At the 2021 Australian census, 278,043 people in New South Wales were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. New South Wales is Australia’s most populated state, also housing Australia’s largest city, Sydney. By comparison, Australia’s second largest state, Victoria, was home to around 66 thousand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

There are around 800,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, which represents just over three percent of the Australian population. Indigenous people are often referred to as Australia's first people or the traditional custodians of the land in recognition of their ancestors inhabiting Australia more than 60,000 years ago. Australia's Indigenous peoples are represented by two distinct groups. Aboriginal people come from the Australian mainland. Torres Strait Islander people inhabit the group of Islands between the northern tip of Queensland and Papua New Guinea and represent less than 40,000 people.

Closing the gap

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience significantly poorer health and wellbeing outcomes when compared to their non-Indigenous Australian counterparts. The average life expectancy of Indigenous Australians is around eight years shorter than that of the non-Indigenous population. In education, Indigenous Australians are also underrepresented, but attendance rates are improving and in 2019, full-time Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students numbered well over 200,000 people.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander resident population in Australia was forecasted to increase to close to 1.1 million by 2031, based on 2016 population estimates. The forecasted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander resident population for 2023 was approximately 919 thousand people.

The share of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in Australia in 2019 was highest in New South Wales with around 33 percent of the indigenous population in Australia living there. Comparatively, the Australian Capital Territory accounted for only one percent of the country's indigenous population in that year.

This dataset presents the estimates of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, non-Indigenous and total populations of Australia for the year ending at 30 June 2016, based on results of the 2016 Census of Population and Housing. The data is by Local Government Areas (LGA) following the 2016 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Australia comprises people who are of Aboriginal origin, Torres Strait Islander origin or both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin. The Commonwealth definition of an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person is: a person of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent who; identifies as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin and who is; accepted as such by the community with which the person associates. This data is Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data (catalogue number: 3238.0.55.001) used with permission from the ABS. For more information please visit the ABS Explanatory Notes. Please note: AURIN has spatially enabled the original data.

This dataset presents the estimates of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, non-Indigenous and total populations of Australia for the year ending at 30 June 2016, based on results of the 2016 Census of Population and Housing. The data is by Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2) regions following the 2016 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Australia comprises people who are of Aboriginal origin, Torres Strait Islander origin or both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin. The Commonwealth definition of an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person is: a person of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent who; identifies as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin and who is; accepted as such by the community with which the person associates. This data is Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data (catalogue number: 3238.0.55.001) used with permission from the ABS. For more information please visit the ABS Explanatory Notes. Please note: AURIN has spatially enabled the original data.

Indigenous Locations (ILOC)

Indigenous Locations (ILOCs) represent small Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities (urban and rural) that are near each other or that share language, traditional borders, or Native Title. Indigenous Locations (ILOCs) are geographic areas built from whole Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1s).

ILOCs usually have a minimum population of about 90 usual residents. In some cases, they may have a smaller Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population to meet statistical requirements or to better represent the local community. ILOCs combine to form Indigenous Areas (IAREs).

Using ILOCs with Census data

Use ILOCs if you require very specific information about an area. Due to their small population size, there are limitations to the quality of data at this geography level.

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Australian Bureau of Statistics (Jul2021-Jun2026), Data services and APIs, ABS Website, accessed 25 July 2023.

https://www.abs.gov.au/website-privacy-copyright-and-disclaimer#copyright-and-creative-commons

In 2021, the proportion of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people living in major cities in Australia amounted to 41.1 percent of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander population. By comparison, 73.7 percent of the non-Indigenous population lived in major cities. Although the majority of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander population lived in major cities and inner regional areas, almost one in ten lived in very remote communities.

Whole exome sequencing (WES) is a popular and successful technology which is widely used in both research and clinical settings. However, there is a paucity of reference data for Aboriginal Australians to underpin the translation of health-based genomic research. Here we provide a catalogue of variants called after sequencing the exomes of 50 Aboriginal individuals from the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia and compare these to 72 previously published exomes from a Western Australian (WA) population of Martu origin. Sequence data for both NT and WA samples were processed using an ‘intersect-then-combine’ (ITC) approach, using GATK and SAMtools to call variants. A total of 289,829 variants were identified in at least one individual in the NT cohort and 248,374 variants in at least one individual in the WA cohort. Of these, 166,719 variants were present in both cohorts, whilst 123,110 variants were private to the NT cohort and 81,655 were private to the WA cohort. Our data set provides a useful reference point for genomic studies on Aboriginal Australians.

The average life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia is just one indicator of the gap in health outcomes that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. From 2015 to 2017, the average life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island men and women in major cities in Australia was 72.1 and 76.5 years, respectively. By comparison, the non-Indigenous population lived around eight years longer on average. This divide is even more pronounced in rural and very remote areas where the life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders drops to below 70 years.

Closing the gap

Over the past decade the federal, state and territory Governments of Australia have been working toward closing the gap of inequality experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with the Closing the Gap Framework, introduced in 2008. The Framework identified seven target areas for improving the health and wellbeing outcomes of Indigenous Australians. These target areas covered early childhood, schooling, health, economic participation, healthy homes, safe communities, and governance and leadership. In 2020, school enrollment rates were steadily increasing and more Indigenous Australians were attaining a bachelor degree. As a result, the schooling target was considered to be ‘on track’ along with early childhood education participation.

More work to be done

Although two of the seven targets were ‘on track’ in 2020, the other five Closing the Gap targets were not. This indicated that Australia still has a long way to go in order to significantly reduce the gap of disadvantage faced by indigenous Australians. This is evident in the proportion of Aboriginal Australians who remain unemployed or not in the labor force and Indigenous youth incarceration rates, which have been increasing.

