Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the Indigenous peoples of Australia. They are not one group, but rather comprise hundreds of groups that have their own distinct set of languages, histories and cultural traditions (AIHW 2015). The health and welfare of Indigenous Australians living in the big cities are different to those living in the Torres Strait, which are different again to those living on the outskirts of Alice Springs or those living in remote communities.
Indigenous identification in data collections
The Australian Government defines Indigenous Australians as people who: are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent; identify as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin; and are accepted as such in the communities in which they live or have lived.
In most data collections, a person is considered to be Indigenous if they identified themselves, or were identified by another household member, as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin. For a few data collections, information on acceptance of a person as being Indigenous by an Indigenous community may also be required.
At the time of European colonisation, an estimated 320,000 Indigenous people lived in Australia, the majority living in the southeast, and in the Murray River valley and its tributaries (ABS 2002). Colonisation severely disrupted Aboriginal society and economy – epidemic disease caused an immediate loss of life, and the occupation of land by settlers and the restriction of Aboriginal people to ‘reserves’ disrupted their ability to support themselves. Over time, this combination of factors had such an impact that by the 1930s only an estimated 80,000 Indigenous people remained in Australia (Smith 1980).
Colonisation is recognised as having a fundamental impact on the disadvantage and poor health of Indigenous peoples worldwide, through social systems that maintain disparities (see, for example, Paradies 2016; Paradies & Cunningham 2012). Indigenous Australians experience disadvantage in almost all measures of health and welfare when compared with non-Indigenous Australians; this disparity has become known as ‘the Gap’.
Cultural factors – such as connection to Country and caring for Country, knowledge and beliefs, language, self-determination, family and kinship, and cultural expression – can be protective, and positively influence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s health and wellbeing (Bourke et al. 2018). In contrast, racism or racial discrimination and the legacy of colonisation are associated with poorer physical and mental health (Paradies 2006; Priest et al. 2011; Paradies 2016).
Recent events
In early 2020, there were concerns about the potential impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, particularly in remote areas (Yashadhana et al. 2020). Together, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and the Australian Government co-designed a remote travel restrictions and quarantine regime to keep COVID-19 out of the most vulnerable Indigenous communities in remote Australia (see Indigenous COVID-19 advisory groups and response below). As of mid-July 2021, there were 165 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among Indigenous Australians, representing approximately 0.5% of all confirmed cases in Australia (Health 2021).
As of 15 August 2021, there had been 293 confirmed COVID-19 cases among Indigenous Australians since the start of the pandemic. This included 145 confirmed cases since the beginning of 2021 (1.3% of all cases in the period), and 148 in 2020 (0.5%) (Health 2021).
The Black Lives Matter protests and the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted inequities in health and justice outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. These events have also drawn attention to disparities in living conditions–including education, employment and housing–that are related to health and justice outcomes (Marmot et al. 2008; PwC 2017; AIHW & NIAA 2020).
The year 2020 also saw the signing of a new National Agreement on Closing the Gap, an agreement between Australian governments and the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations. Its aim is to work together to ‘overcome the inequality experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and achieve life outcomes equal to all Australians’ (NIAA 2020b). See Closing the Gap below for further details.
Indigenous COVID-19 advisory groups and response
The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), in partnership with the Australian Government, has been critical in driving the response to COVID-19 for Indigenous Australians. NACCHO is the national leadership body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health in Australia. It provides advice and guidance to the Australian Government on policy and budget matters and advocates for community-developed solutions that contribute to the quality of life and improved health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
In March 2020, the Australian Government established the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group on COVID-19 (the Taskforce), co-chaired by NACCHO and the Department of Health. The Taskforce provides culturally appropriate advice to the Department of Health about health issues related to COVID-19, and developed the Management Plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. This plan focuses on culturally appropriate testing and care for Indigenous Australians. It supports health care professionals working with Indigenous Australian communities and peoples to develop and implement local operational plans.
After consultation with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector (through the Taskforce) and with state and territory governments, in March 2021, the Australian Government released the COVID-19 Vaccination Program–Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Implementation Plan. This plan builds on Australia’s COVID-19 Vaccine National Rollout Strategy (released 7 January 2021) and complements the Management Plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. Under it, vaccines will be administered to Indigenous Australians at Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, state and territory government-run Aboriginal Medical Services and other providers.
The First Nations Peoples Strategic Advisory Group (FNPSAG) was set up to support the Disability Royal Commission in its work by providing leadership and guidance on matters specific to Indigenous Australians with disability. Regarding COVID-19, the FNPSAG released a Statement of Concern endorsed by over 70 disability organisations in March 2020 and an issues paper on emergency planning and response in April 2020. The FNPSAG note in their Statement of Concern that Indigenous Australians with disability are not only disproportionally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in general (because they have an increased risk of infection and death), they are also disproportionally affected by the associated social restrictions imposed on them and the resulting breaks in the continuity of essential services (Disability Royal Commission 2020a, 2020b).
In 2016, an estimated 798,400 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were in Australia, representing 3.3% of the total Australian population (ABS 2019c).
Among the Indigenous Australian population in 2016:
- 91% identified as being of Aboriginal origin (an estimated 727,500 people)
- 4.8% identified as being of Torres Strait Islander origin (an estimated 38,700 people)
- 4.0% were of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin (an estimated 32,200 people) (ABS 2018a).
Based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) projections, the number of Indigenous Australians in 2021 was estimated to be 881,600. The Indigenous Australian population is projected to reach about 1.1 million people by 2031 (ABS 2019b).
About Indigenous populations estimates
The ABS produces Estimated Resident Populations (ERPs) for Indigenous Australians every 5 years (the Census years), with the latest available relating to 2016. The ABS also produces ‘backcast estimates’ for years before the Census year and ‘projections’ for future years, based on the latest Census year estimates along with assumptions about births, deaths and migration (see Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians for details).
This snapshot provides ERP data for 2016, and ABS 2016 Census-based projections (Series B) for 2021 data where available.
Age distribution
The Indigenous population has a relatively young age structure. In 2016, the median age was 23.0 years, compared with 37.8 for non-Indigenous Australians (ABS 2018a).
In 2021, a projected 32% of Indigenous Australians are aged under 15 (compared with 18% of non-Indigenous Australians), and only 5.4% of Indigenous Australians are aged 65 and over (compared with 17% of non-Indigenous Australians) (Figure 1).