People and communities

Description

• Estimated Resident Population (ERP) of First Nations people.


• ERP of First Nations people as a proportion of the total ERP.

Data period

30 June 2021

Data source

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) ERP (2021 Census based) (ABS 2023a) for the following region types: Local Government Areas (LGA), Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2), Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3), States and Territories, Australia, Indigenous Regions (IREG).

Region types reported

• Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Main Structure regions: LGA, SA2, SA3, States and Territories, Australia


• ASGS 2021 Indigenous structure regions: IREG

Suppression rule

Data for percentages have been suppressed if the denominator for the percentage was less than 100, due to concerns about the reliability of percentages based on small denominators.

Notes

• The denominator for the percentage is total number of Australians.


• Population estimates for LGA, SA2, SA3, IREG, States and Territories and Australia are sourced from an ABS publication (ABS 2023a). These are Estimated Resident Population (ERP) data based on results of the 2021 and 2016 Census of Population and Housing, with adjustments for net undercount as measured by the Post Enumeration Survey (PES).


• The (ERP) is the official measure of the population of Australia, and is based on the concept of usual residence. It refers to all people, regardless of nationality, citizenship or legal status, who usually live in Australia, with the exception of foreign diplomatic personnel and their families. The ERP includes usual residents who are overseas for less than 12 months and excludes overseas visitors who are in Australia for less than 12 months (ABS 2016). 


• The total estimated resident First Nations population in Australia at 30 June 2021 was 983,300—comprising 812,500 people counted on Census night, plus 170,800 measured as net undercount (see ABS 2023b for details).


• The extent of undercoverage of First Nations people in the 2021 Census, together with the relatively small sample size of the Post Enumeration Survey to adjust for that undercoverage, means the estimates should be interpreted with a degree of caution (ABS 2023b).


• Data have been randomly adjusted by the ABS to protect confidentiality. No reliance should be placed on small numbers.

First Nations identification

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Australia comprises people who are: of Aboriginal origin; Torres Strait Islander origin; or both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin.

The ERP data are based primarily on the 2021 Census of Population and Housing. A person's Indigenous status is determined by their response to the ABS Standard Indigenous Question: "Are you of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin?" for which categories are:

• No


• Yes, Aboriginal


• Yes, Torres Strait Islander

This question also allows respondents to report that they are both 'Aboriginal' and 'Torres Strait Islander' if that is how they identify.

While the Census aims to obtain a complete count of the number of people in Australia, some people are missed. In obtaining a count of the Indigenous population, an additional issue for those who were counted in the Census is that Indigenous status is sometimes not stated. In the 2021 Census, Indigenous status was not stated for 4.9% of people.

The ABS conducts a (PES) after each Census to measure Census coverage. Based on this, the ABS estimated that the net undercount in the 2021 Census was 17.4% for the Indigenous population, and 0.6% for the total population (ABS 2023b). ERP data are based on Census data that have been adjusted for undercounting.

Reference material

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2016). Census of Population and Housing: Census Dictionary. Canberra: ABS.

ABS (2023a) Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, June 2021, ABS website, accessed 25 September 2023.

ABS (2023b) Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians methodology, June 2021, ABS website, accessed 6 November 2023.

Description

• Number of First Nations people.


• First Nations people as a proportion of the total population.

Data period

Census night (10 August) 2021

Data source

• ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing (ABS 2022) for the following region types: Indigenous Locations (ILOC), Indigenous Areas (IARE).

Region types reported

ASGS (2021) Indigenous structure regions: ILOC, IARE.

Suppression rule

Data for percentages have been suppressed if the denominator for the percentage was less than 100, due to concerns about the reliability of percentages based on small denominators.

Notes

• Data are based on place of usual residence (that is, the place where a person usually lives). It may or may not be the place the person was counted on Census night.


• The denominator for First Nations population is the total (all ages) First Nations population in the selected region, and the denominator for non-Indigenous Australians is the total (all ages) non-Indigenous population in the region.

First Nations identification

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Australia comprises people who are: of Aboriginal origin; Torres Strait Islander origin; or both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin.

