The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the ACT jumped by a third over five years, according to today's Census data.
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The local population is also much younger than the national average, with the ACT having the lowest percentage of indigenous people aged 65 and over of any state or territory.
The 2011 Census of Population and Housing found the resident population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in ACT was 5183, up from 3872 in 2006 – an increase of 33.9 per cent. The local population represented 0.9 per cent of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in Australia of 548,370.
Australian Bureau of Statistics ACT regional director Mariette O'Connell said the high quality of the latest Census data was the result of better procedures, particularly in regional and remote areas, and more people identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
"An increase of nearly 34 per cent more people in the Territory identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander than in the 2006 Census," she said.
The median age for the ACT Aboriginal and Torrs Strait Islander population was 22 years, whereas the national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander median age was 21. This compared to the national median age of 37.
Around one in three (32.6 per cent) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the ACT was under 15 years of age. Just 2.1 per cent of this population was aged 65 and over, the lowest of any state or territory.
Ms O'Connell, said the 2011 Census would be used to help shape the Territory over the next five years.
"We worked closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on a community level throughout the Census, and thanks to their support and knowledge, we are confident of a quality count," she said.
