East Asian, nec 2.8%.

View the data quality statement for Ancestry (ANCP)

Employment

Employment
People who reported being in the labour force, aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Worked full-time 444 43.5 30,836 46.8 106,960 48.0
Worked part-time 339 33.2 17,867 27.1 61,049 27.4
Away from work 56 5.5 3,935 6.0 14,143 6.4
Unemployed 182 17.8 13,259 20.1 40,486 18.2
Not in the labour force 1,386 52.4 51,070 42.4 190,132 44.3

There were 1,021 people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in Torres Strait Islands. Of these 43.5% were employed full time, 33.2% were employed part-time and 17.8% were unemployed.

The ABS Labour Force Survey provides the official estimates of Australia's unemployment rate. More information about Census and labour force status is provided in Understanding the Census and Census Data.

For information on the Community Development Programme (CDP) please refer to the Census Data Dictionary. CDP data is available in TableBuilder.

View the data quality statement for Labour force status (LFSP)
Occupation, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Community and Personal Service Workers 162 19.3 8,935 17.0 30,991 17.0
Professionals 152 18.1 6,202 11.8 24,339 13.4
Labourers 145 17.3 8,925 17.0 27,814 15.3
Clerical and Administrative Workers 118 14.1 6,728 12.8 23,174 12.7
Technicians and Trades Workers 93 11.1 7,056 13.4 24,399 13.4
Sales Workers 59 7.0 4,797 9.1 15,791 8.7
Managers 53 6.3 3,333 6.3 12,844 7.1
Inadequately described 24 2.9 834 1.6 3,291 1.8

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Torres Strait Islands, the most common occupations were Community and Personal Service Workers 19.3%, Professionals 18.1%, Labourers 17.3%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 14.1%, Technicians and Trades Workers 11.1%, Sales Workers 7.0%, Managers 6.3% and Inadequately described 2.9%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Local Government Administration 226 27.7 2,109 4.0 5,511 3.0
Primary Education 73 9.0 1,434 2.7 4,897 2.7
Supermarket and Grocery Stores 51 6.3 1,674 3.2 5,555 3.1
Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 48 5.9 1,812 3.4 5,542 3.0
Combined Primary and Secondary Education 47 5.8 778 1.5 2,639 1.4

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Torres Strait Islands, the most common industries of employment were Local Government Administration 27.7%, Primary Education 9.0%, Supermarket and Grocery Stores 6.3%, Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 5.9% and Combined Primary and Secondary Education 5.8%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly incomes
People aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Personal 363 -- 453 -- 441 --
Household 904 -- 1,222 -- 1,203 --

The median weekly personal income for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Torres Strait Islands was $363 and the median weekly household income was $904.

View the data quality statements for: Total personal income (INCP) Total household income (HIND)

Unpaid work
People aged 15 years and over
Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 1,732 65.4 75,703 62.9 263,334 61.4
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 963 36.5 38,265 31.8 136,079 31.7
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 242 9.2 15,171 12.6 58,541 13.7
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 520 19.7 18,300 15.2 63,303 14.8

In Torres Strait Islands, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 65.4% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 36.5% provided care for children and 9.2% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 19.7% of people did voluntary work through an organisation or a group.

View the data quality statements for: Unpaid domestic work (DOMP) Unpaid child care (CHCAREP) Unpaid assistance (UNCAREP) Voluntary work (VOLWP)

Dwellings

dwelling characteristics | dwelling structure

Dwelling characteristics

Dwelling tables exclude visitor only and other non-classifiable households

Dwelling characteristics
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Average number of people per household 3.8 -- 3.3 -- 3.2 --
Average number of persons per bedroom 1.1 -- 1 -- 1 --
Average number of registered motor vehicles per dwelling 0.5 -- 1.7 -- 1.7 --

There has been change in methodology used to calculate the average number of persons per bedroom. To compare the time series for average number of persons per bedroom please refer to Understanding the Census and Census Data

In Torres Strait Islands, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the average household size was 3.8 persons, with 1.1 persons per bedroom and 0.5 registered motor vehicles per dwelling.

View the data quality statements for: Number of Bedrooms in Private Dwelling (BEDD) Household composition (HHCD) Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

Housing costs
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Median weekly rent 120 -- 270 -- 250 --
Median monthly mortgage repayments 0 -- 1,733 -- 1,660 --

In Torres Strait Islands, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the median weekly rent was $120 and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $0.

View the data quality statements for: Rent weekly payments (RNTD) Mortgage monthly repayments (MRED) Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

Family household composition
Counts the types of families within family households at the dwelling level
Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
One family household: Couple family with no children 77 8.3 11,886 15.9 42,536 16.2
One family household: Couple family with children 310 33.4 23,609 31.6 80,803 30.7
One family household: One parent family 189 20.4 19,239 25.8 67,528 25.7
One family household: Other family 31 3.3 1,624 2.2 5,547 2.1
Multiple family household: Couple family with no children 20 2.2 576 0.8 2,223 0.8
Multiple family household: Couple family with children 81 8.7 1,381 1.8 4,951 1.9
Multiple family household: One parent family 42 4.5 1,702 2.3 5,768 2.2
Multiple family household: Other family 6 0.6 117 0.2 471 0.2
Other household 172 18.5 14,572 19.5 53,195 20.2

In Torres Strait Islands, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households, 10.5% were a couple family with no children, 42.1% were a couple family with children and 24.9% were a one parent family.

In multiple family households, only the family composition of the primary family is recorded. Other household includes lone person households and group households.

View the data quality statement for Family Household Composition, dwelling level (HCFMD)

Dwelling structure

Dwelling structure
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Separate house 871 94.5 60,179 80.9 211,205 80.7
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 43 4.7 6,987 9.4 27,017 10.3
Flat or apartment 4 0.4 6,288 8.5 20,580 7.9
Other dwelling 4 0.4 909 1.2 2,897 1.1

In Torres Strait Islands there were 924 private dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Where a dwelling type was stated, 94.5% were separate houses, 4.7% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 0.4% were flats or apartments and 0.4% were other dwellings.

View the data quality statement for Dwelling structure (STRD)
Tenure
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Torres Strait Islands % Torres Strait Islands Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Owned outright 29 3.1 7,727 10.3 32,045 12.2
Owned with a mortgage 0 0.0 17,634 23.6 68,085 25.9
Rented 851 92.3 46,197 61.8 150,832 57.3
Other tenure type 14 1.5 409 0.5 1,888 0.7
Tenure type not stated 28 3.0 2,743 3.7 10,182 3.9

In Torres Strait Islands, of dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 3.1% were owned outright, 0.0% were owned with a mortgage and 92.3% were rented.

View the data quality statement for Tenure type (TEND)

Small random adjustments have been made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from the table totals. For further information, go to the User Guide for QuickStats.

Data reported for Australia and Other Territories now includes Norfolk Island, following an amendment to the Acts Interpretation Act, 1901. Because Norfolk Island has not previously been included in the Census, any 2011 benchmarks will not include Norfolk Island.