9 insights into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ nutrition

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Released
3/10/2025
Source
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, 2023
Release date and time
03/10/2025 11:30am AEST

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today released the first snapshot of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ nutrition in over a decade.

Access to healthy and nutritious foods

  • In 2023, almost seven in ten Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (68 per cent) aged 18 years and over living in non-remote areas were always able to access healthy and nutritious foods in the four weeks before the survey. For remote areas, the figure was four in ten people (40 per cent).
  • Among people who couldn’t always access healthy and nutritious foods, six in ten people (61 per cent) said cost was the main barrier. Availability was the main barrier for two in ten people (20 per cent).
  1. Excludes people who were not present at interview.
  2. Remoteness Areas are defined by the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). See Remoteness Areas, Australia, July 2021 to June 2026 (abs.gov.au).
  3. The difference between non-remote and remote is not statistically significant.
  4. The proportion for non-remote has a high margin of error and should be used with caution.

Barriers to drinking tap water

  • Two in ten people (20 per cent) aged 2 years and over said they experienced barriers to drinking tap water at home in the previous year. The most common barrier was taste (51 per cent) followed by safety concerns (27 per cent).

Food and drinks consumed

  • The most popular food group was Cereal-based mixed dishes, with 59 per cent of people surveyed (aged 2 years and over) eating these foods on a typical day. This includes foods like sandwiches, pasta, noodles, burgers and pizza.
  • Almost half of everyone surveyed (47 per cent) consumed sweetened drinks on a typical day. This included 38 per cent who drank soft drinks and flavoured mineral waters, and 9 per cent who drank cordials.

Sugar, sodium and discretionary foods

  • Free sugars contributed to 12 per cent of energy intake. This is lower than in 2012–13 (14 per cent), but above the World Health Organization recommendation of less than 10 per cent.
  • Sodium intake was higher for people living in non-remote areas (2,538 mg) than remote areas (2,190 mg). For reference, one teaspoon of salt has about 2,300 mg of sodium.
  • Discretionary foods contributed more to energy intake for people living in non-remote areas (38 per cent) than for those living in remote areas (33 per cent). This includes foods like biscuits, confectionery, pastries, snack foods, sweetened drinks, and alcohol.

Dieting

  • Around 13 per cent of people aged 15 years and over were on a diet to lose weight or for other health reasons. Among these people, healthy eating (40 per cent) and weight loss or low calorie (28 per cent) were the most common types of diet.

More information can be found in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey topic on the ABS website.

Media notes

  • All figures above refer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
  • Non-remote and remote areas are based on the remoteness structures published in the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3. Non-remote areas include Major Cities of Australia, Inner Regional Australia and Outer Regional Australia. Remote areas include Remote Australia and Very Remote Australia.
  • Tap water includes water sourced from a town or community water supply, tanks, springs, wells, bores or other sources.
  • Consumption on a ‘typical day’ is derived from the food and drinks reported by people on the day before their interview and excludes intakes from dietary supplements.
  • ‘Food group’ refers to the corresponding AUStralian Food and NUTrient (AUSNUT) 2023 classification sub-major food group. This analysis excludes the sub-major group ‘Waters, municipal and bottled’. For more information on the AUSNUT 2023 classification, see methodology.
  • Sweetened drinks contain added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or both. Sweetened drinks also include diet drinks.
  • Free sugars include all the added sugars put into food and drinks during their processing or preparation as well as sugars naturally present in fruit and vegetable juices, syrups and honey.
  • Discretionary foods are high in energy, saturated fat, added sugar or salt, and typically low in essential nutrients.
  • When reporting ABS data you must attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.
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