Health Overview

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population

There were around 562,681 Indigenous people living in Australia in 2010. Detailed population information is not available for 2010, but in 2006 there were around 463,900 Aboriginal people, 33,100 Torres Strait Islanders, and 20,200 people of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.

Indigenous people comprise 2.6% of the total Australian population.

Source: Summary of Indigenous Health 2010

Health Profile

Life Expectancy

The life expectancy for Indigenous Australians is 12 years less than non-Indigenous Australians.
Indigenous males can expect to live to 67 years while Indigenous women can expect to live to 79 years.
Many Indigenous Australians also die very young.
45% of Indigenous males and 34% of Indigenous females die before the age of 45 years. The corresponding proportion for non- Indigenous males and females is 10% and 6% respectively.

Babies

Indigenous babies are twice as likely to have a low birth weight, which increases the risk of health problems as a child and later in life.
Indigenous babies are more likely to die in their first year than non-Indigenous babies.

Leading causes of death

  • Cardiovascular disease (such as heart disease and strokes) 
  • Injuries (such as car crashes, assault and self-harm) and;
  • Cancer

Some comparative statistics

Indigenous Australians are between 9 to 13 times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than non-Indigenous Australians.
Indigenous Australians are 8 times more likely to die from chronic kidney disease than non-Indigenous Australians.
Indigenous people are much more likely to be victims of violence and sexual abuse. There are much higher levels of substance abuse, family violence and suicide in Indigenous communities. Indigenous young people are more than 4 times more likely to be sexually abused than non-Indigenous young people.

Drinking, Smoking & Other Drug Use

Indigenous people also have higher rates of at risk drinking, smoking and other drug use. At the same time, a third of Indigenous people do not drink at all - which is much higher than for non-Indigenous people:
Up to 35% of Aboriginal men do not drink alcohol at all compared with 12% of non-Aboriginal men.
40% to 80% of Aboriginal women do not drink alcohol compared with 19% to 25% of non-Aboriginal women.

Vision and Hearing

3 out of 10 Indigenous Australians has eye or vision problems.
1 in 5 Indigenous Australians report hearing loss or complications.

Source: Reconciliaction Health Fact Sheet

 

 Activities: Men’s Health

Activities: Eye care

  • Listen to Professor Hugh Taylor speak on Indigenous eye care
    • What contributes to Aboriginal adults being more than 6 times more likely to suffer vision loss?
    • What types of barriers contribute to urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples not accessing services?
    • What strategies to address eye health are suggested?
  • The Fred Hollows Foundation has Indigenous Australian eye care as one of its focus areas. Examine their website
    • What communities are they working with?
    • What partnerships are they forming?
    • What is the Fred Hollows Foundation achieving?

Further reading