Chronic conditions is an Australia's health topic

Chronic conditions are an ongoing cause of substantial ill health, disability and premature death, making them an important global, national and individual health concern. Also referred to as chronic diseases, non-communicable diseases or long-term health conditions, chronic conditions are generally characterised by their long-lasting and persistent effects.

This page highlights some of the most common chronic conditions in Australia with results presented by different population groups including by sex, age and across areas. The impact of living with chronic conditions is described as well as the health services used to treat and manage them.

Conditions included in analysis

Analysis on this page includes all chronic conditions (over 100 conditions) from the Australian Burden of Disease study (ABDS) disease list (AIHW 2021). This list is used in analysis of the following data sources: ABDS Database, National Hospital Morbidity Database, National Mortality Database, Disease expenditure database.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) National Health Survey (NHS) collects self-reported information on long-term health conditions (chronic conditions) that were current at the time of the survey interview and had lasted, or were expected to last, for 6 months or more. There were 72 chronic conditions from the ABDS disease list that could be reasonably identified in the NHS data (Table 1). These are referred to as ‘the selected long-term health conditions’ on this page. Estimates of the prevalence of these conditions are from AIHW analysis of the ABS 2022 NHS (ABS 2023a) and will differ to estimates based on different data sources and sets of conditions (see Limitations of estimates from NHS and why estimates may vary).

How common are chronic conditions?

Chronic conditions are common and become more common with age.

Estimates for the prevalence of chronic conditions in Australia are based on AIHW analysis of self-reported data on the selected long-term health conditions from the 2022 National Health Survey (NHS) conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS 2023a).

In 2022:

  • an estimated 15.4 million (61%) Australians were living with at least one of the selected long-term health conditions
  • the selected long-term health conditions were more common among older age-groups (Figure 1), with prevalence estimates ranging from 28% among people aged 0–14 years to 94% among people aged 85 years and over
  • in most age-groups, a similar percent of males and females were living with at least one of the selected long-term health conditions (Figure 1)
  • people in the youngest age-group (0–14 years) were 12.5 times as likely as people in the oldest age-group (85+ years) to be living with none of the selected long-term health conditions, whereas people in the oldest age-group were 27 times as likely as people in the youngest age-group to be living with 5 or more of the selected long-term health conditions (Figure 2)
  • 38% of Australians were living with multimorbidity, defined as living with 2 or more long-term health conditions (see the Multimorbidity in Australia report for more information).

Figure 1: Prevalence of living with one or more of the selected long-term health conditions by sex and age, 2022

This chart shows that there was a similar percent of males and females living with at least one of the selected long-term conditions in almost every age-group, in 2022, and that the percent increased with increasing age

Notes

  1. Data are self-reported.
  2. The ABS 2022 national Health Survey uses the Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables, 2020 to collect the Sex at birth variable used in this data table. Due to small numbers and the need to protect privacy, people who reported sex at birth as a term other than male or female are not reported separately or included in the total Persons category.
  3. For a list of the chronic conditions included in the analysis see Table 1.

Source: AIHW analysis of ABS 2023a

Figure 2: Prevalence of living with the selected long-term health conditions by number of conditions and age, 2022

This chart shows that, in 2022, older age-groups had a higher percent of people living with 3, 4 and 5 or more chronic conditions, and younger age-groups had a higher percent of people living with no chronic conditions.

Notes

  1. Data are self-reported.
  2. The ABS 2022 national Health Survey uses the Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables, 2020 to collect the Sex at birth variable used in this data table. Due to small numbers and the need to protect privacy, people who reported sex at birth as a term other than male or female are not reported separately or included in the total Persons category.
  3. For a list of the chronic conditions included in the analysis see Table 1.

Source: AIHW analysis of ABS 2023a.

The most common of the selected long-term health conditions, among people of all ages in 2022, were anxiety and back problems. While these conditions are common, their prevalence varied by sex and age (Figure 3):

  • among males of all ages:
    • 2.1 million (16%) were living with back problems
    • 1.9 million (15%) were living with anxiety
    • 1.5 million (12%) were living with deafness or hearing loss.
  • among females of all ages:
    • 2.9 million (22%) were living with anxiety
    • 1.9 million (15%) were living with back problems
    • 1.8 million (14%) were living with depression.
  • by age group, the most common of the selected chronic conditions were:
    • anxiety, with 1.3 million (16%) people aged 0–24 years and 1.6 million (22%) people aged 25–44 years living with the condition
    • back problems, with 1.5 million (23%) people aged 45–64 living with back problems
    • deafness or hearing loss, with 1.3 million (32%) people aged 65 and over living with deafness or hearing loss.

