6,708 ▼ -16.3%
Lower than 64% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 8,017
- 2016: 5,664
- 2021: 6,708
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Very Remote Australia · Remoteness Area
Demographics & Identity in Very Remote Australia
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
A shrinking population marks the recent shift for Very Remote Australia, where the total number of people fell by 16% since 2011. The area is now home to 6,708 residents. This region is also notable for having a very high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who make up 31.9% of the population.
6,708
▼ -16.3%
- 1–2: 3 areas
- 2–3: 0 areas
- 3–5: 0 areas
- 5–9: 0 areas
- 9–16: 2 areas
- 16–28: 1 area
- 28–50: 1 area
- 50–87: 0 areas
- 87–152: 1 area
- 152–265: 1 area
- 265–463: 1 area
- 463–808: 3 areas
- 808–1,412: 1 area
- 1,412–2,466: 0 areas
- 2,466–4,308: 4 areas
- 4,308–7,525: 2 areas
- 7,525–13,147: 4 areas
- 13,147–22,967: 2 areas
- 22,967–40,122: 1 area
- 40,122–70,092: 5 areas
- 70,092–122,448: 2 areas
- 122,448–213,911: 5 areas
- 213,911–373,695: 3 areas
- 373,695–652,831: 2 areas
- 652,831–1,140,471: 2 areas
- 1,140,471–1,992,358: 3 areas
- 1,992,358–3,480,573: 2 areas
- 3,480,573–6,080,428: 2 areas
All remoteness area areas, 2021. The marker is Very Remote Australia — lower than 64% of areas.
| Very Remote Australia | 6,708 |
|---|---|
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
The typical resident is 40, which is a little older than the national figure of 38. This age has risen by two years since 2011, while the total population shrank by 1,309 people over the same period.
40 yrs ▲ +5.3%
Younger than 57% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 38 yrs
- 2016: 39 yrs
- 2021: 40 yrs
Half the population is older than this age, and half younger.
Age profile
How the population splits across age groups.
Children under 15 make up 19.6% of the population, which is much higher than most areas. Seniors aged 65 and over also represent a higher share than usual at 17.8%, a figure that rose by 5.2 percentage points since 2011.
17.8% ▲ +41.2%
Higher than 58% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 12.6%
- 2016: 14.7%
- 2021: 17.8%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
19.6% ▼ -13.8%
Higher than 81% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 22.8%
- 2016: 20.4%
- 2021: 19.6%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →Very Remote Australia splits fairly evenly between Older adults (45–64) (27%) and Young adults (25–44) (24%), with Children (0–14) at 20%.
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 31.9% of the population, which is far above the national figure of 3.2%. This area also has a much higher rate of de facto relationships than most areas, at 16.5%.
31.9% ▼ -6.5%
Higher than 87% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 34.1%
- 2016: 34.6%
- 2021: 31.9%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
16.5% ▲ +5.5%
Higher than 85% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 15.6%
- 2016: 16.6%
- 2021: 16.5%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Very Remote Australia, the largest group is Never married at 46%, followed by Married (37%) and Divorced (8%).
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Very Remote Australia
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Very Remote Australia [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ra/RA14/very-remote-australia/topic/demographics-identity