Target 1
Close the Gap in life expectancy within a generation, by 2031.
Nationally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males born in 2020–2022 are expected to live to 71.9 years and females to 75.6 years, and non-Indigenous males and females to 80.6 years and 83.8 years respectively (table CtG1A.1).
In 2020–2022 the gap in life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males and females was 8.8 years and 8.1 years, respectively. These gaps are lower than estimated in 2005–2007 (11.4 years and 9.6 years), but are higher than the gaps estimated in 2015–2017 (8.7 years and 8.0 years) (figure CtG1.1).
Nationally, based on progress from the baseline, the target shows improvement but is not on track to be met for males or females. However, this assessment should be used with caution as it is based on a limited number of data points. In addition, there have been significant increases in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population and improvements to identification of Indigenous status in death records, which have contributed to changes in the life expectancy estimates. It is not possible to determine the extent to which population changes and/or improved health outcomes have contributed to changes in the life expectancy estimates. Please refer to the target data specifications and the How to interpret the data page for more information.
The state and territory assessments below reflect progress from the baseline (improvement, worsening or no change). There are no state and territory targets. The Australia assessment reflects progress from the baseline towards the national target.
| Sex | NSW | Vic | Qld | WA | SA | Tas | ACT | NT | Aust | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment of progress 2005-07 to 2020-22 | Males |  | Not applicable as required data not available | | | Not applicable as required data not available | Not applicable as required data not available | Not applicable as required data not available | |  |
| Females | | Not applicable as required data not available | | | Not applicable as required data not available | Not applicable as required data not available | Not applicable as required data not available |  | |
improvement 
no change worsening not applicable as required data not available. 
good improvement and target on track to be met (Aust only). improvement but target not on track to be met (Aust only).
Note: These assessments of progress should be used with caution as they are based on a limited number of data points.
Historical and ongoing target context
Health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is holistic encompassing not just physical health but also social, emotional, cultural, spiritual, and ecological wellbeing for individuals and communities (Dudgeon et al. 2014). This perspective reflects a strong sense of cultural identity and deep connections to land, culture, family, kinship, and community, which are essential to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing.
The disruption of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of living by colonisation and government policies over a long period has had profoundly harmful effects on wellbeing, including through interrupting cultural practices (Dudgeon et al. 2014; Lowitja Institute 2020). The displacement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from Country, economic exclusion, the introduction of new diseases, and limited access to traditional food, diets and medicine have all led to health disparities (Close the Gap Campaign Alliance Group and Lowitja Institute 2024; Dudgeon et al. 2014).
The physical, psychological and emotional trauma resulting from the forced removal of children from families significantly affected and continues to affect the lives of Stolen Generations survivors, descendants and their communities (Darwin et al. 2023). These harmful government policies and practices sought to diminish Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural identity and community connection (ALRC 2010). The impact of these policies continues, contributing to intergenerational trauma, socioeconomic disadvantage, limited community participation, and barriers to access and use of healthcare (Paradies 2016; Champion 2008; Hulme Chambers et al. 2018).
Factors that affect the life expectancy and quality of life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are interconnected and span their life course. These factors include:
- Cultural determinants such as the knowledges, cultural identity and community practices held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which are essential for enhancing health and wellbeing (Parter, Carmen et al. 2024; Verbunt et al. 2021).These positively impact mental health, and reduce health risks that increase mortality such as suicide and self-harm (AIHW Indigenous MHSPC nd; Menzies 2019; Hunter et al. 2021).
- Social factors, such as inadequate housing, low education and income levels, unemployment and lack of access to, and use of, healthcare services (AIHW 2022). These social determinants influence personal risk factors such as alcohol consumption and smoking, leading to an increase in chronic diseases (Heris et al. 2024; Gubhaju et al 2015; Menzies 2019).
- Racism, which involves experiences of interpersonal and institutionalised discrimination and that restricts access to key health determinants such as education and employment, erodes cultural identity and undermines overall physical and mental health (Menzies 2019; Priest et al. 2011).
