This is the first AIHW article focusing on LGBTIQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, questioning, and other sexual and gender identity) people who are serving and ex-serving members of the ADF (collectively referred to as veterans).

Understanding the demographic, health and welfare characteristics of LGBTIQ+ veterans is important because these persons are intersectional for 2 populations identified as being at higher risk of suicide (Suicide Prevention Australia 2023). The Australian LGBTIQ+ population experiences discrimination and specific challenges to their health and wellbeing. Veterans generally experience mental health risks associate with the unique nature of their service work with the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Therefore LGBTIQ+ persons who are also veterans may have different service experiences that require tailored support during and after ADF service.

The population of LGBTIQ+ veterans is believed to be small. Robust data for the entire LGBTIQ+ population has been hard to collect (see LGBTIQ+ communities - Data sources) which has meant difficulty in reporting on these veterans. However, the introduction of a question on ADF service in the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census of Population and Housing (the Census) has, for the first time, enabled population-level analysis of a subset of LGBTIQ+ veterans who responded as living in a same-sex couple.

This article commences by providing contextual information on the demographics and health of LGBTIQ+ Australians and veterans. This is followed by a snapshot, based on the 2021 Census, of the basic demographic, welfare and health characteristics of a proportion of lesbian, gay and bisexual veterans. Data limitations prevented reporting on the full diversity in the LGBTIQ+ veteran population, however, the acronym was kept in the article title to reflect this point. The article concludes by discussing the data sources, limitations and potential future directions for research on LGBTIQ+ veterans.

The article does not establish causal links between the observed demographic characteristics or the presence of health conditions for LGBTIQ+ veterans with their LGBTIQ+ identity and/or impact of ADF service. While comparisons to other population groups are provided, they are purely for the purpose of context. Any differences between veteran and non-veteran-related groups cannot be directly attributed to LGBTIQ+ identity and/or impact of ADF service alone.

Box 1: Who are LGBTIQ+ people?

  • The AIHW uses the term 'LGBTIQ+' to refer to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans/transgender, intersex, queer and other sexuality (including asexual), gender and bodily diverse people (AIHW 2025b).
  • The LGBTIQ+ population is very diverse but these people are often grouped together because of a shared history of challenges and discrimination (AIHW 2025b).
  • Other acronyms exist for sub-groups within the LGBTIQ+ community. This article uses the acronym LGBTIQ+ where applicable. All other sub-group and/or gender diverse terms are written in full to clarify which group is being discussed. Further definitions can be found at LGBTIQ+ communities - Glossary.

LGBTIQ+ Australians

Demographics

In 2024, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) estimated 910,600 (4.5%) LGBTIQ+ people aged 16+ years were living in Australia.

The Australian LGBTIQ+ population has a younger age structure compared with the total Australian population, with 59% of LGBTIQ+ people aged 16–34 years and 8% aged 65 years and over (compared with 32% and 21%, respectively, for all Australians).

People who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or who use a different term to describe their sexual orientation are more likely to live in Victoria and less likely to live in Western Australia. For more information see Estimates and characteristics of LGBTI+ populations in Australia.

Health and welfare

LGBTIQ+ persons can face health and wellbeing challenges such as discrimination, and barriers to accessing culturally safe and relevant health and support services (Robinson et al. 2014). Despite these challenges, factors such as stable and positive support networks have been identified as protective for both physical and emotional wellbeing (see LGBTIQ+ communities Overview).

Mental health and suicide

LGBTIQ+ Australians have been identified as a priority population for suicide prevention (AIHW 2025b; ABS 2024).

Almost half (48%) of people who describe their sexual orientation as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or use a different term (referred to as LGB+), had seriously thought about taking their own life at some point in their lifetime, compared with 15% of cisgender heterosexual Australians (ABS 2024). Four in 5 non-binary people (80%) had seriously thought about taking their own life at some point in their lifetime, compared with one in 7 men (15%) and just over one in 6 women (18%). More than one in 4 trans people aged 16–85 years (29%) had seriously thought about taking their own life at some point in their lifetime, compared with one in 6 cisgender people (17%) (ABS 2024).

