Information about relative economic and social circumstances of people and households within a geographic area are summarised in this report by ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD) Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) indices. IRSD SEIFA measures relative disadvantage and is summarised as quintiles (1 indicating a lower socioeconomic area, 5 a higher socioeconomic area) in this report.
For more detail, see Technical notes.
Lower socioeconomic areas across Australia generally have higher annual GP bulk billing rates compared with higher socioeconomic areas (Figure 3). Within each socioeconomic area, the pattern of GP bulk billing rates was similar to the overall trend in the national GP bulk billing rate over time (Figure 1). Each socioeconomic area had a rise in GP bulk billing rates in 1996, a decline in 2003 before increasing again in 2004.
In the first 10 months of 2024, the average GP bulk billing rate for the lowest socioeconomic areas was 88%. In comparison, the average GP bulk billing rate for the highest socioeconomic areas was 67%.
