Population
Assistance
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.
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 Sunshine Coast (R), accounting for 18.5% (4,464 people). This share was lower than Regional Qld (20.4%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 75-84 year olds, which increased by 1,174 people and 0.6 percentage points.
Section overview
Need for assistance with core activities by age
Sunshine Coast (R) - Persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises assistance for Sunshine Coast (R) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Need for assistance with core activities by age snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Sunshine Coast (R), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Bars reflect 2021 counts; benchmark rates remain in the metrics.
0-4
5-14
15-19
20-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65-74
75-84
85+
Chart view
Need for assistance with core activities by age change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
0-4
+67
+0.3pp
5-14
+881
+1.7pp
15-19
+263
+1.0pp
20-24
+132
+0.5pp
25-34
+242
+0.3pp
35-44
+79
-0.1pp
45-54
+96
-0.2pp
55-64
+175
-0.3pp
65-74
+623
+0.1pp
75-84
+1,174
+0.6pp
85+
+620
-0.2pp
Data table
Assistance for Sunshine Coast (R). Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Qld.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | pp | |
| 0-4 | 260 | 1.5% | 1.5% | 193 | 1.2% | 1.2% | +67 | +0.3pp |
| 5-14 | 2,205 | 5.2% | 5.0% | 1,324 | 3.5% | 3.5% | +881 | +1.7pp |
| 15-19 | 777 | 3.9% | 4.0% | 514 | 2.9% | 2.9% | +263 | +1.0pp |
| 20-24 | 513 | 3.0% | 2.8% | 381 | 2.5% | 2.2% | +132 | +0.5pp |
| 25-34 | 845 | 2.2% | 2.1% | 603 | 1.9% | 1.9% | +242 | +0.3pp |
| 35-44 | 961 | 2.3% | 2.5% | 882 | 2.4% | 2.5% | +79 | -0.1pp |
| 45-54 | 1,444 | 3.1% | 3.8% | 1,348 | 3.3% | 3.8% | +96 | -0.2pp |
| 55-64 | 2,199 | 4.9% | 6.0% | 2,024 | 5.2% | 6.0% | +175 | -0.3pp |
| 65-74 | 3,260 | 7.9% | 9.6% | 2,637 | 7.8% | 9.1% | +623 | +0.1pp |
| 75-84 | 4,464 | 18.5% | 20.4% | 3,290 | 17.9% | 19.3% | +1,174 | +0.6pp |
| 85+ | 4,289 | 47.4% | 47.7% | 3,669 | 47.6% | 46.7% | +620 | -0.2pp |
| Total | 21,211 | 6.2% | 6.3% | 16,853 | 5.7% | 5.5% | +4,358 | +0.5pp |