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Indigenous people today

The most recent Census data available (2001) indicates there were 410,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in Australia. This population is growing rapidly with a birth rate double that of other Australians. NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs, Fact Sheets, 2006

Indigenous people currently represent about 2 per cent of the total Australian population. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics:

• The Indigenous population is projected to rise to 470,000 by 2006.
• The growth rate of the Indigenous population is 2.3 per cent, nearly double that of the total Australian population growth rate of 1.2 per cent.
• The Indigenous population is young. The median age of the Indigenous population is 20 years, compared to 34 years for the total Australian population.

These factors will result in an increased Indigenous influence. It also has enormous implications for the delivery of services by all levels of government, in health, education, housing, and employment – all the services that citizens expect governments to provide. With a higher birth rate there will be more pressure to provide these services, especially in remote areas where a higher proportion of Indigenous people live. NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs, Fact Sheets, 2006

Where do indigenous people live?

Over half of all Indigenous people live in New South Wales and Queensland. NSW has the highest number. Many people think most Indigenous people live in northern or central Australia, because in those areas Indigenous people represent a higher proportion of the local population. For example, in the Northern Territory, about one in every four people is Indigenous but in NSW, only one in every 50
people is Indigenous. NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs, Fact Sheets, 2006

Indigenous people are more likely than non-Indigenous people to live in rural or remote areas. According to the last Census, the geographic distribution of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is as follows:

• 30% of the Indigenous population live in cities (greater than 100,000 people).
• 42% live in towns and other urban areas (1000 to 99,000 people).
• 27% live in rural and remote areas (less than 999 people).

Ninety per cent of the Indigenous population live in areas covering 25% of the continent. This contrasts with the general Australian population. Ninety per cent of Indigenous people live in the most densely populated 2.6% of the continent, mostly along the south east coast. NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs, Fact Sheets, 2006

Indigenous population of Australia from the 2001 Census

The following table provides an overview of the indigenous population of Australia from the 2001 Census.

As a whole, the Indigenous population is much younger than the non-Indigenous population. For example, nearly 60% of the Indigenous population in Australia are aged under 25 compared with 34% of the non-Indigenous population