Where These Figures Come From
The detailed figures on this page are from a peer-reviewed analysis of the 2011-12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, a nationally representative survey of 12,153 Australians aged 2 and over, using two 24-hour dietary recalls per participant. It remains the most recent published source with this level of demographic breakdown by age, sex and socioeconomic status. The NHMRC benchmarks are separate: published reference values, not survey results, used as the yardstick the survey figures are measured against.
Median Intake
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Median adult fibre intake | 20.7g/day |
| Mean fibre intake, men | 24.8g/day |
| Mean fibre intake, women | 21.1g/day |
NHMRC Benchmarks, Adults
| Benchmark | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Adequate Intake (AI) | 30g/day | 25g/day |
| Suggested Dietary Target (SDT) | 38g/day | 28g/day |
Who Meets the Benchmarks
| Group | Met Adequate Intake | Met Suggested Dietary Target |
|---|---|---|
| All adults | 28.2% | 17.0% |
| Women | 27.9% | 19.9% |
| Men | 28.5% | 14.0% |
By age, adults 19-30 are the group least likely to meet the Suggested Dietary Target. By socioeconomic status, 24.2% of adults in the lowest SES quintile meet the Adequate Intake, against 32.7% in the highest. See who falls short on fibre in Australia for the full demographic breakdown.
Where Fibre Comes From in the Australian Diet
| Source | Share of total fibre intake |
|---|---|
| Bread and cereal foods | ~45% |
| Vegetables | ~30% |
| Fruit | ~10% |
What's Changed Since 2011-12
The figures above come from a peer-reviewed analysis of the 2011-12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, the most recent survey with this level of demographic detail published. ABS released updated food and nutrient data for 2023 in September 2025, but it reports fibre only as a share of energy intake, not in grams against the NHMRC benchmarks, and doesn't break the figures down by age or socioeconomic status. Until ABS publishes fibre intake in grams from the 2023 survey, the 2011-12 figures remain the most detailed published data available.
No Upper Limit
NHMRC has not set an Upper Level of Intake for dietary fibre. Its review found no convincing evidence of adverse effects on mineral absorption at intakes up to 50g a day from a varied diet. See can you eat too much fibre for the full detail.
Sources
- Fayet-Moore F, et al., "Dietary Fibre Intake in Australia. Paper I," Nutrients, 2018, PMC
- NHMRC, Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand: Dietary Fibre
- ABS, Food and Nutrients, 2023