Babies born to Indigenous mothers are more likely than other babies to die around the time of birth.
Those who survive are more likely than other Australians to live in poor conditions, to be unemployed, to suffer from violence, to be imprisoned, to develop a range of chronic diseases, to be admitted to hospital, and to die at a young age. More than half of the deaths among Indigenous males in 1995-97 occurred among people who had not yet reached their 50th birthday. Three out of four Indigenous males who died had not yet turned 65. Among Indigenous females, about four in ten deaths occurred before age 50 and two in three before age 65. The report notes that although considerable efforts are under way to improve the quality and reliability of information about the health and welfare of Indigenous Australians, it is not yet possible to measure changes over time with accuracy and confidence.