Overview

Australia is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse countries in the world. However, some people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds face greater challenges when dealing with the health and welfare system. Language barriers, lower health literacy, and difficulties navigating an unfamiliar system put them at greater risk of poorer quality health care, service delivery and poorer health outcomes compared with other Australians.

Several Australian Government strategies identify people from CALD backgrounds as a priority population. Understanding patterns of disease and access to services within this community is important to being able to address the needs of CALD people in Australia.

AIHW reports and other products include information about CALD Australians where data permits. This page will feature products which focus specifically on CALD Australians.

Featured reports

Latest findings

This report provides detailed data and a comprehensive picture of the health status of CALD populations in Australia

People born overseas generally had a lower prevalence of long-term health conditions than people born in Australia

Low English proficiency & more than 10 years in Australia was associated with a higher prevalence of chronic conditions

Differences in health outcomes between CALD groups are more apparent when data are presented at the most detailed level

Linked data can supplement information in other data sets to better identify CALD populations

Cultural and linguistic diversity is a complex concept; identifying all CALD populations requires a range of information

Also see Australia’s Health 2022: data insights Chapter 9 ‘Reporting on the health of culturally and linguistically diverse populations in Australia’.