Heart, stroke and vascular disease

One in twenty (5.2% or 1.3 million) people had heart, stroke and vascular disease in 2022. This rate has increased slightly from 4.1% in 2001 but remained steady from 2007–08 (5.3%). Heart, stroke and vascular disease was slightly more common in males than females (5.9% compared to 4.6%). Prevalence increased with age, from 0.6% of people aged 0–44 years to 27.7% of people aged 75 years and over.

In 2022, people:

• Living in areas of most disadvantage were more likely to have heart, stroke and vascular disease than those in areas of least disadvantage (8.2% compared to 3.6%)
• Who spoke English at home were more likely to have heart, stroke and vascular disease than those who spoke a language other than English at home (5.6% compared to 3.3%)
• Living in Inner Regional Australia were more likely to have heart, stroke and vascular disease than those in Major Cities (7.3% compared to 4.6%)
• Living with disability were more likely to have heart, stroke and vascular disease than those with no disability (13.2% compared to 1.5%).

Adults aged 18 years and over who:

• Had a measured waist circumference that put them at increased risk of disease were more likely to have heart, stroke and vascular disease than those at lowered risk (8.3% compared to 3.3%)
• Were ex-smokers, were more likely to have heart, stroke and vascular disease than either current daily smokers (10.3% compared to 7.6%) or those who have never smoked (10.3% compared to 4.7%)
• Had experienced severe/very severe bodily pain in the four weeks prior to interview were more likely to have heart, stroke and vascular disease than those with very mild/mild bodily pain (19.4% compared to 5.0%).

Nearly half (49.2%) of people aged 15 years and over who have heart, stroke and vascular disease rated their health as either fair or poor, compared to 17.2% who rated their health as excellent or very good.

See National Health Survey 2022 data downloads for the full suite of available data. Data relating to Heart, stroke and vascular disease can be found in tables:

• TABLE 1 Summary health characteristics, 2001 to 2022
• TABLE 2 Summary health characteristics, by states and territories
• TABLE 3 Long-term health conditions, by age and sex
• TABLE 4 Selected long-term health conditions, by population characteristics
• TABLE 5 Selected long-term health conditions, by health risk factors and health status
• TABLE 15 Number of chronic conditions, by population characteristics, by age
• TABLE 16 Comorbidity of selected chronic conditions, by age and sex.

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics, ‘Causes of Death, Australia, 2022’, https://abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/causes-death-australia/latest-release#australia-s-leading-causes-of-death-2022; accessed 15/11/2023.

See National Health Survey 2022 media release for more information.