Trends in annual rate of health checks

This section looks at how the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who receive at least one Indigenous‑‍specific health check in a year has changed over time.

Between 2010–‍11 and 2018–‍19, the proportion of Indigenous Australians who had an Indigenous‑‍specific health check grew each year – from 9.9% in 2010–‍11 to 28.8% in 2018–‍19 (71,000 patients in 2010–‍11 and 241,000 in 2018–‍19). In 2019–‍20, that proportion dropped for the first time, with only 28.0% of Indigenous Australians receiving a health check (239,000 patients). The proportion dropped further in 2020–‍21, reaching only 27.2% of the projected Indigenous population (237,000 out of 871,000 people) (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Rate of Indigenous‑‍specific health checks by sex, 2010–‍11 to 2020–‍21

An interactive line graph showing the change in rate of health checks between 2010-11 and 2020-21, by sex. The overall rate increased from 9.9% in 2010-11 to 28.8% in 2018-19, before dropping to 27.2% in 2020-21. In each year, the female rate was slightly higher than the male rate – for example, 29.3% compared with 25.1% in 2020-21. An alternative measure shows the percentage-point change in the rate between years. Refer to table 'HC01' in data tables.

Over the course of the decade, a higher proportion of Indigenous females received an Indigenous‑specific health check each year, compared with Indigenous males (Figure 3). In both sexes, however, the rate of increase had been slowing – even before 2019–‍20:

  • In 2011–‍12, the health check rate was 3.1 percentage points higher than in 2010–‍11.
  • By 2017–‍18, the health check rate was only 1.7 percentage points higher than the previous year.
  • In 2018–‍19, the health check rate was 0.8 percentage points higher than in 2017–‍18.
  • In 2019–‍20, the health check rate dropped 0.8 percentage points, compared with 2018–‍19.
  • In 2020–‍21, the health check rate again dropped 0.8 percentage points since the previous year (Figure 3).