Key findings
Just under half (47.3%) of Australians had one or more chronic conditions in 2017-18, an increase from 2007-08 when two-fifths (42.2%) of people had one or more chronic conditions.
Chronic health conditions experienced in Australia in 2017-18 were:
- Mental and behavioural conditions - 4.8 million people (20.1%)
- Back problems - 4.0 million people (16.4%)
- Arthritis - 3.6 million people (15.0%)
- Asthma - 2.7 million people (11.2%)
- Diabetes mellitus- 1.2 million people (4.9%) comprising Type 1 Diabetes - 144,800 people (0.6%) and Type 2 Diabetes - 998,100 people (4.1%)
- Heart, stroke and vascular disease - 1.2 million people (4.8%)
- Osteoporosis - 924,000 people (3.8%)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - 598,800 people (2.5%)
- Cancer - 432,400 people (1.8%)
- Kidney disease - 237,800 people (1.0%)
Definitions
Who had chronic conditions in 2017-18?
Females aged 15 years and over were more likely than males to have one or more chronic conditions (56.5% compared to 50.8%), however, for children (0-14 years old) boys were more likely than girls to have one or more chronic conditions (24.2% compared to 15.9%). The prevalence of chronic conditions increased with age, with four in five (80.0%) people aged 65 years and over having one or more chronic conditions.
Around one in nine (11.5%) people had two chronic conditions in 2017-18, while 8.7% had three or more chronic conditions. One in five Australians (20.1%) reported mental health and behavioural conditions, which was the most commonly reported chronic condition in 2017-18 for both males and females. Back problems (16.4%) and Arthritis (15.0%) were the next most commonly reported chronic conditions in 2017-18.