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 Northern Beaches (A), accounting for 44.8% (3,247 people). This share was lower than Greater Sydney (48.7%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 75-84 year olds, which increased by 409 people, while its share fell by 0.8 percentage points.
Section overview
Need for assistance with core activities by age
Northern Beaches (A) - Persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises need for assistance for Northern Beaches (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 Northern Beaches (A), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
Bars reflect 2021 counts; benchmark rates remain in the metrics.
0-4
2021 count
116
2021 rate
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
116
0.8%
+0.1pp
5-14
2021 count
719
2021 rate
2.1%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
719
2.1%
+0.4pp
15-19
2021 count
299
2021 rate
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
299
1.8%
+0.2pp
20-24
2021 count
229
2021 rate
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
229
1.7%
+0.6pp
25-34
2021 count
284
2021 rate
1.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
284
1.0%
0.0pp
35-44
2021 count
344
2021 rate
1.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
344
1.0%
0.0pp
45-54
2021 count
526
2021 rate
1.3%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
526
1.3%
-0.1pp
55-64
2021 count
728
2021 rate
2.2%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
728
2.2%
-0.2pp
65-74
2021 count
1,192
2021 rate
4.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
1,192
4.9%
-0.1pp
75-84
2021 count
2,469
2021 rate
15.0%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
2,469
15.0%
-0.8pp
85+
2021 count
3,247
2021 rate
44.8%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
3,247
44.8%
-0.5pp
Chart view
Need for assistance with core activities by age change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
0-4
+10
+0.1pp
5-14
+154
+0.4pp
15-19
+74
+0.2pp
20-24
+90
+0.6pp
25-34
-9
0.0pp
35-44
-38
0.0pp
45-54
-15
-0.1pp
55-64
+38
-0.2pp
65-74
+60
-0.1pp
75-84
+409
-0.8pp
85+
+104
-0.5pp
Data table
Need for assistance for Northern Beaches (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 | 116 | 0.8% | 1.3% | 106 | 0.7% | 1.1% | +10 | +0.1pp |
| 5-14 | 719 | 2.1% | 3.4% | 565 | 1.7% | 2.7% | +154 | +0.4pp |
| 15-19 | 299 | 1.8% | 2.7% | 225 | 1.6% | 2.2% | +74 | +0.2pp |
| 20-24 | 229 | 1.7% | 1.8% | 139 | 1.1% | 1.5% | +90 | +0.6pp |
| 25-34 | 284 | 1.0% | 1.3% | 293 | 1.0% | 1.2% | -9 | 0.0pp |
| 35-44 | 344 | 1.0% | 1.6% | 382 | 1.0% | 1.8% | -38 | 0.0pp |
| 45-54 | 526 | 1.3% | 2.9% | 541 | 1.4% | 3.2% | -15 | -0.1pp |
| 55-64 | 728 | 2.2% | 5.5% | 690 | 2.4% | 5.7% | +38 | -0.2pp |
| 65-74 | 1,192 | 4.9% | 10.5% | 1,132 | 5.0% | 9.9% | +60 | -0.1pp |
| 75-84 | 2,469 | 15.0% | 23.1% | 2,060 | 15.8% | 23.4% | +409 | -0.8pp |
| 85+ | 3,247 | 44.8% | 48.7% | 3,143 | 45.3% | 50.4% | +104 | -0.5pp |
| Total | 10,154 | 3.9% | 5.2% | 9,273 | 3.7% | 4.9% | +881 | +0.2pp |