The 2021 Census of Population and Housing. A person's Indigenous status is determined by their response to the ABS Standard Indigenous Question: "Are you of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin?" for which categories are:

• No


• Yes, Aboriginal


• Yes, Torres Strait Islander

This question also allows respondents to report that they are both 'Aboriginal' and 'Torres Strait Islander' if that is how they identify.

While the Census aims to obtain a complete count of the number of people in Australia, some people are missed. In obtaining a count of the Indigenous population, an additional issue for those who were counted in the Census is that Indigenous status is sometimes not stated. In the 2021 Census, Indigenous status was not stated for 4.9% of people.

Reference material

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2022) Census of Population and Housing [TableBuilder], ABS website, accessed 12 May 2023.

Description

• First Nations males as a proportion of total First Nations population.


• First Nations females as a proportion of total First Nations population.

Data period

• 30 June 2021 for the following region types: Indigenous Regions (IREG), States and Territories, Australia.


• Census night (9 August) 2021 for the following region types: Indigenous Locations (ILOC), Indigenous Areas (IARE), Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2), Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3), Statistical Areas Level 4 (SA4), Local Government Areas (LGA).

Data source

• Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Estimated Resident Population (ERP) data (2021 Census-based) for the following region types: IREG, States and Territories and Australia.


• ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing (ABS 2022) for the following region types: ILOC, IARE, SA2, SA3, SA4, LGA.

Region types reported

• Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) 2021 Main Structure regions: LGA, SA2, SA3, SA4, States and Territories, Australia


• ASGS 2021 Indigenous structure regions: ILOC, IARE, IREG

Suppression rule

Percentages have been suppressed if the denominator for the percentage was less than 100, due to concerns about the reliability of percentages based on small denominators.

Notes

• Population estimates are used for all region types and are sourced from an ABS publication (ABS 2023a). These are (ERP) data based on results of the 2021 Census of Population and Housing, with adjustments for net undercount as measured by the Post Enumeration Survey (ABS 2023b).


• ERP data by age were not available for all region types. In the absence of these estimates ABS 2021 Census counts were used to calculate proportions (ABS 2022).


• Data are based on place of usual residence (that is, the place where a person usually lives). It may or may not be the place the person was counted on Census night.

Reference material

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2022) Census of Population and Housing [TableBuilder], ABS website, accessed 12 May 2023.

ABS (2023a) Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, June 2021, ABS website, accessed 25 September 2023.

ABS (2023b) Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians methodology, June 2021, ABS website, accessed 6 November 2023.

Description

• Proportion of First Nations people in each age group.


• Proportion of non-Indigenous Australians in each age group.

Age groups: 0–4 years, 5–14 years, 15–24 years, 25–44 years, 45–64 years, 65 and over.

Data periods

• 30 June 2021 for the following region types: Indigenous Region (IREG), States and Territories, Australia.


• Census night (10 August) 2021 for the following region types: Indigenous Locations (ILOC), Indigenous Areas (IARE), Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2), Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3), Statistical Areas Level 4 (SA4), Local Government Areas (LGA),

Data sources

• Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Estimated Resident Population (ERP) data (2021 Census-based) (ABS 2023a) for the following region types: IREG, States and Territories and Australia


• ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing (ABS 2022) for the following region type: ILOC, IARE, SA2, SA3, SA4, LGA.

Region types reported

• Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) 2021 Main Structure regions: LGA, SA2, SA3, SA4, States and Territories, Australia


• ASGS 2021 Indigenous structure regions: ILOC, IARE, IREG

Suppression rule

Percentages have been suppressed if the denominator for the percentage was less than 100, due to concerns about the reliability of percentages based on small denominators.

Notes

• Population estimates are used for all region types are based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data. These are ERP data based on results of the 2021 Census of Population and Housing, with adjustments for net undercount as measured by the Post Enumeration Survey (PES). ERP data by age were not available for ILOC, IARE, SA2, SA3, SA4 or LGA. In the absence of these estimates, ABS 2021 Census counts were used to calculate proportions. Census counts are not adjusted for net undercount.