Figure 3: Most common selected long-term health conditions by sex and age, 2022

This chart shows that in 2022 the estimated proportion of people living with anxiety tended to decrease with age from 22% among people aged 25–44 to 15% among those aged 65 and over.

This chart shows that in 2022 the estimated proportion of people living with anxiety tended to decrease with age from 22% among people aged 25–44 to 15% among those aged 65 and over.

Table 1 contains the list of the selected long-term health conditions included in these analyses.

For more information on the prevalence of some of the most common chronic conditions, see Cancer, Chronic musculoskeletal conditions, Chronic respiratory conditions, Dementia, Diabetes, Heart, stroke and vascular disease, Mental health, Neurological conditions and Migraine.

Socioeconomic areas

Chronic conditions were most common among people living in areas of most disadvantage (lowest socioeconomic areas). In 2022, the estimated prevalence of having one or more of the selected long-term health conditions was:

  • 56% among people in the highest socioeconomic areas
  • between 61% and 63% among people in the 4 lower socioeconomic areas
  • 63 61 56 Lowest Middle Highest

    Living with one or more chronic conditions was least common (%) among people in the highest socioeconomic areas.

The prevalence of many individual conditions followed this same pattern. For example, among people of all ages in 2022 the estimated prevalence of:

  • osteoarthritis ranged from 6.5% in the highest socioeconomic areas to 11% in the lowest socioeconomic areas
  • asthma ranged from 10% in the highest socioeconomic areas to 13% in the lowest socioeconomic areas
  • deafness or hearing loss ranged from 7.7% in the highest socioeconomic areas to 12.4% in the lowest socioeconomic areas (AIHW analysis of ABS 2023a).

Socioeconomic areas are measured using the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas 2016 Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage based on area of residence.

For more information on how other specific chronic conditions vary by socioeconomic area see Cancer, Chronic musculoskeletal conditions, Chronic respiratory conditions, Dementia, Diabetes, Heart, stroke and vascular disease, Mental health, Neurological conditions and Migraine.

Remoteness areas

The prevalence of the selected long-term health conditions tended to be higher outside of Major cities. In 2022, the estimated prevalence of having one or more of the selected long-term health conditions was:

  • 58% among people living in Major cities
  • 67% among people living in Inner regional areas and in Outer regional and remote areas (AIHW analysis of ABS 2023a).
  • 58 67 67 Major cities Inner Outer

    Living with one or more chronic conditions was more common (%) among people in Inner regional areas (Inner) and Outer regional and remote areas (Outer), compared with people in Major cities.

In 2022, deafness or hearing loss was more common among people living outside of Major cities (Major cities: 8.3%, Inner regional areas: 13%, Outer regional and remote areas: 14%). In contrast, the prevalence of asthma was similar across remoteness areas (Major cities: 10%, Inner regional areas: 12%, Outer regional and remote areas: 12%). For more information on how chronic conditions vary by remoteness areas see Rural and remote health.

Remoteness is classified according to the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) 2021 Remoteness Areas structure based on area of residence.

Primary care

Most care for chronic conditions is provided in the primary health care setting by general practitioners (GPs) and allied health professionals, with the number of GP visits increasing with the number of chronic conditions a person has (Dobson et al. 2020).

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Health of the Nation Survey asked GPs what the 3 most common reasons for patient presentations were (RACGP 2025). In 2025, GPs most commonly nominated the following factors:

  • psychological, including depression and anxiety (nominated by 71% of GPs)
  • endocrine and metabolic, including diabetes (nominated by 35% of GPs)
  • women’s health, including endometriosis (nominated by 35% of GPs)
  • musculoskeletal, including arthritis (nominated by 33% of GPs)
  • respiratory, including asthma (nominated by 28% of GPs).

