Last updated on 27/11/2025

 

Women in Australia continue to die from asthma at disproportionately high rates. New national figures from the ABS Causes of Death, Australia 2024 report show that 322 women died from asthma last year compared with 156 men, more than twice as many, and this pattern has remained unchanged since 2023. Half of the 478 total deaths were in women aged 75 and over. 

Kate Miranda, CEO of Asthma Australia, said the data reveals a long-standing and deeply concerning gender gap. “These numbers are heartbreaking. Two-thirds of people who die from asthma in Australia are women and that pattern is not shifting. Why isn’t the system protecting them?”  

Ms Miranda said women face unique challenges across their lives that are not reflected in current models of care.  

“Women carry the greatest burden of asthma in this country, they live with it longer, they have more severe symptoms, they are more likely to be hospitalised and die from the condition. Yet their experiences are too often overlooked in clinical practice, in research and in policy,” Ms Miranda said. 

Asthma hits women harder. After puberty, women are more likely than men to develop adult‑onset asthma, have more severe symptoms, frequent attacks, and higher hospitalisation and death rates. Hormonal changes, from menstrual cycles to pregnancy and menopause, can make symptoms worse. Despite clear sex differences, research is limited, and many treatment models fail to account for these biological factors. As a result, too many women are under‑recognised and under‑treated at critical moments in their lives. 

Social and economic factors may worsen asthma for older women, who are more likely than men to live alone and live in public or community housing; settings where dampness, mould, poor ventilation, or overcrowding can increase the risk of asthma attacks and complications.  

Caregiving responsibilities, limited access to healthcare, and systemic barriers, especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, may further increase vulnerability. Ms Miranda said preventing these deaths will require coordinated national action. “No woman in Australia should die from asthma. This requires not only sex‑specific research and tailored clinical guidelines but also action on the social and economic factors that drive worse outcomes.”  

Ms Miranda said Asthma Australia stands ready to work with governments to drive change. 
“These deaths are not inevitable. They are preventable. And they will keep happening unless we put women at the centre of asthma policy and care. Australia must not accept this as the status quo.”  

Watch interview: https://youtu.be/KcaVpz7G914?si=KclSsSK1DJEDbghH

For more information: 
Contact Trinity Frederick, Media Manager, 0413 99 22 82 

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Causes of Death, Australia, 2024 – Latest release. 14 November 2025. URL: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/causes-death-australia/latest-release Australian Bureau of Statistics 
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Causes of Death, Australia, 2023  10 October 2024. URL: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/causes-death-australia/2023  
  3. National Asthma Council Australia. Asthma Mortality Statistics 2024. URL: Asthma Mortality Statistics 2024 – National Asthma Council Australia 
  4. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Chronic respiratory conditions: Asthma. 27 November 2024URL: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-respiratory-conditions/asthma 
  5. Institute for Respiratory Health. Asthma: Women at Higher Risk of Attacks and Death than Men. March 2023. URL: https://www.resphealth.org.au/2023/03/asthma-women-at-higher-risk-of-attacks-and-death-than-men/ 
  6. Fuseini H, Newcomb DC. Mechanisms Driving Gender Differences in Asthma. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2017 Mar;17(3):19. doi: 10.1007/s11882-017-0686-1 
  7. Asthma Australia. Inquiry into Issues Relating to Menopause and Perimenopause. 15 March 2024. https://asthma.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Issues-related-to-menopause-and-perimenopause.pdf  
  8. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Older Australians. Housing and living arrangements. 02 Jul 2024 URL: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/older-people/older-australians 
  9. Asthma Australia. Homes, Health and Asthma in Australia – Housing Survey Report 2022. URL: https://asthma.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/AA2022_Housing-Survey-Report_full_v4.pdf Asthma Australia 
  10.  Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Determinants of health for First Nations people. 02 Jul 2024. URL: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/social-determinants-and-indigenous-health 
  11. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. First Nations people and the health system. 02 Jul 2024. URL: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/indigenous-australians-use-of-health-services 
  12. Asthma Australia. Asthma in Australia Infographic 2024. URL: https://asthma.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/AA25_Asthma-In-Australia-Infographic-A4_v9_WEB.pdf Asthma Australia 

For more information: 
Contact Trinity Frederick, 0413 99 22 82 

ABOUT 

Asthma Australia is the national peak body representing nearly 2.8 million Australians living with asthma. We’ve been here since 1962 and even though a lot has changed since then, asthma continues to claim a life each day and is the number one health condition burdening Aussie children. Asthma is an inflammatory condition of the airways, restricting airflow and can be fatal. There is no cure, but most people with asthma can experience good control.