Central Desert · Council (LGA)
How well-off the area is, how fast its population is growing, and the businesses and new homes here.
An overall advantage score of 697 makes Central Desert one of the most disadvantaged areas in the country. The region faces significant challenges with very low access to money, resources, and job skills. This struggle is reflected in a slow population growth rate of 1.3%, which is well below the Northern Territory figure.
All council (lga) areas, 2021. The marker is Central Desert — lower than 99% of areas.
SEIFA indexes ranking relative advantage and disadvantage.
Residents here face extreme disadvantage, with scores for education, job skills, and general access to resources all sitting at the lowest possible level of 1. These figures are smaller than about 90% of other areas.
1
Lower than 99% of council (lga) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% most disadvantaged areas in Australia, 10 = among the 10% most advantaged. IRSAD summarises both advantage and disadvantage, so a high score reflects relatively many high-income, well-educated households and few low-income, low-skill ones.
1
Lower than 99% of council (lga) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% most disadvantaged areas in Australia, 10 = among the least disadvantaged. IRSD focuses on disadvantage alone (low income, low education, unemployment, unskilled occupations), so a higher decile means relatively less disadvantage.
1
Lower than 99% of council (lga) areas.
ABS Index of Economic Resources, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% lowest areas for economic resources in Australia, 10 = among the highest. IER reflects the income, housing costs, dwelling size and assets of households, so a higher decile means relatively greater economic resources.
1
Lower than 99% of council (lga) areas.
ABS Index of Education and Occupation, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% lowest areas for education and occupation in Australia, 10 = among the highest. IEO reflects residents' qualifications and the skill level of their jobs, so a higher decile means a more highly educated and skilled workforce.
697
Lower than 99% of council (lga) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, 2021, as a raw index score (standardised so the Australian average is about 1000). Higher scores indicate relatively greater advantage; lower scores greater disadvantage.
Annual population estimates and change since the census.
The population has grown by 1.3% since 2021, which is much lower than most areas. This growth is well below the 6.6% seen across the Northern Territory.
4,170
Lower than 71% of council (lga) areas.
Estimated resident population (ABS), 2025.
1.3%
Lower than 75% of council (lga) areas.
Population growth since the 2021 Census, from ABS annual estimates.
Operating businesses and dwellings approved.
Business activity is very low with only 25 businesses operating in the region. However, there is some building activity, with 45 approved dwellings, a figure that is higher than about half of similar areas.
25
Lower than 98% of council (lga) areas.
Operating businesses (ABS Counts of Australian Businesses), June 2025.
45
Lower than 53% of council (lga) areas.
Dwelling units approved in 2024-25 (ABS Building Approvals).
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Economy & Advantage in Central Desert [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA70620/central-desert/topic/economy-advantage
