Australia’s indigenous population reaches over one million

The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia now exceeds one million.

Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday showed the indigenous population had increased by more than 50,000 since June 2021, when there were 983,700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, based on census data.

Indigenous peoples make up 3.8 percent of Australia’s total population.

The indigenous population is expected to reach nearly 1.2 million by 2031.

In June 2021, 40.8 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people lived in major cities, while 43.8 per cent lived in regional areas.

About 15 percent lived in remote or very remote areas.

“We expect a higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to live in large cities, and a lower proportion to live in remote and very remote Australia,” said Beidar Cho, the agency’s head of demographic statistics.

Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria are expected to experience the fastest Indigenous population growth.

One third of the indigenous population are children aged 14 and under

In June 2021, 40.8 percent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people lived in major cities

The population density in these jurisdictions is expected to be between 2 and 2.4 percent.

The high growth rates are due to relatively large groups of Indigenous people reaching childbearing age, and to perceived interstate migration, particularly to Queensland and Victoria.

Ms Cho said population growth in most indigenous regions, geographical areas based on historical boundaries, will continue until 2031.

“Perth in Western Australia is expected to be the fastest growing Indigenous region (average annual growth of 2.7 to 2.8 per cent over the next 10 years), followed by Brisbane in Queensland (between 2.6 and 2.8 per cent),” she said.

In 2021, the median age of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders was 24, compared to 38.9 years for non-Indigenous Australians.

A third of the Indigenous population is made up of children aged 14 and under, while people over 65 represent approximately five percent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The percentage of people over 65 is expected to rise to about seven percent by 2031.