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 North Sydney (A), accounting for 37.8% (463 people). This share was lower than Greater Sydney (48.7%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 75-84 year olds, which increased by 140 people and 0.4 percentage points.
Section overview
Need for assistance with core activities by age
North Sydney (A) - Persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises need for assistance for North Sydney (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 North Sydney (A), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
Bars reflect 2021 counts; benchmark rates remain in the metrics.
0-4
2021 count
18
2021 rate
0.5%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
18
0.5%
-0.2pp
5-14
2021 count
88
2021 rate
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
88
1.7%
+0.4pp
15-19
2021 count
30
2021 rate
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
30
1.4%
+0.7pp
20-24
2021 count
32
2021 rate
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
32
1.0%
+0.5pp
25-34
2021 count
75
2021 rate
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
75
0.5%
+0.2pp
35-44
2021 count
90
2021 rate
0.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
90
0.7%
0.0pp
45-54
2021 count
80
2021 rate
0.9%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
80
0.9%
-0.3pp
55-64
2021 count
156
2021 rate
2.1%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
156
2.1%
+0.2pp
65-74
2021 count
255
2021 rate
4.0%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
255
4.0%
+1.0pp
75-84
2021 count
425
2021 rate
11.0%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
425
11.0%
+0.4pp
85+
2021 count
463
2021 rate
37.8%
Change from 2016
-2.2pp
463
37.8%
-2.2pp
Chart view
Need for assistance with core activities by age change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
0-4
-9
-0.2pp
5-14
+25
+0.4pp
15-19
+17
+0.7pp
20-24
+15
+0.5pp
25-34
+29
+0.2pp
35-44
+6
0.0pp
45-54
-16
-0.3pp
55-64
+18
+0.2pp
65-74
+80
+1.0pp
75-84
+140
+0.4pp
85+
+5
-2.2pp
Data table
Need for assistance for North Sydney (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 | 18 | 0.5% | 1.3% | 27 | 0.7% | 1.1% | -9 | -0.2pp |
| 5-14 | 88 | 1.7% | 3.4% | 63 | 1.3% | 2.7% | +25 | +0.4pp |
| 15-19 | 30 | 1.4% | 2.7% | 13 | 0.7% | 2.2% | +17 | +0.7pp |
| 20-24 | 32 | 1.0% | 1.8% | 17 | 0.5% | 1.5% | +15 | +0.5pp |
| 25-34 | 75 | 0.5% | 1.3% | 46 | 0.3% | 1.2% | +29 | +0.2pp |
| 35-44 | 90 | 0.7% | 1.6% | 84 | 0.7% | 1.8% | +6 | 0.0pp |
| 45-54 | 80 | 0.9% | 2.9% | 96 | 1.2% | 3.2% | -16 | -0.3pp |
| 55-64 | 156 | 2.1% | 5.5% | 138 | 1.9% | 5.7% | +18 | +0.2pp |
| 65-74 | 255 | 4.0% | 10.5% | 175 | 3.0% | 9.9% | +80 | +1.0pp |
| 75-84 | 425 | 11.0% | 23.1% | 285 | 10.6% | 23.4% | +140 | +0.4pp |
| 85+ | 463 | 37.8% | 48.7% | 458 | 40.0% | 50.4% | +5 | -2.2pp |
| Total | 1,713 | 2.5% | 5.2% | 1,401 | 2.1% | 4.9% | +312 | +0.4pp |