• Data are based on place of usual residence (that is, the place where a person usually lives). It may or may not be the place the person was counted on Census night.


• The denominator for First Nations people is the total (all ages) First Nations population in the selected region, and the denominator for non-Indigenous Australians is the total (all ages) non-Indigenous population in the region.

First Nations people identification

In the data shown, 'Indigenous' refers to people identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin. The information could be provided directly by the individual, or by someone else on their behalf. 'Non-Indigenous' refers to those who were not of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin.

People for whom information on Indigenous status was not stated were excluded from the analysis. In the 2021 Census, Indigenous status was not stated for 4.9% of the population (2023b).

Reference material

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2022) Census of Population and Housing [TableBuilder], ABS website, accessed 12 May 2023.

ABS (2023a) Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, June 2021, ABS website, accessed 25 September 2023.

ABS (2023b) Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians methodology, June 2021, ABS website, accessed 6 November 2023.

Description

• Proportion of First Nations people who speak an Indigenous language at home.

Data period

Census night (10 August) 2021

Data source

ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing (ABS 2022)

Region types reported

• Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) 2021 Main Structure regions: Statistical Local Government Areas (LGA), Areas Level 2 (SA2), Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3), Statistical Areas Level 4 (SA4), States and Territories, Australia.


• ASGS 2021 Indigenous structure regions: Indigenous Locations (ILOC) Indigenous Areas (IARE), Indigenous Regions (IREG).

Suppression rules

• Data have been suppressed if the denominator for the percentage was less than 100, due to concerns about the reliability of percentages based on small denominators.


• Data have been suppressed if language spoken at home was not stated for >50% of the relevant population, due to relatively high exposure to potential bias.


• Data have been flagged as interpret with caution if language spoken at home was not stated for 25%–50% of the relevant population, due to relatively high exposure to potential bias.

Notes

• The denominator for the proportions is total number of respondents, excluding those for whom information on language spoken at home was not stated.


• Data are based on responses to the Census question: ‘Does the person speak a language other than English at Home?’ Where the answer was yes, the respondent was asked to specify the language. Only one response could be provided, with the instructions indicating that if more than one language other than English is spoken, they should write the one that is spoken most often.


• Data are based on place of usual residence (that is, the place where a person usually lives). It may or may not be the place the person was counted on Census night.

Reference material

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2022) Census of Population and Housing [TableBuilder], ABS website, accessed 12 May 2023.

Description

• Number of First Nations households.


• Average number of people per dwelling in First Nations households.

Data period

Census night (10 August) 2021

Data source

ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing (ABS 2022)

Region types reported

• Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) 2021 Main Structure regions: Local Government Areas (LGA), Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2), Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3), Statistical Areas Level 4 (SA4), States and Territories, Australia.


• ASGS 2021 Indigenous structure regions: Indigenous Locations (ILOC), Indigenous Areas (IARE), Indigenous Regions (IREG).

Suppression rules

Percentages have been suppressed if the denominator for the percentage was less than 100, due to concerns about the reliability of percentages based on small denominators.

Notes

Data are based on place of usual residence (that is, the place where a person usually lives). It may or may not be the place the person was counted on Census night. 

Reference material

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2022) Census of Population and Housing [Census DataPacks], ABS website, accessed 19 May 2023.

Description

• Number of proportion of First Nations households by household composition.

Household composition categories: Couple family household with children, couple family household without children, one-parent families, other family households, group households, lone-person households.

Data period

Census night (10 August) 2021

Data source

ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing (ABS 2022)

Region types reported

• Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) 2021 Main Structure regions: Local Government Areas (LGA), Local Government Areas (LGA), Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2), Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3), Statistical Areas Level 4 (SA4), States and Territories, Australia.


• ASGS 2021 Indigenous structure regions: Indigenous Locations (ILOC), Indigenous Areas (IARE), Indigenous Regions (IREG).

Suppression rules

Percentages have been suppressed if the denominator for the percentage was less than 100, due to concerns about the reliability of percentages based on small denominators.

