This report provides a comprehensive outline of the most recent indicators of health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The overview is intended to provide an easy-to-read and quick access document which provides up-to-date information on the status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health across Australia. The information is intended to assist community members, services and policymakers to identify emerging areas of strength, for example, where local or national statistics demonstrate positive health outcomes, as well as to identify health conditions of concern.

The early sections present information about the social and cultural context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, social determinants, the structure of the population, and measures of population health including births, deaths and hospitalisations.

The remaining sections consist of selected health conditions and risk/protective factors that contribute to the overall health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. These sections include a brief introduction and evidence of the extent of the condition or risk/protective factor and burden of disease. Information is provided for states and territories, Indigenous regions and remoteness, and for demographics such as sex and age, when the information is available.

This year’s overview includes Closing the Gap ‘target boxes’ which indicate where health and wellbeing topics align with any of the 17 Closing the Gap socio-economic outcome areas. This inclusion allows readers to quickly identify where the reported health topics align with national policy.