Remoteness Area · Area profile
Very Remote Australia
763,414 km²
A massive gap exists between the living standards in Very Remote Australia and the rest of the nation. This sparse region has a population of 13,768 people, with nearly 30% identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. It is a place of extremes, where typical incomes are well below the national figure and a high proportion of people live in detached houses. The community is ageing slightly, with a typical resident now 40 years old.
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First Nations people make up 29% of the population, which is far above the national figure of 3.2%. While the typical resident is 40, there has been a notable increase in seniors, with those aged 65 and over rising by 6.7 percentage points since 2011.
The area is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with 80.8% of residents born here. This makes the proportion of overseas-born people far lower than the national average.
Despite fewer overseas arrivals, 23.5% of people use another language at home, a figure slightly above the national average. This trend has risen by 2 percentage points since 2011.
Christianity remains the most common faith at 41.3%, but the number of people reporting no religion has risen sharply by 17 percentage points since 2011 to reach 39.9%.
Educational attainment is far below the national figure, with only 9.7% of adults holding a bachelor degree. However, the proportion of people finishing Year 12 has risen to 33.8% since 2011.
Incomes are much lower than in most other areas, with the typical weekly household earning $1,194 compared to the national figure of $1,746. Only 10.1% of households earn $3,000 or more a week.
Residents report fewer long-term health conditions and mental health issues than the national average. About 61.4% of people have no long-term health condition at all.
Volunteerism is very high here, with 22.8% of people volunteering, well above the national figure of 14.1%. Unpaid care for children is also common, affecting 28.8% of the community.
A strong cultural connection is evident, with 62.8% of First Nations people speaking a traditional language. However, this group faces significant hardship, with an unemployment rate of 26.6% and a typical personal income well below the national figure.
People are more likely to live alone here than in the rest of Australia, at 34.1%. There is also a higher rate of one-parent families, which stands at 16.6%.
Detached houses are the norm for 91.2% of residents. While typical rents are far below the national figure at $120 a week, the area has a higher proportion of renters than most other regions.
The area is heavily car-dependent, yet 10.7% of homes have no motor vehicle, which is well above the national figure. Only 1.5% of people use public transport to get to work.
The population is relatively stable, with far fewer people moving house in the last five years compared to the national average. Recent arrivals from overseas are also much less common.
More people are employed full-time than in most areas, but fewer adults are working or looking for work overall. The unemployment rate is 8.1%, which is a little above the national figure.
The region is mostly car-dependent with a low walkability score of 2.5. Very few homes are within a short walk of public transport, and there is no street connectivity recorded.