Demography

The graphic below illustrates the significant differences in the demographic composition of the Australian population.  The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population shows a young population with approximately 42 percent under working age and less than 50 percent of working age (aged 20-59) compared with an older profile in the non-Indigenous population with approximately 26 percent under working age and over 56 percent of working age (aged 20-59).

 

Figure 1: Australian population pyramid, by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, 2011

Figure 1: Australian population pyramid, by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, 2011

Source: Healthinfonet

The geographic distribution of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population also varies greatly from the non-Indigenous population.

 

Table 1: Population, by remoteness and Indigenous status, 2011 census

 

MC

IR

OR

R

VR

Australia

Indigenous population

               233,146

             147,683

             146,129

           51,275

           91,648

               669,881

Non-Indigenous population

         15,451,394

         3,963,346

         1,880,300

         263,401

         111,702

         21,670,143

Total population

         15,684,540

         4,111,029

         2,026,429

         314,676

         203,350

         22,340,024

Source: SOURCE: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3238.0.55.001June%202011?OpenDocument

In 2011, there were 15.7 million people living in major cities, 6.1 million in regional (rural) Australia and about 500,000 in remote Australia.

 

Table 2: Population living in each remoteness area, percent Indigenous and non-Indigenous, 2011 census

 

MC

IR

OR

R

VR

Australia

Indigenous population

1%

4%

7%

16%

45%

3%

Non-Indigenous population

99%

96%

93%

84%

55%

97%

Total population

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

Source: NRHA derived http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3238.0.55.001June%202011?OpenDocument

While only 1% of the population in Major Cities is Indigenous, 45% of the population in Very Remote areas is Indigenous.

 

Table 3: Percentage of Australian population living in each remoteness area, by Indigenous status, 2011 census

 

MC

IR

OR

R

VR

Australia

Indigenous population

35%

22%

22%

8%

14%

100%

Non-Indigenous population

71%

18%

9%

1%

1%

100%

Total population

70%

18%

9%

1%

1%

100%

Source: NRHA derived from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3238.0.55.001June%202011?OpenDocument

Approximately 35% of Australia’s Indigenous people live in Major cities, with 65% living in regional and remote areas.  In comparison, 71% of Australia’s non-Indigenous people live in Major cities, and 29% live in regional or remote areas.

In total, 70% of Australians live in Major cities, while 30% live in regional or remote areas (27.5% of Australians live in regional areas, while 2.5% live in remote areas)

 

Table 3: Percentage of the population in each remoteness area, by broad age group, 2011

 

MC

IR

OR

R

VR

Age (years)

Percent

0-14

18%

20%

20%

21%

24%

15-24

14%

13%

12%

12%

15%

25-54

43%

38%

39%

44%

46%

55-64

11%

13%

13%

12%

9%

65+

13%

17%

15%

10%

7%

total

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

Source: NRHA derived from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3238.0.55.001June%202011?OpenDocument

 

Table 4: Same table, summarised for broad remoteness area 2011

 

MC

Regional

Remote

Age (years)

Percent

0-14

18%

20%

22%

15-24

14%

13%

13%

25-54

43%

38%

45%

55-64

11%

13%

11%

65+

13%

16%

9%

Total

100%

100%

100%

Source: NRHA derived from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3238.0.55.001June%202011?OpenDocument

 

Figure 2: Percentage of the population in each remoteness area, by broad age group, 2011

 

Source: NRHA derived from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3238.0.55.001June%202011?OpenDocument

 

Figure 3: Percentage of the population in MCs, regional and remote Australia, by broad age group, 2011

Source: NRHA derived from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3238.0.55.001June%202011?OpenDocument

Compared with Major cities:

  • Rural (including regional) populations have proportionally more children, fewer young adults, fewer people of working age, more people in late working age approaching retirement, and more elderly people.
  • Remote populations have proportionally more children, fewer young adults, slightly more people of working age, similar numbers of people in late working age approaching retirement, and substantially fewer elderly people.