In general, members of the LGBTIQ+ population are more likely to experience a mental health condition compared with non-LGBTIQ+ Australians. About 75% of LGB+ people had experienced a mental health condition in their lifetime compared with 42% of cisgender heterosexual Australians. Of all non-binary people, 85% had experienced a mental health condition at some time in their life, compared with 42% of all men and 43% of all women. Young trans people (aged 16–34 years) were more likely to experience a mental disorder at some time in their life than cis people of the same age (71% compared with 48.%) (ABS 2024).

LGBTIQ+ veterans

Box 2: Who are ‘veterans’ in this article?

This article defines veterans as people currently serving or who have previously served in the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Veterans include current serving members of the permanent (sometimes called regular) service, current serving members of the reserve service and ex-serving members who previously served in the permanent or reserve service.

Lesbian, gay or bisexual people were not able to openly serve in the ADF until November 1992 when the Australian government lifted a ban on homosexual or bisexual men and women serving in the military. Transgender persons who identified that they wished to transition were not permitted to join or remain in-service during their transition until September 20101,2. The Department of Defence does not collect any information on the LGBTIQ+ identity of ADF members through its personnel data system (Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide 2024).

  1. Australian Defence Force Medical Policy (ADFP) 1.2.1.1 prior to September 2010
  2. Defence Instructions (General) – PERS 16-16 Trans-gender Personnel in the Australian Defence Force, April 2000 (CANCELLED)

The Department of Defence’s 2023 ADF Census of current serving members found 3% of regular service members were gay or lesbian and a further 3% were bisexual. The gender breakdown in the permanent service included 78% males, 20% females, 0.3% non-binary and 0.1% using a different term (described as intersex/indeterminate/unspecified in the 2019 ADF census). Within the reserve population, 2% were gay or lesbian and 2% were bisexual. The 2023 gender proportions were 80% male, 19% female, 0.3% non-binary and 0.1% using a different term. Only 47% of regular, and 40% of reserve members responded to the voluntary ADF Census. Individuals may have chosen not to respond or disclose being an LGBTIQ+ person. The 2019 ADF Census reported that 0.5% of permanent members and 0.1% of reserve members identified as transgender, however no statistic was reported in the 2023 ADF Census (Department of Defence 2019 and 2023).

Information on the health and welfare of Australian LGBTIQ+ veterans is limited.

Research from the United States found that compared to other serving members, current serving lesbian, gay, and transgender members are at increased risk of discrimination based, military sexual trauma including physical violence, derogatory language, sexual harassment and sexual assault (Gurung et al. 2017). Ex-serving lesbian, gay and bisexual members are more likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and alcohol problems compared with other ex-serving members (Parco and Levy, 2016). Of active military members, cisgender sexual minority men had greater odds of suicidality compared with cisgender heterosexual men (Holloway et al. 2021). It is unknown how these findings compare with Australian veterans.

Characteristics of veterans living in a same-sex couple

This article presents an analysis of Australian veterans who were living in a same-sex couple and compares their characteristics with other veterans and persons living in a same-sex couple who have never served in the ADF. The analysis is based on information collected in the 2021 ABS Census (Box 3).

Box 3: Why is the ABS Census used for this analysis?

This article uses 2021 Census data because it collected information from all Australians, enabling population-wide data to be collected on veterans.

The 2021 Census did not explicitly collect data on sexual or gender diversity, including LGBTIQ+ data. Therefore, this article, uses the Census variable ‘same-sex couple’ which is based on place of enumeration and refers to a person living in a same-sex couple family household on Census night (10 August 2021). A person’s decision to disclose that they are living with a spouse in a same-sex couple may be considered personal and sensitive, and therefore some people may choose not to respond.

The same-sex couple variable only represents a proportion of lesbian, gay and bisexual Australians and does not reflect the whole LGBTIQ+ Australian population. This should be considered when interpreting the findings in this article (see Data sources on LGBTIQ+ veterans for further information).

The 2026 Census is planned to include a new topic on sexual orientation and gender and will collect LGBTIQ+ data. Once available, this data will enable comprehensive reporting on LGBTIQ+ veterans.

