Preventable chronic diseases are the main reason indigenous Australians die far earlier than the rest of the population, a new report has revealed.
Human Services Minister Tanya Plibersek will launch the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's latest findings on the health and welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders at a health conference in Sydney on Thursday.
The report shows that about 80 per cent of the life expectancy gap could be attributed to chronic diseases, particularly heart disease (22 per cent), diabetes (12 per cent) and liver disease (11 per cent).
In the period between 2005 and 2007, indigenous men were expected to live to 67 and women to 73 - meaning they die around 11 years earlier than other Australians.
The federal government has committed to closing the life expectancy gap by 2030, and some progress has been made.
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There are less daily smokers in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, Year 12 retention rates have risen to 47 per cent and there are more indigenous home owners.
Institute spokeswoman Dr Fadwa Al-Yaman said these statistics would all help close the gap.
"Many chronic diseases have interrelated risk factors which are often associated with social and economic disadvantage in areas such as housing, education and employment," she said.
"Much of this chronic disease is potentially preventable."
But the report showed there were still plenty of worrying health and welfare trends in the indigenous population.
Almost one-third of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders had high or very high levels of psychological distress in 2008 - more than twice the rate of other youths.
They are hospitalised for mental and behavioural disorders such as schizophrenia and alcohol abuse, and tragically die at a rate 2.5 times higher than other Australian young people.
Meanwhile, indigenous babies are twice as likely to be underweight, nearly half of them were bought up in a jobless family during 2006 and when they do come of age, they account for more than a quarter of Australia's prison population.