- Access and utilisation of healthcare services that are culturally safe and geographically accessible, which involves:
- Availability of well-resourced Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), which deliver care in a holistic way that meets the unique cultural and health needs of the community (Alford 2014; Gomersall et al. 2017; Lowitja Institute 2022; NACCHO nd; Nolan-Isles et al. 2021).
- Addressing racism and discrimination in mainstream services to build trust and improve service quality (Gomersall et al. 2017; Marrie 2017; Nolan-Isles et al. 2021; Watego et al. 2021).
- Improving the availability of high quality and culturally safe healthcare services, such as specialist services, for people who live in rural, regional and remote areas (Nolan-Isles et al. 2021).
References
AIHW 2022, Determinants of health for Indigenous Australians, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/social-determinants-and-indigenous-health (accessed 30 January 2024).
AIHW Indigenous MHSPC nd, Suicide prevention, https://www.indigenousmhspc.gov.au/topics/suicide-prevention (accessed 30 January 2024).
Alford, DK 2014, ‘Economic Value of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services’.
Australian Law Reform Commission 2010, Changing Policies Towards Aboriginal People, ALRC, https://www.alrc.gov.au/publication/recognition-of-aboriginal-customary-laws-alrc-report-31/3-aboriginal-societies-the-experience-of-contact/changing-policies-towards-aboriginal-people (accessed 21 February 2024).
Chambers, J, Tomnay, A, Stephens, K, Crouch, A, Whiteside, M, Love, P, McIntosh, L and Waples Crowe, P 2018, ‘Facilitators of Community Participation in an Aboriginal Sexual Health Promotion Initiative’. Rural and Remote Health 18, no. 2 (April 2018): 4245. https://doi.org/10.22605/RRH4245.
Champion, S, Franks, C Taylor, J 2008 ‘Increasing Community Participation in an Aboriginal Health Service’. Australian Journal of Rural Health 16, no. 5 (October 2008): 297–301. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1584.2008.01003.x.
Close the Gap Campaign Alliance Group and Lowitja Institute 2024, Close the Gap Campaign Report 2024: Voyage to Voice, Treaty, Truth and Beyond, Close the Gap Campaign Alliance Group.
Darwin, L, Vervoort, S, Vollert, E and Blustein, S 2023, Intergenerational Trauma and Mental Health. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Dudgeon, P, Hart, A and Kelly, K, eds. 2014, Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing 2nd edn, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Gomersall, JS, Gibson, O, Dwyer, J, O’Donnell, K, Stephenson, M, Carter, D, Canuto, K, Munn, Z, Aromataris, E and Brown, A 2017, ‘What Indigenous Australian clients value about primary health care: a systematic review of qualitative evidence’, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health , vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 417–423.
Gubhaju, L, Banks, E, MacNiven, R, McNamara, BJ, Joshy, G, Bauman, A and Eades, SJ 2015, ‘Physical Functional Limitations among Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Older Adults: Associations with Socio-Demographic Factors and Health’, Baradaran, HR (ed), PLOS ONE, vol. 10, no. 9.
Heris, C, Caudell, R, Barrett, E, Brinckley, M, Cohen, R, Kennedy, M, Whop, L, Calma, T and Maddox, R. ‘The Social Determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Adults Who Do Not Smoke in Regional Australia’. Australian Journal of Rural Health 32, no. 2 (April 2024): 275–85. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.13084.
Hunter, S-A, Skouteris, H and Morris, H 2021, ‘A Conceptual Model of Protective Factors Within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture That Build Strength’, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, vol. 52, no. 8–9, pp. 726–751.
Lowitja Institute 2020, We Nurture our Culture for our Future, and our Culture Nurtures us., 19 March, Australian Human Rights Commission .
—— 2022, Transforming Power: Voices for Generational Change - 2022 Close the Gap Report.
Marrie, A 2017, Health Equity Report 2017.