In 2021 there were 4,200 veterans living in a same-sex couple which was equivalent to 0.7% of all veterans. Veterans living in an opposite-sex couple comprised 64% and the remaining 35% of veterans were not living in a couple. These proportions were similar to those who have never served (see Table 1).

Despite the female veteran population being much smaller than the male veteran population, most veterans in same-sex couples were female (2,400 female compared with 1,800 male). Of female veterans, 2.9% were in a same-sex couple while the proportion was only 0.4% for male veterans. Of veterans living in a couple, there were ten times more females in a same-sex couple (5.4%) than males (0.5%).

The highest proportion of veterans in a same-sex couple by service status was among female reserve members (4.4%). The proportion of male veterans living in a same-sex couple was 0.4% in each ADF service status.

The proportion of veterans living together in a same sex-couple (0.7%) was similar to the proportion of persons who have never served who are in a same-sex couple (0.8%). Among people who have never served, there was no sex difference in the proportion of female and male same-sex couples. The proportion of females living in a same-sex couple was higher for veterans (2.9%) than for non-veterans (0.8%). Conversely, the proportion of males in a same-sex couple was lower for veterans (0.4%) than for non-veterans (0.9%).

Table 1 shows the number and proportion of veterans by the type of couple they were in, if any, and by ADF status.

Table 1: Veterans living in same-sex couples by Australian Defence Force status, 2021

Population group

Regular

Reserve

Ex-serving

All veterans

Never served

Male same-sex couple

186 (0.4%)

86 (0.4%)

1,529 (0.4%)

1,807 (0.4%)

78,085 (0.9%)

Female same-sex couple

482 (3.8%)

207 (4.4%)

1,738 (2.6%)

2,420 (2.9%)

76,822 (0.8%)

All same-sex couples

664 (1.1%)

291 (1.2%)

3,271 (0.7%)

4,228 (0.7%)

154,907 (0.8%)

Opposite-sex couple

29,778 (49.5%)

17,018 (69.5%)

326,605 (65.8%)

373,405 (64.3%)

11,981,866 (65.2%)

Not in a couple

29,731 (49.4%)

7,159 (29.3%)

166,248 (33.5%)

203,132 (35.0%)

6,254,139 (34.0%)

Source: 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing, population aged 17 and older. Note that sums do not add to totals due to perturbation. Proportions based on small figures should be interpreted with caution due to perturbation. ADF status is self-identified. Same-sex couple indicator data is derived from variables including sex and ‘relationship in household’.

Veterans in same-sex couples were younger

In 2021 the highest proportion of veterans in same-sex couples were in younger age groups, especially between 25 and 34 years. In this age group, 1.5% (830) of veterans were in a same-sex couple, mainly driven by females (570 comprising 5.6% of females). The historical limitation on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons serving in the ADF may have had an impact on the proportion of same-sex couples in the older age groups (Riseman et al 2018).

Every age group and ADF service status had a higher proportion of female same-sex couples than the equivalent age group of females who have never served. The opposite pattern was observed for male veterans (Figure 1).

There was also a higher proportion of people in same-sex couples in the younger age groups for veterans and among people who have never served.

Figure 1: Proportion of veterans living in a same-sex couple as a proportion of all people living in couple families, by sex, age, and ADF status, 2021

This is a column chart showing the proportion of people by ADF status in a same-sex couple as a proportion of all people. The chart presents this by sex and age group.

Sex

Note: 65 years and over not applicable to current serving regular and reserve members due to upper retirement age cutoff for ADF service.

Source: AIHW analysis of 2021 ABS Census of Population and Housing

Veterans in same-sex couples are more likely to live in major cities than regional and rural areas

Remoteness areas divide Australia into 5 classes of remoteness which are characterised by a measure of relative geographic access to services.

In 2021, most veterans in a same-sex couple live in Major cities (68%) or Inner regional areas (21%). Among current serving members, 74% of those in a same-sex couple live in Major cities. However, when broken down by sex, more current serving males in a same-sex couple (83%) live in Major cities than current serving females (70%).

