Asthma Statistics & Facts

Last updated 01/11/2024

Learn how asthma affects kids and the general public.

 

Asthma Stats – General Asthma Stats – Kids
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Impact of asthma

Nearly 2.8 million people have asthma in Australia, representing about 11% of all Australians (1). Asthma is a common chronic condition in children, with about 1 in 10 boys and 1 in 16 girls under 15 years having asthma (1).

Asthma has a major impact on individuals, their carers and Australia’s health system.

In 2022-2023 there were over 31,000 hospitalisations where asthma was the main diagnosis (2). Almost half (43%) of these were for children aged 14 or under (2). Over 90% of asthma hospitalisations were considered potentially avoidable with optimised care in the community (2,3). People with asthma are more likely to report a poor quality of life, especially those with severe or poorly controlled asthma (4).

Asthma is the leading cause of disease burden for children up to 14 years, and is the fourth leading cause for adolescents and young adults (aged 15-24 years) (5).

There were 474 deaths due to asthma in 2023 (9). The rate of deaths due to asthma decreased during COVID-19 pandemic measures, but overall has remained quite stable since 2012 (6,9). Asthma death rates are higher for people living in remote or lower socioeconomic areas, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (6).

Asthma Australia is working to improve asthma management so fewer people die.

For more detailed information and asthma statistics click here.

The cost of asthma

The cost of asthma is measured by the long-term impact it has on the ability of people with asthma and their carer to participate in everyday life.

The estimated total cost of asthma in Australia in 2015 was $28 billion or $11,740 per person with asthma (7). The cost of asthma included

  • $24.7 billion attributed to disability and premature death
  • $1.2 billion on healthcare costs (including medication, hospital and out-of-hospital costs)
  • $1.1 billion in loss of productivity
  • $72.9 million in loss of wages for carers
  • $289.4 million in income support for carers of people with asthma

Read more about the hidden cost of asthma here (7).

In 2020-21, asthma directly cost the health system $852 million for services provided through general practice, hospitals, government funded medicines, dental services and referrals to specialists and testing (6). A recent study estimated that poorly controlled asthma costs the healthcare system about $4,600 per person per year.(8)

References

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Asthma [Internet, cited 2024 Oct 15]. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/asthma/2022.
  2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Principal diagnosis data cubes. Separation statistics by principal diagnosis 2022-23. www.aihw.gov.au
  3. AIHW. Admitted patients care 2022-23, 8: Safety and quality of health systems. www.aihw.gov.au
  4. ABS. National Health Survey: First Results 2017-18. ABS Cat no. 4364.0.55.001. Canberra: ABS.
  5. AIHW. Australian Burden of Disease Study 2023 [Internet, cited 2024 Jan 5]. www.aihw.gov.au/reports/burden-of-disease/australian-burden-of-disease-study-2023
  6. AIHW. Asthma [Internet, cited 2024 Oct 15]. www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-respiratory-conditions/asthma
  7. Asthma Australia and National Asthma Council Australia 2015. Hidden Cost of Asthma Report. Canberra: Deloitte Access Economics
  8. Lartey ST, Lung T, Serhal S, et al. Healthcare expenditure and its socio-demographic and clinical predictors in Australians with poorly controlled asthma. PLoS One. 2023 Jan 5;18(1):e0279748. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279748.
  9. ABS. Causes of Death, Australia, 2023 data cubes [Internet, cited 2024 Nov 1]. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/causes-death-australia/2023
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