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 diverse community is important to being able to address the needs of people from CALD backgrounds in Australia.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's (AIHW) reports and other products include information about people from CALD backgrounds where data permits. This section features products which focus specifically on people from CALD backgrounds and includes products which focus on subgroups such as refugees and humanitarian entrants.

Featured reports

Latest findings

Humanitarian entrants were hospitalised with COVID-19 over 5 times more than other permanent migrants

Humanitarian entrants were almost twice as likely to be hospitalised or attend an ED as other permanent migrants

In 2020–21, 9.2% of humanitarian entrants were aged over 60, compared with 22% of the general Australian population

Age and social determinants have varying effects on CALD groups reporting long-term health conditions

Age and social determinants of health are not driving asthma reporting among CALD groups

People are more likely to have a long-term health condition the longer they spend in Australia

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