# Karratha vs Christmas Island — 2021 Census comparison

Indigenous Area comparison · about 1,652 km apart

Christmas Island and Karratha are both remote areas with a similar walkability score, but they differ sharply in their local layout. Karratha is more connected, with far more homes within a 15-minute walk of schools (81% versus 10.7%), parks (88.1% versus 40.5%), and public transport (54.8% versus 0%). Christmas Island is much steeper, with a mean terrain slope of 15.6% compared to 2.8% in Karratha, but it is far higher in the share of homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries (83.4% versus 40.1%).

Both areas share a similar level of walkability, though the gap in their accessibility to services is widening. Karratha has a far larger First Nations population with 1,530 people compared to just 10 on Christmas Island. In the First Nations community, the typical resident on Christmas Island is far older at 60 years, while in Karratha the typical age is much lower at 22 years.

## First Nations

| Statistic | Karratha | Christmas Island | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| First Nations people | 1,530 | 10 | 1,520 larger in Karratha |  |
| Median age | 22 yrs | 60 yrs | 38 yrs older in Christmas Island |  |
| Year 12 | 38.0% | — |  |  |
| Unemployment | 10.0% | — |  |  |
| Median income | $910 | $999 | $89 higher in Christmas Island |  |
| Household income | $2,491 | $4,750 | $2,259 higher in Christmas Island |  |
| Indigenous language | 15.7% | — |  |  |

## Walkability

| Statistic | Karratha | Christmas Island | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Walk score | 4.0 | 3.7 | 0.4 higher in Karratha |  |
| Types ≤15 min | 4.4 | 3.6 | 0.8 more in Karratha |  |
| 15-min city | 41.7% | 26.6% | 15.1 pts higher in Karratha |  |
| Walk to shops | 40.1% | 83.4% | 43.3 pts higher in Christmas Island |  |
| Walk to transit | 54.8% | 0.0% | 54.8 pts higher in Karratha |  |
| Walk to school | 81.0% | 10.7% | 70.3 pts higher in Karratha |  |
| Walk to a park | 88.1% | 40.5% | 47.6 pts higher in Karratha |  |
| Walk to health | 36.8% | 30.9% | 6.0 pts higher in Karratha |  |
| Intersections/km² | 19 | 4 | 15 higher in Karratha |  |
| Mean slope | 2.8% | 15.6% | 12.9 pts higher in Christmas Island |  |

Interactive comparison: https://censusatlas.au/compare/iare/IARE506003/karratha/vs/IARE901001/christmas-island