Notes on the data: Aboriginal age distribution

Total Aboriginal population by 5 year age groups: 0-4 years to 65+ years, 2011 Census Place of Enumeration

Policy context: The place of enumeration is the place at which the person is counted, ie where he/she spent Census Night, which may not be where he/she usually lives. The population count for place of enumeration is a count of every person, who spends Census Night in Australia, based on where he/she is counted. It includes people on board vessels in or between Australian ports, or on long-distance trains, buses or aircraft. This count is also known as a de facto population count.

People entering Australia from overseas before midnight on Census Night are counted where they stayed on Census Night. Visitors to Australia are counted regardless of how long they have been in the country or how long they plan to stay. Australian residents in Antarctica are also within the scope of the Census. People leaving an Australian port for an overseas destination before midnight on Census Night are not counted in the Census. Australian residents out of the country on Census Night, and overseas diplomatic personnel and their families in Australia are out of the scope of the Census.This type of count provides a snapshot in any given area. Although the Census is timed to attempt to capture the typical situation, holiday resort areas, such as the Gold Coast and snow fields, may show a large enumeration count compared with the usual residence count [1].

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is considerably younger than the non-Indigenous population. In 2011, the median age for this population was 21 years, 16 years less than the national median age of 37 years [2]. More than one in three (35.9%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were aged less than 15 years, while just 3.8% were aged 65 years and over. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is disadvantaged across all domains of wellbeing compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts [3].

Nationally, the majority of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population (32.9%) live in greater capital city areas, but around one-quarter live in areas classified as remote or very remote in relation to having ‘very little or very restricted access to goods and services and opportunities for social interaction'. Only 2% of the non-Indigenous population live in remote or very remote areas [4].

References

ABS. Census Dictionary, 2011 [Internet]. (ABS Cat. no. 2901.0). Canberra: ABS; 2011 May [cited 2013 Oct 18]. Available from: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/2901.0
ABS. Census and population housing - Counts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2011 [Internet]. Canberra: ABS; 2012 May [cited 2013 Oct 18]. Available from: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2075.0main+features32011
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). The health and welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: an overview, 2011. (AIHW Cat. no. IHW 42). Canberra: AIHW; 2011.
ABS. [Internet] Media release, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population nearing 700,000; Canberra: ABS; 2013 Aug [cited 2013 Oct 18]. Available from: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/latestProducts/3238.0.55.001Media%20Release1June%202011

Notes: The data comprise people identifying in the Census as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

The data exclude the 4.9% of people whose Indigenous status was not recorded. (The proportion excluded was calculated based on the Australian data.)

Numerator: Aboriginal total population by 5 year age groups: 0-4 years to 65+ years (Census Place of Enumeration (PoE))

Denominator: Aboriginal total population (Census PoE)

Detail of analysis: Per cent

Source: Compiled by PHIDU based on the ABS Census Place of Enumeration Population, 2011.