Notes

Data are based on place of usual residence (that is, the place where a person usually lives). It may or may not be the place the person was counted on Census night. 

Reference material

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2022) Census of Population and Housing [Census DataPacks], ABS website, accessed 19 May 2023.

Description

Number of proportion of First Nations Families that were one-parent families with children under 15 years.

Data period

Census night (10 August) 2021

Data source

ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing (ABS 2022)

Region types reported

• Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) 2021 Main Structure regions: Local Government Areas (LGA), Local Government Areas (LGA), Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2), Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3), Statistical Areas Level 4 (SA4), States and Territories, Australia.


• ASGS 2021 Indigenous structure regions: Indigenous Locations (ILOC), Indigenous Areas (IARE), Indigenous Regions (IREG).

Suppression rules

Percentages have been suppressed if the denominator for the percentage was less than 100, due to concerns about the reliability of percentages based on small denominators.

Notes

• Data are based on place of usual residence (that is, the place where a person usually lives). It may or may not be the place the person was counted on Census night.


• Proportion denominator is the number of families in Firs Nations households.

Reference material

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2022) Census of Population and Housing [Census DataPacks], ABS website, accessed 19 May 2023.

Description

• Proportion of First Nations people in the specified equivalised weekly household income group.


• Proportion of non-Indigenous Australians in the specified equivalised weekly household income group.

Income groups: $0–$299; $300–$499; $500–$799; $800–$1249; $1250 or more.

Data period

Census night (10 August) 2021

Data source

ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing (ABS 2022)

Region types reported

• Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Main Structure regions: Local Government Areas (LGA), Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2), Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3), Statistical Areas Level 4 (SA4), States and Territories, Australia


• ASGS 2016 Indigenous structure regions: Indigenous Locations (ILOC), Indigenous Areas (IARE), Indigenous Regions (IREG)

Suppression rules

• Data have been suppressed if the denominator for the percentage was less than 100, due to concerns about the reliability of percentages based on small denominators.


• Data have been suppressed if household income was not stated for >50% of the relevant population, due to relatively high exposure to potential bias.


• Data have been flagged as interpret with caution if household income was not stated for 25% –50% of the relevant population, due to relatively high exposure to potential bias.

Notes

• The denominator for First Nations population is total number of First Nations respondents, excluding those for whom information on income was not stated. The denominator for non-Indigenous population is total number of non-Indigenous respondents, excluding those for whom information on income was not stated.


• Data are based on the Census variable Equivalised Total Household Income (weekly) (HIED) (see ABS 2016).


• Equivalised household income is an indicator of the economic resources available to a ‘standardised household’ that takes into account variations in household size and composition. For a one-person household, it is equal to income received. For a household comprising more than 1 person, it is an indicator of the household income that a one-person household would require to enjoy the same level of economic wellbeing.


• Equivalised household income is derived by calculating an equivalence factor according to the 'modified OECD' equivalence scale, and then dividing income by that factor. The equivalence factor is built up by allocating points to each person in a household (1 point to the first adult, 0.5 points to each additional person who is 15 years and over, and 0.3 to each child under the age of 15) and then summing the equivalence points of all household members (ABS 2016).

Reference material

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2016). Census of Population and Housing: Census Dictionary. Canberra: ABS.

ABS (2022) Census of Population and Housing [Census DataPacks], ABS website, accessed 19 May 2023.

Description

Median total household weekly income of First Nations households ($/week)

Data period

Census night (10 August) 2021

Data source

ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing (ABS 2022)

Region types reported

• Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) 2021 Main Structure regions: Local Government Areas (LGA), Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2), Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3), Statistical Areas Level (SA4), States and Territories, Australia


• ASGS 2021 Indigenous structure regions: Indigenous Locations (ILOC), Indigenous Areas (IARE), Indigenous Regions (IREG)

Suppression rules

NIL

Reference material

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2016). Census of Population and Housing: Census Dictionary. Canberra: ABS.

ABS (2022) Census of Population and Housing [Census DataPacks], ABS website, accessed 19 May 2023.