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New data from the recently released Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s Australia’s Health 2026 report has confirmed asthma as the leading cause of total disease burden for children aged 5–14, ahead of autism spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders and conduct disorders.
Asthma Australia CEO Kate Miranda said the finding was a clear signal that asthma in children needs to be treated as a national health priority, not a background condition.
“Australia rightly invests in improving children’s health. But this report shows asthma has become our biggest childhood health challenge, causing a greater burden than autism, anxiety, depression and conduct disorders. It’s time our national priorities reflected the evidence. When a national report tells us asthma has a greater impact on children’s health than anxiety, depression and autism, that should stop everyone in Canberra in their tracks,” Ms Miranda said.
Ms Miranda said asthma is often perceived as a minor, manageable condition, which can mask just how significant its impact is at a population level. “For too long, asthma has been dismissed as something children simply grow out of or learn to live with. The evidence tells a very different story. Asthma is now the leading cause of disease burden for Australian children aged 5 to 14. That should fundamentally change the way we think about childhood asthma and the priority we give it.”
Despite this burden, asthma is one of the least supported childhood conditions in terms of national prevention, education, navigation and care infrastructure when compared to other major childhood conditions, including anxiety, depression and autism. Australia lacks a coordinated system supporting children and families across prevention, treatment and self-management.
The report also found that chronic conditions cost the health system an estimated $98 billion in 2023–24, more than half of all disease-related health spending, with around 36 per cent of Australia’s total disease burden considered preventable or reducible through better management of modifiable risk factors.
The AIHW report also found that people living with chronic conditions are 2.7 times more likely to be admitted to hospital than those without, and that one in six emergency department presentations are linked to chronic conditions.
“Children don’t get to choose which condition gets taken seriously. It’s time they get the support they need.”
Read the report: Australia’s Health 2026, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
For interviews: Contact Kate Miranda, CEO, Asthma Australia 0491 137 548
ABOUT Asthma Australia is the nation’s peak body representing nearly 2.8 million Australians living with asthma.
