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, 75-84 year olds was the most common age group among residents who needed assistance with core activities in Cumberland (A), accounting for 33.6% (2,961 people). This share was higher than Greater Sydney (23.1%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 75-84 year olds, which increased by 593 people and 1.7 percentage points.
Section overview
Need for assistance with core activities by age
Cumberland (A) - Persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises need for assistance for Cumberland (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.
Need for assistance with core activities by age snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Cumberland (A), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
Bars reflect 2021 counts; benchmark rates remain in the metrics.
0-4
2021 count
230
2021 rate
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
230
1.4%
+0.4pp
5-14
2021 count
845
2021 rate
2.8%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
845
2.8%
+0.4pp
15-19
2021 count
317
2021 rate
2.5%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
317
2.5%
+0.5pp
20-24
2021 count
266
2021 rate
1.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
266
1.4%
0.0pp
25-34
2021 count
556
2021 rate
1.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
556
1.3%
0.0pp
35-44
2021 count
763
2021 rate
2.1%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
763
2.1%
-0.6pp
45-54
2021 count
1,282
2021 rate
4.9%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
1,282
4.9%
-0.6pp
55-64
2021 count
2,108
2021 rate
9.1%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
2,108
9.1%
-0.5pp
65-74
2021 count
2,791
2021 rate
17.3%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
2,791
17.3%
+0.9pp
75-84
2021 count
2,961
2021 rate
33.6%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
2,961
33.6%
+1.7pp
85+
2021 count
1,909
2021 rate
55.5%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
1,909
55.5%
-1.6pp
Chart view
Need for assistance with core activities by age change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
0-4
+69
+0.4pp
5-14
+192
+0.4pp
15-19
+64
+0.5pp
20-24
+21
0.0pp
25-34
-10
0.0pp
35-44
-67
-0.6pp
45-54
-88
-0.6pp
55-64
+132
-0.5pp
65-74
+587
+0.9pp
75-84
+593
+1.7pp
85+
+34
-1.6pp
Data table
Need for assistance for Cumberland (A). Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | pp | |
| 0-4 | 230 | 1.4% | 1.3% | 161 | 1.0% | 1.1% | +69 | +0.4pp |
| 5-14 | 845 | 2.8% | 3.4% | 653 | 2.4% | 2.7% | +192 | +0.4pp |
| 15-19 | 317 | 2.5% | 2.7% | 253 | 2.0% | 2.2% | +64 | +0.5pp |
| 20-24 | 266 | 1.4% | 1.8% | 245 | 1.4% | 1.5% | +21 | 0.0pp |
| 25-34 | 556 | 1.3% | 1.3% | 566 | 1.3% | 1.2% | -10 | 0.0pp |
| 35-44 | 763 | 2.1% | 1.6% | 830 | 2.7% | 1.8% | -67 | -0.6pp |
| 45-54 | 1,282 | 4.9% | 2.9% | 1,370 | 5.5% | 3.2% | -88 | -0.6pp |
| 55-64 | 2,108 | 9.1% | 5.5% | 1,976 | 9.6% | 5.7% | +132 | -0.5pp |
| 65-74 | 2,791 | 17.3% | 10.5% | 2,204 | 16.4% | 9.9% | +587 | +0.9pp |
| 75-84 | 2,961 | 33.6% | 23.1% | 2,368 | 31.9% | 23.4% | +593 | +1.7pp |
| 85+ | 1,909 | 55.5% | 48.7% | 1,875 | 57.1% | 50.4% | +34 | -1.6pp |
| Total | 14,036 | 6.0% | 5.2% | 12,503 | 5.8% | 4.9% | +1,533 | +0.2pp |