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.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework

Find information about health status and outcomes, determinants of health, and health system performance for Indigenous Australians

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Latest findings

In 2017–19, Indigenous patients left hospital against medical advice at 6 times the rate of non-Indigenous patients In 2018–19, 91% of Indigenous Australians in non-remote areas felt their doctor always/often respected what they said In 2018–19, 50% of Indigenous patients waited 50 days to be admitted for elective surgery (40 days for non-Indigenous) From 2013 to 2019 the number of Indigenous medical practitioners employed across Australia increased from 234 to 488

Latest reports

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Highlights

3.3% of the total Australian population were Indigenous Australians (798,400 people) in 2016
85% of Indigenous youth aged 15–17 had never smoked in 2018–19
3.7 millionepisodes of care were provided by Indigenous-specific primary health care organisations in 2018–19
24% of Indigenous Australians reported having a mental health or behavioural condition in 2018–19
66% of Indigenous Australians aged 20–24 had attained Year 12 or equivalent (Certificate II or above) in 2018–19
30%of Indigenous Australians had an Indigenous health check in 2017–18
42% increase in cataract surgery rate for Indigenous Australians between 2008–10 and 2016–18
17% decline in avoidable mortality rates for Indigenous Australians between 2006 and 2018