7 new insights from the latest release of state and territory health data

1. Australians are breathing a little easier! Over the last 20 years, the proportion of adult daily smokers has fallen in every state and territory.
2. Adults in the ACT are more likely to have never smoked (67.6 per cent) and less likely to be daily smokers (5.9 per cent) than any other state and territory.
3. Northern Territorians are getting fitter. One in four, or 24.6 per cent of, people aged 15 years and over in the Northern Territory got enough exercise in 2022, up from 15.5 per cent in 2017–18.
4. Almost one in three adults are drinking more than recommended in the Australian Adult Alcohol Guidelines in the NT (31.1 per cent), WA (29.9 per cent), Queensland (29.4 per cent), and SA (29.3 per cent).
5. Tasmanians are more likely to have at least one chronic condition (58.4 per cent) than any other state or territory. They were also more likely to have self-reported hypertension (16.2 per cent) than any other state or territory.
6. Almost two thirds of Aussies are overweight. More than 60 per cent of all adults were overweight or obese in each state and territory in 2022.
7. Most of us are still not getting enough fruit and veggies. Less than half (45.5 per cent) of NSW adults had enough fruit in their diet, and one in ten (10.5 per cent) Tasmanians had enough vegetables.

Find more interesting insights from the latest release of state and territory data from the National Health Survey here.