2,030
Higher than 79% of council (lga) areas.
The number of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
Tiwi Islands · Council (LGA)
First Nations in Tiwi Islands
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities — how many people identify as First Nations, and how they fare on age, schooling, work, income and language. From the ABS 2021 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Profile; the ABS notes these counts are an undercount.
An overwhelming 90.6% of First Nations people in the Tiwi Islands speak a traditional language. This makes the area one of the strongest bastions of indigenous language and culture across the country. There are 2,030 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living here.
2,030
- 1–1: 9 areas
- 1–2: 0 areas
- 2–3: 0 areas
- 3–4: 3 areas
- 4–6: 0 areas
- 6–9: 1 area
- 9–12: 12 areas
- 12–18: 5 areas
- 18–25: 11 areas
- 25–36: 20 areas
- 36–52: 16 areas
- 52–74: 13 areas
- 74–106: 29 areas
- 106–151: 26 areas
- 151–217: 32 areas
- 217–310: 44 areas
- 310–444: 37 areas
- 444–636: 42 areas
- 636–910: 51 areas
- 910–1,302: 49 areas
- 1,302–1,864: 32 areas
- 1,864–2,668: 55 areas
- 2,668–3,819: 26 areas
- 3,819–5,466: 24 areas
- 5,466–7,823: 11 areas
- 7,823–11,198: 7 areas
- 11,198–16,027: 5 areas
- 16,027–22,940: 5 areas
All council (lga) areas, 2021. The marker is Tiwi Islands — higher than 79% of areas.
| Tiwi Islands | 2,030 |
|---|---|
| Rest of NT | 45,289 |
| Northern Territory | 61,115 |
Population & age
How many people identify as First Nations, and the typical age.
The typical First Nations resident is 28, which is noticeably older than the national figure of 24. This age is also a little older than the Northern Territory average of 26.
28 yrs
Older than 71% of council (lga) areas.
Median age of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people — half are older, half younger.
Education
School completion among First Nations people.
About 29.2% of First Nations people here finished Year 12. While this is well above the Northern Territory figure of 23.2%, it remains well below the national average of 37.0%.
29.2%
Lower than 64% of council (lga) areas.
Share of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Work
Engagement with the labour force.
Finding a job is a major challenge, with an unemployment rate of 35.5% for First Nations people. This is far above the Northern Territory figure of 20.8% and the national rate of 12.3%.
35.5%
Higher than 97% of council (lga) areas.
Unemployed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as a share of the First Nations labour force (aged 15+).
Income
Personal and household incomes.
Typical earnings are among the lowest in the country. First Nations households earn just $639, which is far below the national figure of $1,507.
$223
Lower than 99% of council (lga) areas.
Median total personal income per week for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15+.
$639
Lower than 99% of council (lga) areas.
Median total weekly income for households with one or more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members.
Language & culture
Use of an Australian Indigenous language at home.
Language use is far above the rest of the nation. At 90.6%, the proportion of First Nations people speaking a traditional language is far above the Northern Territory figure of 60.1%.
90.6%
Higher than 99% of council (lga) areas.
Share of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who use an Australian Indigenous language at home.
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Tiwi Islands
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). First Nations in Tiwi Islands [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA74050/tiwi-islands/topic/first-nations