Menzies, K 2019, ‘Understanding the Australian Aboriginal experience of collective, historical and intergenerational trauma’, International Social Work, vol. 62, no. 6, pp. 1522–1534.
NACCHO nd, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health, NACCHO, https://www.naccho.org.au/acchos/ (accessed 9 April 2024).
Nolan-Isles, D, Macniven, R, Hunter, K, Gwynn, J, Lincoln, M, Moir, R, Dimitropoulos, Y, Taylor, D, Agius, T, Finlayson, H, Martin, R, Ward, K, Tobin, S and Gwynne, K 2021, ‘Enablers and Barriers to Accessing Healthcare Services for Aboriginal People in New South Wales, Australia’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , vol. 18, no. 6, p. 3014.
Paradies, Y 2016, ‘Colonisation, racism and indigenous health’, Journal of Population Research , vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 83–96.
Parter, C, Murray, D, Mokak, R, Briscoe, K, Weston, R, and Mohamed, J 2024, ‘Implementing the Cultural Determinants of Health: Our Knowledges and Cultures in a Health System That Is Not Free of Racism’. Medical Journal of Australia 221, no. 1 (July 2024): 5–7. https://doi.org/10.5694/mja2.52352.
Priest, N, Paradies, Y, Gunthorpe, W, Cairney, S and Sayers, S 2011, ‘Racism as a Determinant of Social and Emotional Wellbeing for Aboriginal Australian Youth’. Medical Journal of Australia 194, no. 10 (2011): 546–50. https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2011.tb03099.x.
Verbunt, E, Luke, J, Paradies, Y, Bamblett, M, Salamone, C, Jones, A and Kelaher, M 2021, ‘Cultural determinants of health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – a narrative overview of reviews’, International Journal for Equity in Health , vol. 20, no. 1, p. 181.
Watego, C, Singh, C and Macoun, A 2021, ‘Partnership for Justice in Health Scoping Paper on Race, Racism and the Australian Health System’, https://www.lowitja.org.au/publications (accessed 9 April 2024).
Disaggregations
Data tables appear under figures
By remoteness area
Nationally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males and females born in 2020–2022 had higher life expectancy in major cities (72.5 years and 76.5 years, respectively) and regional areas (72.8 years and 76.7 years, respectively), than in remote and very remote areas (combined) (67.3 years and 71.3 years, respectively) (figure CtG1.2).
By Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD) quintile
Nationally in 2020–2022, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males and females born in the least disadvantaged socio‑economic areas had higher life expectancy (74.6 years and 77.0 years, respectively) compared to those born in the most disadvantaged areas (69.5 years and 74.0 years, respectively) (figure CtG1.3).
Target data specifications
Outcome: | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people enjoy long and healthy lives. |
|---|---|
Target: | Close the Gap in life expectancy within a generation, by 2031. |
Indicator: | Life expectancy gap. |
Measure: | This measure is defined as the difference between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non‑Indigenous life expectancy. Life expectancy is the average number of years that a newborn baby could expect to live, if they experienced the age/sex specific death rates that applied at their birth throughout their lifetimes. |
Target established: | National Agreement on Closing the Gap July 2020 |
Latest dashboard update: | 6 March 2024 |
Indicator type: | Target |
Interpretation of change: | A higher or increasing life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and narrowing of the gap in life expectancy with non‑Indigenous people is desirable. |
Data source(s): | Name: ABS Life Tables for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians Frequency: Five‑yearly (revised data for 2015–2017 in the March 2024 dashboard update) Documentation (links): https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples/life-tables-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-australians/ |
Data provider: | Provider name: Australian Bureau of Statistics Provider area: Demography |
Baseline year: | 2006 (three‑year average of 2005–2007) |
Latest reporting period | 2021 (three‑year average of 2020–2022) |
Target year: | 2031 (three‑year average of 2030–2032) |
Disaggregations: | Selected states and territories and Australia, by Indigenous status, by sex. Australia, by Indigenous status, by remoteness area, by sex. Australia, by Indigenous status, by Index of Relative Socio‑economic Disadvantage (IRSD), by sex. |