Psychological factors have been the most common health concerns managed by general practitioners since 2017, with the proportion of GPs reporting psychological factors in their top 3 reasons for patient presentations increasing from 61% in 2017 to 71% in 2025 (RACGP 2025).

Hospitalisations

From 2012–13 to 2023–24, more than half of all hospitalisations in Australia have been associated with chronic conditions in each year (ranging from 53% to 56%).

Based on analysis of the National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD), in 2023–24:

  • there were around 7 million hospitalisations associated with chronic conditions, where chronic conditions were recorded as the principal and/or additional diagnosis. This is equivalent to 260 hospitalisations per 1,000 population (220 per 1,000 age-standardised).
    • This means that chronic conditions were associated with more than half (55%) of all hospitalisations in Australia.
    • The rate of hospitalisations without any chronic conditions recorded as the principal and/or additional diagnosis (non-chronic condition hospitalisations) was 210 per 1,000 population (195 per 1,000, age-standardised).
  • chronic conditions were associated with 25.4 million bed days, compared with 8.5 million bed days for non-chronic condition hospitalisations.
  • the average length of stay for hospitalisations associated with chronic conditions (3.6 days per hospitalisations) was 2.4 times longer than for non-chronic condition hospitalisations (1.5 days per hospitalisation).
  • 55%

    of all hospitalisations in Australia in 2023–24 were associated with chronic conditions.

From 2012–13 to 2023–24, the rate of hospitalisations associated with chronic conditions increased by 19%, from 215 to 260 hospitalisations per 1,000 population. For comparison, the rate of non-chronic condition hospitalisations increased by just over 10%, from 190 to 210 hospitalisations per 1,000 population.

Age-standardised statistics can account for the influence of an ageing Australian population. From 2012–13 to 2023–24, the age-standardised rate of chronic conditions hospitalisations increased by 10%, from 200 to 220 per 1,000 population (Figure 4). For comparison, the age-standardised rate of non-chronic condition hospitalisations increased by almost 6%, from 185 to 195 per 1,000 population. There was a slightly larger increase in chronic conditions hospitalisations than non-chronic condition hospitalisations, even after accounting for age differences. This means that part, but not all, of the rise in chronic conditions hospitalisations is due to an ageing population.

Some of the rise in chronic conditions hospitalisations may therefore be due to factors other than ageing. For example, with better prevention, detection and treatment, people with chronic conditions are living longer and therefore needing more hospital care (see Burden of Disease and Deaths sections below).

For more information on health service use, such as hospitalisations, for specific chronic conditions, see: Cancer, Cancer screening, Chronic kidney disease, Chronic musculoskeletal conditions, Chronic respiratory conditions, Dementia, Diabetes, Heart, stroke and vascular disease, Hospitals, Mental health and Neurological conditions.

Figure 4: Age-standardised rate of hospitalisations (per 1,000 population), from 2012–13 to 2023–24

This chart shows that from 2012–13 to 2023–24, the age-standardised rate of hospitalisations (per 1,000 population) increased slightly more for chronic conditions than for non-chronic conditions and that the age-standardised rate has remained consistently higher for chronic conditions than for non-chronic conditions.

Notes

  1. Chronic condition hospitalisations are identified where a chronic condition was recorded as either the principal or additional diagnosis.
  2. Rates have been standardised to the 2001 Australian population.

Source: National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD)

Burden of disease

Burden of disease measures the loss of healthy life in a population due to living with, and dying prematurely from, a disease or injury. Total disease burden is expressed in terms of disability-adjusted life years, or DALY, which represents the number of years of healthy life lost within the population. DALY caused by living with disease or injury are referred to as non-fatal burden and measured in years lived with disability (YLD). DALY caused by premature death are referred to as fatal burden and measured in years of life lost (YLL).

  • 84%

    of the total disease burden in Australia in 2024 was due to chronic conditions.

Based on data from the Australian Burden of Disease Study, in 2024:

  • Australians lost an estimated 4.9 million years of healthy life due to chronic conditions (DALY), accounting for 84% of the total disease burden in Australia
  • this was equivalent about 180 DALY per 1,000 population for chronic conditions, compared with 34 DALY per 1,000 population for non-chronic conditions
  • more than half (59%) of the total disease burden due to chronic conditions was non-fatal (years lived with disability, or YLD)
  • the top 5 leading causes of disease burden in Australia were all chronic (coronary heart disease, dementia, back pain and problems, anxiety disorders and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)) (AIHW 2024).