For every ten working age adults aged 25-54 years, there are:

  • three elderly (65+) people in Major cities,
  • four elderly people in regional areas and
  • two elderly people in remote areas

 

Table 5: Proportion of the population by remoteness,  2011

Proportion of Australia's population in each jurisdictions remoteness areas

 

MC

IR

OR

R

VR

Australia

NSW

24%

6%

2%

0%

0%

32%

Vic

19%

5%

1%

0%

0%

25%

Qld

12%

4%

3%

0%

0%

20%

SA

5%

1%

1%

0%

0%

7%

WA

8%

1%

1%

0%

0%

11%

Tas

0%

2%

1%

0%

0%

2%

NT

0%

0%

1%

0%

0%

1%

ACT

2%

0%

0%

0%

0%

2%

Total

70%

18%

9%

1%

1%

100%

 

Proportion of each jurisdictions population in each remoteness area

 

MC

IR

OR

R

VR

Australia

NSW

74%

19%

6%

0%

0%

100%

Vic

76%

19%

4%

0%

0%

100%

Qld

62%

20%

15%

2%

1%

100%

SA

73%

11%

12%

3%

1%

100%

WA

76%

9%

8%

4%

3%

100%

Tas

0%

66%

32%

2%

0%

100%

NT

0%

0%

56%

21%

23%

100%

ACT

100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

100%

Total

70%

18%

9%

1%

1%

100%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proportion of each remoteness area in each jurisdiction

 

MC

IR

OR

R

VR

Australia

NSW

34%

34%

22%

10%

4%

32%

Vic

27%

26%

12%

2%

0%

25%

Qld

18%

22%

33%

25%

29%

20%

SA

8%

4%

10%

14%

7%

7%

WA

11%

5%

9%

31%

31%

11%

Tas

0%

8%

8%

3%

1%

2%

NT

0%

0%

6%

15%

27%

1%

ACT

2%

0%

0%

0%

0%

2%

Total

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

Source: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3218.02012-13

Population by Indigenous status, remoteness, age group and state

http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3238.0.55.001June%202011?OpenDocument

Population by remoteness and state, 2003 to 2013 trends

http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3218.02012-13?OpenDocument

 

Population by Modified Monash

Table 6: Indicative population by Modified Monash Model and State/Territory, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

State total

NSW

           5,356,149

             194,900

             707,416

         360,926

             563,045

           28,874

             7,219

           7,218,529

VIC

           4,236,430

             371,034

             287,966

         238,126

             398,723

             5,538

                 -   

           5,537,817

QLD

           2,775,602

             908,786

             134,303

         179,071

             340,235

           71,628

           62,675

           4,472,301

SA

           1,203,477

               42,630

             126,250

           29,513

             178,718

           40,990

           18,036

           1,639,614

WA

           1,805,065

             108,257

             131,791

           25,887

             122,377

           96,490

           63,542

           2,353,409

TAS

                     -   

             320,188

               82,349

             1,534

               96,670

             8,184

             2,557

               511,483

NT

                     -   

             124,666

                     -   

                -   

                 6,245

           46,027

           54,354

               231,292

ACT

               367,249

                     736

                     -   

                -   

                   -   

                -   

                 -   

               367,985

Aus

         15,743,971

         2,071,197

         1,470,076

         835,059

         1,706,014

         297,731

         208,382

         22,332,430

Source: Derived by NRHA, based on the percentage of the population in each state and MMM zone (pers com Paul Cutting at DoH) and ABS 2011 Census data.

The population data in this table are indicative, and should not be treated as precise. Reliable population estimates for MM categories will have to await development and release by ABS or similar

 

Figure 4: Visual representation of population distribution by Modified Monash (MM), 2011

Source: Derived by NRHA, based on the percentage of the population in each state and MMM zone (pers com Paul Cutting at DoH) and ABS 2011 Census data.
 

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