Leslie Massey
Aboriginal Australians are the first peoples of Australia, comprising hundreds of groups with distinct languages, histories, and cultural traditions. The Aboriginal population in Australia has been on the rise, with an estimated 984,000 First Nations people in 2021, representing 3.8% of the total population. The state with the highest population of Aboriginal people is New South Wales, with 339,700 people, followed by Queensland with 273,100 people, and Western Australia with 120,000 people. These three states are home to almost three-quarters of the total Aboriginal population in Australia.
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What You'll Learn
New South Wales has the largest population
New South Wales has the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in Australia. In 2021, the state was home to 339,700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, an increase of 28.6% from 2016. This represents over a third of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in Australia. Combined with Queensland, these two states are home to nearly three-quarters of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.
The high concentration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in New South Wales is part of a broader trend of this population moving towards Australia's eastern states. In addition, the majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are choosing to live in urban and regional areas, rather than remote areas. This is reflected in the data, which shows that 40.8% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people lived in major cities in 2021, while only 19.9% lived in very remote areas.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in New South Wales also has a younger age structure compared to the non-Indigenous population. In 2021, the median age of this population in New South Wales was 23.4 years, compared to 24.0 years for the overall Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in Australia. Additionally, 33.1% of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in New South Wales were under the age of 15, compared to 17.9% for the non-Indigenous population.
The increase in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in New South Wales is not solely due to demographic factors. One possible explanation for the growth is that more people are choosing to identify with their cultural heritage. For example, the number of people identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in the 2021 census was significantly higher than expected based on mortality rates from previous years.
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Queensland has the second-largest population
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population made up 3.8% of Australia's total population in 2021, with numbers ranging from 983,700 to 984,000. This is an increase from 2.8% in 2016, when the Indigenous population was estimated to be 649,171. The Indigenous population is expected to increase by 204,000 in the next 15 years.
New South Wales has the largest Indigenous population, with 339,700 people identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander in 2021. Combined with Queensland, these two states are home to 74.5% of Australia's Indigenous population. About 3 in 5 Indigenous Australians live in New South Wales and Queensland.
The Northern Territory has the highest proportion of Indigenous people relative to its total population, with 30.8% identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. The territory, however, saw a decrease in its Indigenous population from 9.0% in 2016 to 7.5% in 2021. Victoria has the lowest proportion, with only 1.2% of the state's population identifying as Indigenous in 2021.
Aboriginal Australians are the first peoples of the continent, with archaeological evidence suggesting that their ancestors first migrated to Australia between 50,000 and 65,000 years ago. They are a diverse group, comprising hundreds of distinct cultures with their own languages, histories, and traditions. Despite facing systemic racism and disadvantage, the Indigenous population in Australia is growing, and their culture remains vibrant and resilient.
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Aboriginal people are the world's oldest culture
Aboriginal Australians are the descendants of the first people to leave Africa around 75,000 years ago, according to a genetic study. This makes them the oldest continuous culture on the planet.
Aboriginal Australians have a rich history in Australia, with archaeological evidence suggesting that they have been living on the land for at least 65,000 years. They are the world's oldest civilization, with genetic isolation occurring around 50,000 years ago when their ancestors reached Sahul, a prehistoric supercontinent composed of present-day Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea.
The Madjedbebe site revealed that Aboriginal people used stone tools, ochre crayons and other pigments, including the oldest known use of micaceous pigment. They also collected and processed plant foods, as evidenced by microfossils and artefact residue found on grinding stones. The world's oldest burial ritual using ochre, dating back 35,000 years, was performed by Aboriginal Australians.
Aboriginal Australians have faced a long history of discrimination and human rights abuses. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, they were subject to various state-based protection laws that controlled their lives and wages. During this time, many Aboriginal people were victims of slavery and forced labour, with children as young as 12 working under horrific conditions. From 1871 to 1969, the Australian government forcibly removed Aboriginal children from their families to eradicate Aboriginal culture.
Today, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people comprise 3.8% of Australia's population, with the largest increases in population recorded in New South Wales and Queensland between 2016 and 2021. The Northern Territory has the highest proportion of Aboriginal people living in remote areas.
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Most Aboriginal people live in cities
It is a common misconception that Aboriginal Australians live in remote communities. In fact, most Aboriginal people live in cities, with nearly two-thirds living in Australia's eastern states. The 2021 Census recorded an increase in the number of people identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander in all states and territories, with the largest increases in New South Wales (up 28.6%) and Queensland (29.2%), where nearly two-thirds of Aboriginal people lived in 2021.
In South Australia and Victoria, over half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people lived in major cities. In Western Australia, nearly a fifth of the Aboriginal population lived in very remote areas. The Northern Territory had the highest proportion of Aboriginal people living in very remote areas (49.9%).
Western Sydney has the highest concentration of Aboriginal people of any single region in Australia. In 2006, around 25,000 people living in greater western Sydney identified as being of Aboriginal descent. The Aboriginal population is relatively young, with a median age of 24 years in 2021, compared to 38 years for non-Aboriginal people.
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The Aboriginal population is on the rise
The Aboriginal population in Australia is indeed on the rise. In 2021, there were an estimated 984,000 First Nations people, representing 3.8% of the population. This marks a significant increase from the 2.8% reported in 2016. The Australian Bureau of Statistics expects the Aboriginal population to increase by 204,000 in the next 15 years. This rise can be attributed to various factors, including cultural re-identification and higher birth rates.
New South Wales had the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in 2021, with 339,700 people. This was followed by Queensland with 273,100 people, and Western Australia with 120,000 people. These three states comprised almost three-quarters of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. However, the Northern Territory had the highest proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people relative to its total population size (30.8%), while Victoria had the lowest (1.2%).
The Aboriginal population in Australia has a relatively young median age of 24 years, with half of the population under 24 years old. Additionally, about one-third (33.1%) of First Nations people, or approximately 325,800 individuals, were under the age of 15. This is in contrast to fewer than one-fifth (17.9%) of non-Indigenous Australians in the same age group.
While almost two-thirds of Aboriginal people reside in Australia's eastern states, the majority live in cities rather than remote areas. Over half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in South Australia (54.7%) and Victoria (52.6%) were living in major cities. The Northern Territory, on the other hand, had the highest proportion living in Very Remote Australia (49.9%), followed by Western Australia (19.9%).
The Aboriginal population in Australia has faced a tumultuous history, with their lives controlled by various state-based protection laws in the 19th and 20th centuries. Despite past injustices, the Aboriginal population is now rising, and their culture and wellbeing are being increasingly recognised as central to their health and services.
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Frequently asked questions
New South Wales had the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in 2021, with 339,700 people. Combined with Queensland, these two states were home to nearly two-thirds of the Aboriginal population.
In 2021, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people represented 3.8% of Australia's population, or 983,700 people.
The Aboriginal population has been on the rise. In 2016, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.2% of the total population. The 2021 Census marked 50 years since the 1971 Census, which was the first to include Aboriginal people in official Census population counts.
The Northern Territory had the highest proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people relative to its total population size (30.8%), followed by Western Australia (19.9%).
