Overview

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the Indigenous people of Australia. They are not one group, but comprise hundreds of groups that have their own distinct set of languages, histories and cultural traditions.

AIHW reports and other products include information about Indigenous Australians, where data quality permits. Thus, information and statistics about Indigenous Australians can be found in most AIHW products.

AIHW products that focus specifically on Indigenous Australians are captured on this page.

Note: Following a recent restructure of Indigenous information on the AIHW website, this page includes those AIHW reports that used to be found on the Indigenous health and welfare services page.

Latest findings

The prevalence of active trachoma in children aged 5–9 in at-risk communities fell from 15% in 2009 to 4.5% in 2019 Around 44% of Indigenous Australians who had a diabetes test were screened for diabetic retinopathy in 2018–19 Late antenatal care was associated with increased odds of low birthweight and NICU/SCN admission Having no antenatal care was associated with increased odds of pre-term birth and perinatal death The cataract surgery rate for Indigenous Australians increased by 42% between 2008–10 and 2016–18 (age-standardised) 30% of Indigenous Australians had an eye health check in 2018–19 increasing from 11% in 2010-11 (age-standardised) IREGs with higher rates of antenatal care were more likely to have lower rates of adverse mother and baby outcomes In 2016–2017 63% of Indigenous mothers attended antenatal care in the first trimester, up from 55% in 2014–2015

Latest reports

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Highlights

3.6 millionepisodes of care were provided by Indigenous primary health services in 2017–18
3.3%of the total Australian population were Indigenous Australians in 2016
47% of children and young people in the Northern Territory had hearing loss in 2018—less than the 55% in 2012
19%of the Indigenous disease burden in 2011 was caused by mental health and substance use disorders
The median ageof Indigenous Australians was 23 in 2016, compared with 38 for non‑Indigenous Australians
1 in 3Indigenous youth experienced high levels of psychological distress in 2014–15, compared with 1 in 8 non‑Indigenous youth
64%of the burden of disease among Indigenous Australians is due to chronic diseases