Remoteness area
The Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Remoteness Structure (ABS 2021) defines remoteness areas in 5 classes of relative remoteness:
- Major cities
- Inner regional
- Outer regional
- Remote
- Very remote.
These remoteness areas are centred on the Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia, which is based on the road distances people have to travel for services (ABS 2021).
On an average day in 2024–25, most young people under supervision were living in Major cities (54%), or Inner regional or Outer regional areas (34%) before entering supervision (based on their postcode of last address) (Table S21a).
About 7.7% had lived in Remote or Very remote areas. A remoteness area could not be determined for 4.8% of young people.
These data contrast with young people aged 10–17 in the general population, where a higher proportion were living in Major cities (71%) and lower proportions were living in Inner regional or Outer regional areas (26%) and in Remote or Very remote areas (2.0%) (Tables S144 and S148).
On an average day in 2024–25, First Nations young people under supervision were most likely to have lived in Inner regional or Outer regional areas (45%), followed by Major cities (38%), and then Remote or Very remote areas (13%) (Table S21a).
Non-Indigenous young people under supervision on an average day were most likely to have lived in Major cities (71%), followed by Inner regional or Outer regional areas (22%), and then Remote or Very remote areas (0.7%) (Table S21a).
Patterns were similar for community-based supervision and detention (Tables S56a and S96a).
Although most young people under supervision had come from cities and regional areas, those from geographically remote areas had the highest rates of supervision.
On an average day in 2024–25, young people aged 10–17 who were from Very Remote areas (88 per 10,000) were about 10 times as likely to be under supervision as those from Major cities (8.8 per 10,000) (Figure 4.2; Table S22c).
This pattern was similar for young people under community-based supervision and in detention.
On an average day, young people aged 10–17 from Remote areas were about:
- 5 times as likely as those from Major cities to be under community-based supervision (Table S57c)
- 6 times as likely to be in detention (Figure 4.2; Table S97c).
Young people aged 10–17 from Very remote areas were about:
- 11 times as likely as those from Major cities to be under community-based supervision (Table S57c)
- 8 times as likely to be in detention (Figure 4.2; Table S97c).
While First Nations young Australians comprise of almost 7% of the total youth population, they make up around 56% of those under supervision (Tables S35b and S142). In 2021, the proportion of the total population who were First Nations increased with remoteness, comprising 30% of the population in Remote areas and nearly half of the total population in Very remote areas (AIHW, 2025; AIHW, 2025a).
People in remote and very remote areas of Australia face higher levels of relative disadvantage compared to those in major cities (ABSa, 2021). Higher rates of young people under supervision most often lived in lower socioeconomic areas before entering supervision.
These factors, amongst others, contribute to Remote and Very remote areas being associated with a greater likelihood for youth justice supervision.
Figure 4.2: Young people aged 10–17 under supervision on an average day, by remoteness of usual residence and supervision type, Australia, 2024–25 (rate)
This interactive chart shows those who were classified as living in remote and very remote areas had the highest supervision rates of any youth justice supervision; major city youth had the lowest.
Notes
- Remoteness area could not be determined for 4.9% of young people under youth justice supervision.
- Age on an average day is calculated based on the age a young person is each day that they are under supervision. If a young person changes age during a period of supervision, the average daily number under supervision will reflect this. Average daily data broken
down by age will not be comparable with data in Youth justice in Australia releases before 2019–20. - The number and rate of young people on an average day not available for the Northern Territory in 2024–25 for all supervision and community-based supervision.
- Rates for the Australian Capital Territory in 2024–25 are for young people aged 12–17 due to the increase to the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12.
Source: tables S22c, S57c and S97c.
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2021) Remoteness structure, ABS, Australian Government.
—— (2021a), Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Australia, ABS Website, accessed 14 March 2026.
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2025). Profile of First Nations people, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 16 March 2026.
—— (2025a). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework: summary report June 2025. AIHW: Australian Government. Accessed 16 March 2026.