A higher proportion of non-veterans in a same-sex couple lived in Major cities (79%) compared with veterans in a same-sex couple (68%). A higher proportion of veteran in a same-sex couple live in Major cities compared with veteran in an opposite-sex couple (62%). This pattern was consistent for both current serving and ex-serving members. The same pattern of residence was also observed in same-sex (79%) and opposite sex (74%) couples who have never served.

A third of veterans in a same-sex couple have a bachelor’s degree or higher education

A quarter of veterans (25%) in a same-sex couple had an educational attainment of year 12 or below while one-third (34%) had a bachelor’s degree or higher. Among veterans in a same-sex couple, proportions of educational attainment were similar for current serving males and females (24% of males and 23% of females had year 12 or below, while 35% of males and females had a bachelor’s degree or higher).

Among veterans, a higher proportion of those in a same-sex couple had a bachelor’s degree or higher (34%) compared with those who live in an opposite-sex couple (24%). A difference in educational attainment between males in same-sex and opposite-sex couples was the predominant source of this difference. For current serving males aged 35 to 64 years, 51% of those in a same-sex couple and 40% in an opposite-sex couple had a bachelor’s degree or higher. Among ex-serving males aged 35 to 64 years, 37% of those in a same-sex couple and 27% in an opposite-sex couple had a bachelor’s degree or higher.

A lower proportion of veterans in a same-sex couple had a bachelor’s degree or higher (34%) compared with people in a same-sex couple who have never served (46%). This pattern was consistent for males and females and for all age groups.

Most working age ex-serving members in a same-sex couple are employed

For veterans who are still of working age, gaining employment after separation from the ADF is an important part of the transition into civilian life.

In this section, ‘employed’ includes people who are employed full-time, part-time and employed but away from work. ‘Not in labour force’ means that a person is not working and not seeking employment.

Most ex-serving members aged less than 65 years (working age) who live in a same-sex couple were employed (81% for 17 to 34 year olds and 80% for 35 to 64 year olds). Within each age group, the employment rate for ex-serving males and females in a same-sex couple were generally similar to each other:

  • 17 to 34 years: males (78%), females (82%)
  • 35 to 64 years: males (80%), females (79%)

This differed from working age ex-serving members in an opposite-sex couple where a higher proportion of males were employed than females:

  • 17 to 34 years: males (85%), females (74%)
  • 35 to 64 years: males (80%), females (74%)

Working age female ex-serving members in a same-sex couple had a higher employment rate and a lower rate of not being in the labour force compared with ex-serving females in opposite-sex couples. This pattern was also observed in the never served population.

However, a higher proportion of working age ex-serving members who live in a same-sex couple were not in the labour force, compared with those in a same-sex couple who had never served. For example, 16% of ex-serving members aged 17 to 34 years in a same-sex couple were not in the labour force, compared with the 9% of similar aged people in a same-sex couple who have never served. This pattern was present for both males and females. There are many possible reasons for a person to not be in the labour force and from this high-level analysis alone, it is not possible to deduce any reasons.

The median total household income for Australia in 2021 was $1,746 per week (APH 2022). Most working age veterans (79%) in a same-sex couple have a household income of $2,000 or more per week. A higher proportion of veterans aged 17 to 34 years in a same-sex couple had a household income of $2,000 or more per week (81%) in comparison with people in a same-sex couple who have never served (71%). This pattern was particularly evident among females (80% compared with 65%).

Most veterans living in either a same-sex or an opposite-sex couple own their own home

In 2021, two-thirds (67%) of veterans living in a same-sex couple owned their own home (with or without a mortgage), compared with renting (31%). A higher proportion of veterans in opposite-sex couples owned their homes (80%) and a lower proportion rented (17%), which was consistent across groups. Within each age group, the proportion of people in same-sex couples who owned their home was similar for veterans and for those who have never served.

More than 2 out of 3 veterans aged 65 and older in a same-sex couple were living with a long-term health condition

This section analysed the prevalence of self-reported, selected long-term health condition among veterans. The conditions analysed included: arthritis, asthma, cancer, dementia, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, lung condition, mental health condition and stroke (for more information see Type of long-term health condition).

