Population
Need for assistance
About this topic
Need for assistance measures people who report needing help with self-care, body movement, or communication because of a disability, a long-term health condition, or older age. It is a high-needs indicator rather than a general measure of disability.
This topic is useful for planning accessible facilities, care services, respite, and support for carers. The measure is based on self-report in the Census, so it should be interpreted with care and read alongside unpaid care and other disability-related indicators.
Interpretation notes
- The measure is self-reported and records need for help with core activities, so it is not a complete measure of disability prevalence.
- It applies to all persons and is strongest as an indicator of higher support need when read with unpaid care and ageing data.
Key insight
In 2021, 85+ year olds was the most common age group among residents who needed assistance with core activities in Brisbane (C), accounting for 51.4% (11,564 people). This share was higher than Greater Brisbane (51.1%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 75-84 year olds, which increased by 2,578 people and 0.9 percentage points.
Section overview
Need for assistance with core activities by age
Brisbane (C) - Persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises need for assistance for Brisbane (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Brisbane and change since 2016.
Need for assistance with core activities by age snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Brisbane (C), with comparison markers for Greater Brisbane.
Bars reflect 2021 counts; benchmark rates remain in the metrics.
0-4
2021 count
890
2021 rate
1.3%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
890
1.3%
+0.3pp
5-14
2021 count
5,296
2021 rate
3.6%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
5,296
3.6%
+0.9pp
15-19
2021 count
2,003
2021 rate
2.7%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
2,003
2.7%
+0.7pp
20-24
2021 count
1,714
2021 rate
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
1,714
1.8%
+0.5pp
25-34
2021 count
2,973
2021 rate
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
2,973
1.4%
+0.3pp
35-44
2021 count
3,131
2021 rate
1.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
3,131
1.7%
0.0pp
45-54
2021 count
4,298
2021 rate
2.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
4,298
2.6%
0.0pp
55-64
2021 count
5,688
2021 rate
4.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
5,688
4.5%
+0.1pp
65-74
2021 count
7,993
2021 rate
8.6%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
7,993
8.6%
+0.7pp
75-84
2021 count
11,130
2021 rate
21.3%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
11,130
21.3%
+0.9pp
85+
2021 count
11,564
2021 rate
51.4%
Change from 2016
+4.3pp
11,564
51.4%
+4.3pp
Chart view
Need for assistance with core activities by age change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
0-4
+241
+0.3pp
5-14
+1,764
+0.9pp
15-19
+593
+0.7pp
20-24
+481
+0.5pp
25-34
+774
+0.3pp
35-44
+349
0.0pp
45-54
+462
0.0pp
55-64
+680
+0.1pp
65-74
+1,767
+0.7pp
75-84
+2,578
+0.9pp
85+
+1,719
+4.3pp
Data table
Need for assistance for Brisbane (C). Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Brisbane.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Brisbane% | Count | % | Greater Brisbane% | Count | pp | |
| 0-4 | 890 | 1.3% | 1.6% | 649 | 1.0% | 1.2% | +241 | +0.3pp |
| 5-14 | 5,296 | 3.6% | 5.2% | 3,532 | 2.7% | 3.7% | +1,764 | +0.9pp |
| 15-19 | 2,003 | 2.7% | 3.9% | 1,410 | 2.0% | 2.8% | +593 | +0.7pp |
| 20-24 | 1,714 | 1.8% | 2.6% | 1,233 | 1.3% | 1.9% | +481 | +0.5pp |
| 25-34 | 2,973 | 1.4% | 2.1% | 2,199 | 1.1% | 1.7% | +774 | +0.3pp |
| 35-44 | 3,131 | 1.7% | 2.3% | 2,782 | 1.7% | 2.3% | +349 | 0.0pp |
| 45-54 | 4,298 | 2.6% | 3.6% | 3,836 | 2.6% | 3.5% | +462 | 0.0pp |
| 55-64 | 5,688 | 4.5% | 6.0% | 5,008 | 4.4% | 5.8% | +680 | +0.1pp |
| 65-74 | 7,993 | 8.6% | 10.4% | 6,226 | 7.9% | 9.4% | +1,767 | +0.7pp |
| 75-84 | 11,130 | 21.3% | 22.3% | 8,552 | 20.4% | 20.6% | +2,578 | +0.9pp |
| 85+ | 11,564 | 51.4% | 51.1% | 9,845 | 47.1% | 46.5% | +1,719 | +4.3pp |
| Total | 56,680 | 4.6% | 5.7% | 45,277 | 4.0% | 4.9% | +11,403 | +0.6pp |