Powered by .id (informed decisions) for Australia
.id community is an evidence base for over 250 local government areas in Australia and New Zealand, helping you make informed decisions.
LEARN MORE ABOUT .idIn 2021, 1,464,421 people (or 5.8% of the population) in Australia reported needing help in their day-to-day lives due to disability. This was a percentage increase from 2011.
Australia's disability statistics relate directly to need for assistance due to a severe or profound disability. The information may be used in the planning of local facilities, services such as day-care and occasional care and in the provision of information and support to carers. Australia's disability statistics help in understanding the prevalence of people who need support in the community, and along with information on Unpaid Care to a person with a disability, how that support is provided.
Please note: A person's reported need for assistance is based on a subjective assessment and should therefore be treated with caution. See the specific data notes for further detail.
Q:
Derived from the Census questions:
'Does the person ever need someone to help with, or be with them for, self care activities?', 'Does the person ever need someone to help with, or be with them for, body movement activities?', 'Does the person ever need someone to help with, or be with them for, communication activities?', and 'What are the reasons for the need for assistance or supervision shown in questions 20, 21 and 22?' (as per above).
| Need for assistance with core activities by age | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia - Persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2011 | Change | ||||
| Assistance needed by age group (years) | Number | % of total age group | Greater Capital Cities % | Number | % of total age group | Greater Capital Cities % | 2011 to 2021 |
| 0 to 4 | 20,530 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 14,222 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +6,308 |
| 5 to 9 | 69,288 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 34,853 | 2.6 | 2.5 | +34,435 |
| 10 to 19 | 121,990 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 61,782 | 2.2 | 2.1 | +60,208 |
| 20 to 59 | 365,505 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 273,960 | 2.3 | 2.1 | +91,545 |
| 60 to 64 | 93,811 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 76,485 | 6.3 | 6.0 | +17,326 |
| 65 to 69 | 105,218 | 8.1 | 8.3 | 68,515 | 7.5 | 7.4 | +36,703 |
| 70 to 74 | 130,080 | 11.2 | 11.7 | 72,839 | 10.3 | 10.8 | +57,241 |
| 75 to 79 | 137,824 | 16.8 | 17.9 | 88,698 | 16.3 | 17.3 | +49,126 |
| 80 to 84 | 153,522 | 27.7 | 29.5 | 114,957 | 26.3 | 27.5 | +38,565 |
| 85 and over | 262,417 | 48.9 | 50.5 | 192,226 | 47.7 | 48.1 | +70,191 |
| Total persons needing assistance | 1,464,421 | 5.8 | 5.4 | 998,537 | 4.6 | 4.4 | +465,884 |
| Need for assistance with core activities summary | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia - Total persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2011 | Change | ||||
| Assistance needed by age group (years) | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | 2011 to 2021 |
| Total persons needing assistance | 1,464,421 | 5.8 | 5.4 | 998,537 | 4.6 | 4.4 | +465,884 |
| Total persons not needing assistance | 22,464,689 | 88.4 | 89.5 | 19,285,575 | 89.7 | 90.1 | +3,179,114 |
| Not stated | 1,493,672 | 5.9 | 5.1 | 1,220,576 | 5.7 | 5.6 | +273,096 |
| Total Population | 25,422,782 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 21,504,688 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +3,918,094 |
Dominant groups
Analysis of the need for assistance of people in Australia compared to Greater Capital Cities shows that there was a similar proportion of people who reported needing assistance with core activities.
Overall, 5.8% of the population reported needing assistance with core activities, compared with 5.4% for Greater Capital Cities.
The major differences in the age groups reporting a need for assistance in Australia and Greater Capital Cities were:
- A smaller percentage of persons aged 80 to 84 (27.7% compared to 29.5%)
- A smaller percentage of persons aged 85 and over (48.9% compared to 50.5%)
- A smaller percentage of persons aged 75 to 79 (16.8% compared to 17.9%)
Emerging groups
The major differences in the age groups reporting a need for assistance between 2011 and 2021 in Australia were in the age groups:
- 20 to 59 (+91,545 persons)
- 85 and over (+70,191 persons)
- 10 to 19 (+60,208 persons)
- 70 to 74 (+57,241 persons)
DISCLAIMER: While all due care has been taken to ensure that the content of this website is accurate and current, there may be errors or omissions in it and no legal responsibility is accepted for the information and opinions in this website.
Please view our Privacy Policy, Terms of use and Legal notices.
ABS Data and the copyright in the ABS Data remains the property of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The copyright in the way .id has modified, transformed or reconfigured the ABS Data as published on this website remains the property of .id. ABS Data can be accessed from the Australian Bureau of Statistics at www.abs.gov.au. ABS data can be used under license - terms published on ABS website. intermediary.management@abs.gov.au if you have any queries or wish to distribute any ABS data.