Remoteness Area · Area profile
Remote Australia
20,132 km²
Spanning over 20,000 square kilometres of isolated landscape, Remote Australia is a sparsely populated region of just 3,305 people. It is a far older community than the national average, with a typical resident aged 55 and over 30% of the population being seniors. The area has seen a significant decline in size, shrinking by 30% since 2011. This creates a quiet, ageing character where most people live in detached houses and a high proportion of residents own their homes outright.
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The population is among the oldest at this level, with a typical age of 55 and a senior population far above the national figure. Children under 15 make up only 14.6%, which is well below the Australian average of 18.2%.
Most residents were born in Australia (83.4%), and the proportion of people born overseas is far below the national average. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, each accounting for about 42% of the population.
English is the dominant language, with only 3.0% of people using another tongue at home. Consequently, the proportion of people who speak little or no English is well below the national figure.
About 48.1% of residents identify with Christianity, while those with no religion make up 40.2%. This last group has grown by 14 percentage points since 2011.
Educational attainment is far below the national average, with only 9.7% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Year 12 completion is also much lower than most areas at 34.4%.
Typical incomes are well below national figures, with the usual household earning $1,050 a week. Those earning $3,000 or more per week are among the lowest at this level, at just 7.9%.
Health challenges are common here; 36.0% of people have a long-term health condition, which is well above the national average. Arthritis is the most reported condition, affecting 14.0% of residents.
Volunteering is very high at 33.5%, far above the national figure. Unpaid care is also common, with 15.3% providing unpaid care, which is among the highest at this level.
First Nations residents are far older than the national average, with a typical age of 49. While the unemployment rate for this group is well above the national figure, their Year 12 completion rate is among the highest at this level.
Living arrangements are often solitary, with 36.4% of people living alone, far above the national average. This contributes to a smaller typical household size of 2.1 people.
Housing is overwhelmingly detached houses (96.0%) and mostly owned outright (61.7%). Renting is far less common than across Australia, and the typical weekly rent of $120 is much lower than the national figure.
The area is highly dependent on cars, with only 0.2% of people commuting via public transport. About 35.6% of homes have two vehicles, and very few (4.1%) have no motor vehicle at all.
The population is very stable, with only 24.0% of people moving in the last five years, far below the national average. Recent overseas arrivals are also among the lowest at this level.
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing are the primary industries, employing 41.3% of the workforce. The proportion of adults working or looking for work is far below the national average at 50.5%.
The area is mostly car-dependent with a low walkability score of 3.4. While some homes are near parks, the general street connectivity is zero.