Some long-term health conditions are associated with age (see Chronic conditions). Due to the different age distribution of veterans in same-sex couples compared with veterans in opposite-sex couples and persons who have never served in same-sex couples, age-specific comparisons were conducted for analysis of long-term health conditions.

The proportion of veterans in a same-sex couple with at least one selected long-term health condition was:

  • 26% for ages 17 to 34, compared with 19% for veterans in opposite-sex couples and 30% for people in same-sex couples who have never served
  • 40% for ages 35 to 64, compared with 36% for veterans in opposite-sex couples and 33% for people in same-sex couples who have never served
  • 68% for ages 65 and over, compared with 69% for veterans in opposite-sex couples and 59% for people in same-sex couples who have never served.

Veterans in a same-sex couple aged under 65 years were more likely to be living with a long-term health condition than similar aged veterans in opposite-sex couples (Figure 2). This pattern was consistent for current and ex-serving members as well as for people who have never served in the ADF.

Figure 2: Proportion of veterans living in same-sex and opposite sex couples by number of long-term health conditions and age, 2021

This is a column chart showing the proportion of veterans living in same-sex and opposite sex couples by number of long term health conditions (none, one, and two or more long-term health conditions) and by age group (17-34 years, 35-64 years and 65 years and older)

Age group

(a)  Includes Not stated.

Source: AIHW analysis of 2021 ABS Census of Population and Housing

Mental health conditions are common among ex-serving members in a same-sex couple

This section focuses on ex-serving members as small numbers prevented reliable analysis of current serving members.

The most common long-term health conditions by age group were:

  • 17–34 years:
    • mental health condition was most common, with 27% of ex-serving members in a same-sex couple, 17% of ex-serving members in an opposite-sex couple and 20% of persons in a same-sex couple who have never served.
  • 35–64 years:
    • mental health condition was most common, with 20% of ex-serving members in a same-sex couple, 16% of ex-serving members in an opposite-sex couple and 15% of persons in a same-sex couple who have never served.
  • 65 years and older:
    • arthritis was most common, with 34% of ex-serving members in a same-sex couple, 31% for ex-serving members in an opposite-sex couple and 28% of persons in a same-sex couple who have never served.

Mental health conditions were more common among female ex-serving members than males in same-sex and opposite-sex couples across each age group. This pattern was also observed in the never served population. Figure 3 shows the prevalence of each long-term health condition by couple type and age group.

Figure 3: Prevalence of long-term health conditions for ex-serving ADF members by couple type and age group, 2021

This is a bar chart showing the proportion of ex-serving ADF members in a same-sex couple family with a selected long-term health condition by sex, age and in comparison with ex-serving ADF members in an opposite-sex couple family.

This is a bar chart showing the proportion of ex-serving ADF members in a same-sex couple family with a selected long-term health condition by sex, age and in comparison with ex-serving ADF members in an opposite-sex couple family.

Notes:

  1. Only data for ex-serving members is shown due to small counts for regular and reserve members.
  2. Sums do not add to totals due to perturbation. Proportions based on small counts should be interpreted with caution due to perturbation.
  3. Other conditions are those diagnosed by a doctor or nurse, last 6 months or longer and include health conditions that: may recur from time to time; are controlled by medication; are in remission.
  4. Lung conditions include COPD or emphysema.
  5. Dementia includes Alzheimer’s disease.

One in 6 older veterans in same-sex couples needed assistance with core activities

Among veterans, rates of needing assistance with core activities were generally similar between those in same-sex and opposite-sex couples. In veterans 65 years and older, 18% of veterans living in a same-sex couple, and 17% of veterans living in an opposite sex couple required assistance due to a profound or severe core activity limitation. These proportions were lower for those who have never served in the ADF (14% for same-sex and opposite-sex).

One in 5 older female veterans in a same-sex couple had unpaid carer responsibilities

Female veterans in a same-sex couple were more likely than males to provide unpaid assistance. For veterans aged 35 to 64 years, 18% of females and 15% of males in a same-sex couple provided unpaid assistance. For veterans aged 65 years and older, 21% of females and 13% of males in a same-sex couple provided unpaid assistance. The same pattern was observed for males and females in an opposite-sex couple in each age group and service status.

