Health FAQs

The Health FAQs provide brief answers to questions about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, with information about Indigenous people, health problems and common risk factors. The answers are updated regularly as new information becomes available, and will expand to include information about other health conditions and social determinants.

What do we know about the Indigenous population?

Births

Indigenous women in Australia have more babies than non-Indigenous women. Indigenous women generally have babies earlier in life than non-Indigenous women.
More about births

Deaths

Indigenous Australians die at a younger age than non-Indigenous Australians. Currently, Indigenous women are expected to live until almost 73 years of age and Indigenous men are expected to live until around 67 years of age. These estimates have been revised and are substantially higher than they were in the past.
More about deaths

Hospitalisation

Indigenous people are admitted to the hospital more than non-Indigenous people. Many of the admissions involve dialysis (a treatment for kidney disease).
More about hospitalisation

Population details

Indigenous people make up 2.6% of the population in Australia. NSW has the largest Indigenous population and the NT has the highest proportion of Indigenous people.
More about population details

Identification of Indigenous status

The identification of Indigenous people for statistical collections is based largely on self-identification.
More about identification of Indigenous status

What do we know about specific health conditions among the Indigenous population?

Cardiovascular disease

Indigenous people are diagnosed more frequently and suffer higher mortality from cardiovascular disease than non-Indigenous people.
More about cardiovascular disease

Cancer

Indigenous people are diagnosed with cancer less frequently than non-Indigenous people, but the mortality of Indigenous people from cancer is higher than that of Indigenous people.
More about cancer

Diabetes

Diabetes is much more common among Indigenous people and occurs at younger ages than among non-Indigenous people.
More about diabetes

Injury

Injury is much more common among Indigenous people and occurs at younger ages than among non-Indigenous people.
More about injury

Respiratory health

Levels of respiratory disease are similar for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, but asthma is more common among Indigenous people.
More about respiratory health

Eye health

The main eye conditions among Indigenous people are refractive error, diabetic retinopathy, cataract, and trachoma.
More about eye conditions

Ear health

Levels of ear disease and hearing problems were higher for Indigenous people than non-Indigenous people, especially for children and young people.
More about ear health

Oral health

Oral health is much more common among Indigenous people and occurs at younger ages than among non-Indigenous people.
More about oral health

Disability

Disability is much more common among Indigenous people and occurs at younger ages than among non-Indigenous people.
More about disability

What do we know about risk and protective factors among the Indigenous population?

Nutrition

Most Indigenous people eat fruits and vegetables every day, but are more likely than non-Indigenous people to miss out on eating enough of them daily.
More about nutrition

Physical activity

Indigenous people are less physically active than non-Indigenous people.
More about physical activity

Injecting drug use

Many more Indigenous people than non-Indigenous people use injecting drugs. Disadvantage in areas such as education, employment and income contribute to the greater use of illicit drugs.
More about injecting drug use

Tobacco use

Tobacco use is more common among Indigenous people than non-Indigenous people, contributing to a greater burden of disease.
More about tobacco use

Alcohol use

Indigenous people are more likely to not drink any alcohol than non-Indigenous people, but Indigenous who do drink are more likely to do it at harmful levels.
More about alcohol use

What are the main references about Indigenous health?

We have provided an up-to-date list of publications and reports that provide a good overall picture of Indigenous health.
More about main references

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