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 Lake Macquarie (C), accounting for 20.4% (3,193 people). This share was higher than Regional NSW (18.9%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 75-84 year olds, which increased by 831 people and 1.7 percentage points.
Section overview
Need for assistance with core activities by age
Lake Macquarie (C) - Persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises need for assistance for Lake Macquarie (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Need for assistance with core activities by age snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Lake Macquarie (C), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Bars reflect 2021 counts; benchmark rates remain in the metrics.
0-4
2021 count
209
2021 rate
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
209
1.7%
+0.3pp
5-14
2021 count
1,490
2021 rate
5.6%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
1,490
5.6%
+0.7pp
15-19
2021 count
611
2021 rate
5.0%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
611
5.0%
+1.4pp
20-24
2021 count
408
2021 rate
3.5%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
408
3.5%
+0.5pp
25-34
2021 count
663
2021 rate
2.7%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
663
2.7%
+0.2pp
35-44
2021 count
696
2021 rate
2.7%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
696
2.7%
-0.2pp
45-54
2021 count
1,062
2021 rate
4.0%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
1,062
4.0%
-0.4pp
55-64
2021 count
1,643
2021 rate
6.0%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
1,643
6.0%
-0.3pp
65-74
2021 count
2,389
2021 rate
9.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
2,389
9.5%
+0.1pp
75-84
2021 count
3,193
2021 rate
20.4%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
3,193
20.4%
+1.7pp
85+
2021 count
3,071
2021 rate
48.7%
Change from 2016
+4.3pp
3,071
48.7%
+4.3pp
Chart view
Need for assistance with core activities by age change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
0-4
+49
+0.3pp
5-14
+309
+0.7pp
15-19
+173
+1.4pp
20-24
+86
+0.5pp
25-34
+130
+0.2pp
35-44
+22
-0.2pp
45-54
-77
-0.4pp
55-64
-13
-0.3pp
65-74
+298
+0.1pp
75-84
+831
+1.7pp
85+
+550
+4.3pp
Data table
Need for assistance for Lake Macquarie (C). Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional NSW.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | pp | |
| 0-4 | 209 | 1.7% | 1.6% | 160 | 1.4% | 1.3% | +49 | +0.3pp |
| 5-14 | 1,490 | 5.6% | 5.2% | 1,181 | 4.9% | 3.8% | +309 | +0.7pp |
| 15-19 | 611 | 5.0% | 4.2% | 438 | 3.6% | 3.2% | +173 | +1.4pp |
| 20-24 | 408 | 3.5% | 3.4% | 322 | 3.0% | 2.6% | +86 | +0.5pp |
| 25-34 | 663 | 2.7% | 2.6% | 533 | 2.5% | 2.4% | +130 | +0.2pp |
| 35-44 | 696 | 2.7% | 2.8% | 674 | 2.9% | 3.0% | +22 | -0.2pp |
| 45-54 | 1,062 | 4.0% | 4.2% | 1,139 | 4.4% | 4.4% | -77 | -0.4pp |
| 55-64 | 1,643 | 6.0% | 6.0% | 1,656 | 6.3% | 6.2% | -13 | -0.3pp |
| 65-74 | 2,389 | 9.5% | 9.1% | 2,091 | 9.4% | 8.7% | +298 | +0.1pp |
| 75-84 | 3,193 | 20.4% | 18.9% | 2,362 | 18.7% | 17.8% | +831 | +1.7pp |
| 85+ | 3,071 | 48.7% | 46.5% | 2,521 | 44.4% | 43.8% | +550 | +4.3pp |
| Total | 15,456 | 7.2% | 6.8% | 13,085 | 6.6% | 6.3% | +2,371 | +0.6pp |