Overall, a slightly lower proportion of veterans living in a same-sex couple (14%) provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability, health condition, or due to old age, compared with veterans living in an opposite sex couple (16%). Of people who have never served, 12% of those in a same-sex couple and 14% in an opposite-sex couple had provided unpaid assistance which is a slightly lower proportion than the corresponding group of veterans.

Data sources on LGBTIQ+ veterans

ABS Census of Population and Housing

The analysis outlined in this article is drawn from the 2021 ABS Census. The 2021 Census was the first census to include a question on previous or current Australian Defence Force (ADF) service. It also collected information on whether a person was living in a same-sex couple on Census night.

The ABS has acknowledged the deficiencies in the 2021 Census, regarding the omission of certain topics and the framing of questions leading to feelings of exclusion that members of the LGBTIQ+ community encountered in responding (ABS 2023).

Despite these short-comings, the most comprehensive current data source for LGBTIQ+ veterans is the ABS Census as this collects data from all Australians, whereas other data sources will only include a proportion of veterans and can therefore only be used to produce estimates. Due to this, the Census has more representative data and can be used to explore more detailed breakdowns than other data sources.

The Census data also includes additional socio-demographic information and can be linked with other data sources that collect person-level information to provide further insight into the health and welfare characteristics of LGBTIQ+ veterans.

The same-sex couple variable in the Census only represents a proportion of lesbian, gay and bisexual Australians and does not reflect the true number of LGBTIQ+ Australians or LGBTIQ+ veterans. The 2021 Census did not collect data around gender identity, variations of sex characteristics or sexual orientation, so data on veterans reported in this article only includes LGBTIQ+ couples living together (for more information, see same sex couples living together in Australia).

The 2026 Census is planned to include a new topic on sexual orientation and gender and will collect LGBTIQ+ data (see Outcomes of the 2026 Census topic review). Once this data is available, it will enable reporting on a broader group of LGBTIQ+ veterans.

Other data sources

In addition to Census data, there are various survey and administrative data sources that can provide information on LGBTIQ+ veterans. Each of the data sources generally rely on persons self-identifying whether they are LGBTIQ+. Some data sources also rely on self-identification of veteran status whereas others do not. There may be reluctance for some people to identify as being LGBTIQ+ which could impact findings from the data sources. This issue may be greater for data sources where current serving members may be concerned about how this information would be used.

Data sources that could be used to conduct research in the future on LGBTIQ+ veterans are outlined in the downloadable supplementary data table. This table outlines each data source, what it contains and which veterans it could provide information on. Many of the data sources on LGBTIQ+ veterans are enhanced through data linkage which can integrate data on veterans with data on people who identify as LGBTIQ+ and data on health or welfare:

  1. the National Health Data Hub (NHDH) includes Emergency Department (ED), National Death Index (NDI), Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), Aged Care Services, and National Insurance Disability Scheme (NDIS) data. The NHDH includes DVA client / card holder status.
  2. the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) combines information on health, education, government payments, income and taxation, employment and population demographics (including the Census) over time. PLIDA includes ADF status and DVA client/card holder status.

These data assets can be used to access some of the data listed in the supplementary Data sources on LGBTIQ+ veterans.

Future directions

This article provided an overview of existing knowledge, presented exploratory analysis using Census data, and outlined information on data sources on LGBTIQ+ veterans.

Further research on the health and welfare of LGBTIQ+ veterans may be limited because of the small size of this subpopulation. There are several challenges in collecting this information which has reduced the current availability of LGBTIQ+ data (AIHW 2025a). The inclusion of questions around gender, sexual orientation, and innate variations of sex characteristics in the 2026 ABS Census is the most likely source of additional population-level data.

Future lines of enquiry could include:

  • ADF service characteristics
  • suicidality and intentional self-harm leading to emergency department or admitted hospital care as well as causes of death
  • analysis to explore why the proportion of females in a same-sex couple is higher than males, even though females comprise a much lower total proportion of all veterans. For example, are there reasons that males in a same-sex couple or same-sex attracted men are less likely to serve in the ADF? Or are males less inclined to disclose they live in a same-sex couple, and if so, what are the barriers or stigma associated with reporting this?

 

Data