Different groups of people in the community experience social exclusion in different ways.

Rates of social exclusion can vary by:

The highest rates of social exclusion

Using the latest annual data (2018), the graph below shows that certain groups continue to experience the highest rates of social exclusion:

  • Women are more likely to be excluded than men.
  • Some 44% of people over 65 experience exclusion – more than any other age group.
  • Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, 47% experience social exclusion.
  • More than half of the Australians who have a disability or long-term health condition experience social exclusion.
  • Early school leavers are three times as likely to experience exclusion as those with a diploma or degree.
  • More than 36% of single-person and almost 40% of lone-parent households experience social exclusion.
  • Public housing tenants experience social exclusion at more than twice the rate of people living elsewhere.
Bar graph showing social exclusion among selected groups of Australians, 2018
To copy this graph for your own use, right-click on the image (or control-click on a Mac) and paste the graph into your document. Please credit 'The Brotherhood of St. Laurence and the Melbourne Institute 2020’.

Data table

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Social exclusion among selected groups in Australia, %, 2018
Deep exclusionMarginal exclusionAll social exclusion
Gender
Males5.717.623.3
Females6.220.426.6
Age
Under 15 years*5.015.620.6
15 to 24 years4.416.821.2
25 to 49 years3.712.316.1
50 to 64 years5.518.023.5
65+ years7.236.743.9
Country of birth
Australia6.118.624.7
Other English-speaking3.420.423.8
Non–English speaking7.020.227.2
Indigenous background
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander14.831.846.6
Health
Long-term ill health/disability16.237.453.7
Education
Degree1.97.99.8
Diploma3.013.816.9
Certificate III/IV6.617.023.6
Year 125.218.223.4
Year 11 or less12.638.751.3
Housing type
Home-owner5.825.030.8
Mortgagee3.010.413.4
Private renter8.721.029.8
Public housing tenant27.351.879.1
Household type
Couple5.421.226.6
Couple with children2.812.114.9
Lone parent with children12.926.839.7
Single person11.425.236.6

The social exclusion monitor is the work of the Brotherhood of St. Laurence and the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research (MIAESR). This page was updated using analysis of Wave 18 of the HILDA Survey in October 2020.