Computation: | Counting rules Direct estimation of the life expectancy gap at birth between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non‑Indigenous people using the average number of deaths registered in the relevant three‑year period and the estimated resident population (ERP) at the mid‑point of that three-year period, with adjustments for incomplete identification by Indigenous status. Life expectancy estimates reported for 2015–2017 and 2020–2022 are calculated taking age-specific identification rates into account. For prior years, life expectancy estimates calculated taking age-specific identification rates into account are only available for the Australian estimates. Therefore, the state and territory estimates should not be compared with the Australian estimates prior to 2015–2017. The Australian total includes all states and territories (including Other Territories). Disaggregations: The data on deaths used to estimate life expectancy at birth by geographic area are based on usual residence of the deceased. Sex relates to biological primary sexual characteristics. Remoteness area is classified according to the ABS Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) using population data from Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1) regions as the building block. Life expectancy for people whose location of usual residence is either (1) categorised as ‘migratory’ or (2) not sufficient to identify their geographic area and assign remoteness area are excluded from the analysis by remoteness. Socio‑economic status of the locality is classified according to the Socio‑Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA): Index of Relative Socio‑economic Disadvantage (IRSD), using population data from SA1 regions as the building block. Data are reported by IRSD quintile that are determined at the Australian level. Life expectancy for people whose location of usual residence is either (1) categorised as ‘migratory’ or (2) not sufficient to identify their geographic area and assign a socio‑economic status of the locality are excluded from the analysis by socio‑economic status. Supporting calculations The difference in life expectancy estimates between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non‑Indigenous people, and confidence intervals (upper and lower limits). Calculation of differences are based on unrounded estimates. Confidence intervals are only available for the life expectancy estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and for the difference in life expectancy estimates in 2020–2022. |
Data quality considerations: | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous life tables are based on ERP (based on the Census of Population and Housing and the Census Post Enumeration Survey), death registration information provided by the State/Territory Registrars of Births, Deaths and Marriages, and the ABS Census Data Enhancement Indigenous Mortality Quality Study. Life expectancy estimates by Indigenous status are produced for New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory only. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander estimates of life expectancy are not produced for Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australia Capital Territory due to the small number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths reported in these jurisdictions. In 2020, the ABS commissioned an independent review to assess the fitness for purpose of the ABS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life expectancy estimation method. Following the review, the ABS implemented changes in the method for the 2020–2022 estimates. These changes are detailed in Updated method for 2020–2022 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life expectancy estimates, which include revised 2015–2017 estimates using the updated methodology. Caution is required when interpreting trends in life expectancy estimates. The ABS does not compare Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life expectancy estimates over time. There have been significant increases in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population between Censuses since 2006, and improvements to identification of Indigenous status in death records. It is not possible to determine the extent to which population changes and/or improved health outcomes have contributed to changes in the life expectancy estimates. |
Future reporting: | Future reporting will seek to include the following additional disaggregations:
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Supporting indicators
Driver
- All-cause mortality
- Leading causes of death
Infant mortality, child mortality, and five-yearly age groups
- Potential avoidable mortality rates
- Prevalence rates of health risk factors
Smoking, alcohol and drug use, overweight and obese, dietary factors, physical activity
- Rates of accessing/utilisation of health services
General Practitioner (GP) visits, health assessments (Medicare Benefit 715), chronic disease care items (Team Care arrangement and GP Management Plan)
Contextual information
- Hospitalisation rates by leading causes
- Discharge against medical advice
- Burden of disease from socioeconomic factors
Material for download
- People enjoy long and healthy lives data tables (XLSX - 208 Kb)
- People enjoy long and healthy lives dataset (CSV - 662 Kb)
To assist with interpretation of the data provided (Excel data tables and CSV dataset) please refer to the target data specification (above) and the indicator data specifications (provided in each supporting indicator page – linked above).