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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

This release previously used catalogue number 3238.0.55.001.