Here we provide a catalogue of variants called after sequencing the exomes of 50 Aboriginal individuals from the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia and compare these to 72 previously published exomes from a Western Australian (WA) population of Martu origin. Sequence data for both NT and WA samples were processed using an ‘intersect-then-combine’ (ITC) approach, using GATK and SAMtools to call variants. The data is provided as 2 VCF files, one for the WA population and one for the NT population.

In 2016, the total population of Aboriginal people in New South Wales, Australia was 254,842. By comparison, the state with the highest number of Torres Strait Islander residents was Queensland with over 24,000 people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are differentiated by the area of Australia their ancestors inhabited. Aboriginal people come from the Australian mainland and Tasmania, Torres Strait Islander people come from the string of islands between northern Queensland and Papua New Guinea.

Sources: [17], [18], [22], [36], [42], [43], [44], [45], [46], [47], [48], [49], [50], [51].

Genotype and exome data for an Australian Aboriginal population: a reference panel for health-based research.

The Koori Health Research Database (KHRD) contains the genealogies and life events of approximately 8,000 Kooris who lived in Victoria and New South Wales in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Macquarie Atlas of Indigenous Australia Dataset

This dataset presents a range of data items sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The data is derived from the November 2024 release of Data by region. Individual data items present the latest reference year data available on Data by region. This layer presents data by Local Government Areas (LGA), 2021.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples theme is based on groupings of data within Data by region. Concepts, sources and methods for each dataset can be found on the Data by region methodology page.

Topics in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples theme include:

Estimated resident population Language (Census) Engagement in employment, education or training (Census) Labour force status (Census) Unpaid assistance to person with disability (Census) Unpaid childcare (Census) Voluntary work (Census) Tenure type (Census)

The Closing the Gap topics that are informed by Census data are included in the update:

Target 5: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 20-24 years attaining Year 12 or an equivalent qualification to 96 per cent. Target 6: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25-34 years who have completed a tertiary qualification (Certificate III and above) to 70 per cent. Target 7: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth aged 15-24 years who are in employment, education or training to 67 per cent. Target 8: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25-64 years who are employed to 62 per cent. Target 9A: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in appropriately sized (not overcrowded) housing to 88 per cent.

When analysing these statistics:

Time periods, definitions, methodologies, scope, and coverage can differ across collections.
Some data values have been randomly adjusted or suppressed to avoid the release of confidential data, this means

    some small cells have been randomly set to zero
    care should be taken when interpreting cells with small numbers or zeros.

Data and geography references

Source data publication: Data by region Geographic boundary information: Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3 Further information: Data by region methodology, reference period 2011-24 Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

Made possible by the Digital Atlas of Australia

The Digital Atlas of Australia is a key Australian Government initiative being led by Geoscience Australia, highlighted in the Data and Digital Government Strategy. It brings together trusted datasets from across government in an interactive, secure, and easy-to-use geospatial platform. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is working in partnership with Geoscience Australia to establish a set of web services to make ABS data available in the Digital Atlas of Australia.

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Indigenous Regions (IREG)

Indigenous Regions (IREGs) are large geographic areas built from whole Indigenous Areas and are based on historical boundaries. IREGs are created by aggregating one or more Indigenous Areas (IAREs).

Using IREGs with Census data

Their larger population size means that more Census variables are released at an IREG level compared to Indigenous Locations (ILOCs) and IAREs. This means that you can use multiple Census variables to get more information about an area. Note, IREGs cover a larger area than ILOCs and IAREs so information is less specific to a particular location.

Use IREGs if you want more information about an area by using multiple Census variables.

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Australian Bureau of Statistics (Jul2021-Jun2026), Data services and APIs, ABS Website, accessed 25 July 2023.

https://www.abs.gov.au/website-privacy-copyright-and-disclaimer#copyright-and-creative-commons

ABS Census data extract - G01 SELECTED PERSON CHARACTERISTICS BY SEX providing a breakdown of population at Suburb level and by:age groupsaboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander persons (a)birthplace (b) and (c)language used at home (d)age of persons attending an education institution (e)highest year of school completed (f)count of persons in occupied private dwellings (g)Count of persons in other dwellings (g) (h)This data is based on place of usual residence unless otherwise stated.(a) Applicable to persons who are of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin.(b) Includes 'Australia', 'Australia (includes External Territories), nfd', 'Norfolk Island' and 'Australian External Territories, nec'.(c) Includes 'Inadequately described', and 'At sea'. Excludes not stated.(d) Includes 'Inadequately described' and 'Non-verbal, so described'. Excludes not stated.(e) Comprises 'Preschool', 'Primary' (including Government, Catholic, Other non-Government, Primary not further defined), 'Secondary' (including Government, Catholic, Other non-Government, Secondary not further defined) and 'Tertiary' (including vocational education (including TAFE and private training providers), university or other higher education, Tertiary not further defined). Excludes persons who did not state which type of education institution they were attending.(f) Applicable to persons aged 15 years and over.(g) Data is based on place of enumeration. Excludes overseas visitors.(h) Includes 'Visitors only' and 'Other non-classifiable' households, 'Non-private dwellings' and 'Migratory, off-shore and shipping' SA1s.Please note that there are small random adjustments 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 table totals.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population projections

The data is presented by the ACT Government for the purpose of disseminating information for the benefit of the public. The ACT Government has taken great care to ensure the information in this report is as correct and accurate as possible. Whilst the information is considered to be true and correct at the date of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information. Differences in statistical methods and calculations, data updates and guidelines may result in the information contained in this report varying from previously published information.

This dataset documents food retail stores that service remote Indigenous communities in Australia. A seed list created by the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) was extended and validated, including reviews by experts and stakeholders, during 2022. Store location, contact information, management, and ownership/legal registration were identified along with the size of the community the store serves. A final dataset of 233 remote or very remote stores was created.