From 2003 to 2024:

  • chronic conditions consistently accounted for 84–85% of the total disease burden in Australia
  • the DALY rate for chronic conditions remained somewhat stable at around 175–180 DALY per 1,000 population, whereas the age-standardised DALY rate decreased (from 175 to 155 per 1,000 population)
    • the age-standardised rate of non-fatal burden increased slightly (from 90 to 96 YLD per 1,000 population)
    • the age-standardised rate of fatal burden decreased substantially (from 85 to 60 YLL per 1,000 population).

This means that once the increasing age of the Australian population is taken into account, total disease burden from chronic conditions has decreased over the last 20 years mostly driven by a large decrease in fatal burden. One explanation for this is that people are dying less and at older ages (fatal burden) from chronic conditions in 2024 than in 2003 while spending more time living with chronic conditions (non-fatal burden).

For more information see Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024.

Health system expenditure on disease and injury

  • 51.0 53.9 54.6 2013–14 2017–18 2023–24

    The proportion (in percent) of total health system spending on disease and injury attributed to chronic conditions, after adjusting for inflation, has increased since 2013–14.

Based on analysis of data for disease-specific allocated health care expenditure (not including expenditure on things like investments, buildings, equipment) from the Health system spending on disease and injury report:

  • Chronic conditions cost the health system $98.5 billion in 2023–24, accounting for more than half (almost 55%) of all health system expenditure on disease and injury in Australia, equivalent to around $359,000 for every 100 people. 
  • The second, third and fourth leading burden of disease conditions in terms of spending in 2023–24 were chronic conditions (osteoarthritis, back pain and problems and coronary heart disease) (AIHW 2025).
  • From 2013–14 to 2023–24, health system expenditure on chronic conditions nearly doubled, increasing by 92%, from $51.3 billion to $98.5 billion, or by 45% after adjusting for inflation, from $67.8 billion to $98.5 billion. This increase is partly due to an ageing Australian population with increased hospitalisations.
  • For comparison, total health system expenditure on disease and injury increased by 76% from $102.3 billion to $180.4 billion, or by 36% after adjusting for inflation, from $133.0 billion to $180.4 billion.
  • Chronic conditions have consistently accounted for more than half of all health system spending on disease and injury since 2013–14, going from 51% of all health system spending on disease and injury (in constant inflation-adjusted prices) in 2013–14 to almost 55% in 2023–24.

For more information see Health system spending on disease and injury in Australia 2023–24.

The expenditure statistics reported here include genital prolapse as a chronic condition. In contrast, the expenditure statistics reported in Health system spending on disease and injury in Australia 2023–24 do not include genital prolapse as a chronic condition. There is therefore a slight difference between the 2 reports in the health system expenditure attributed to chronic conditions.

Deaths

Chronic conditions contributed to between 89 and 92 per cent of all deaths each year from 2002 to 2023. 

Based on AIHW analysis of the AIHW National Mortality Database (NMD):

  • there were 165,610 deaths associated with chronic conditions (where chronic conditions were recorded as the underlying or associated cause of death) in 2023, equivalent to 620 deaths per 100,000 population (460 per 100,000, age-standardised)
  • chronic conditions contributed to 90% of all deaths in Australia in 2023
  • chronic conditions contributed to between 89% and 92% of all deaths in Australia in each year from 2002 to 2023
  • from 2002 to 2023, the rate of deaths associated with chronic conditions remained somewhat stable (615 and 620 deaths per 100,000 in 2002 and 2023, respectively), but the age-standardised rate decreased by 23% (from 600 to 460 deaths per 100,000 population). This means that once the increasing age of the Australian population is taken into account, people are dying less from chronic conditions than they were 20 years ago. The decrease in the age-standardised rate of deaths associated with chronic conditions may be due to a number of factors including improvements in prevention, detection and treatment for chronic conditions (preventing or delaying deaths to older ages) and reductions in some key risk factors for chronic conditions such as smoking.

For more information see Life expectancy & deaths.

  • 90%

    of all deaths in Australia in 2023 were associated with chronic conditions.

Key data gaps and data improvement activities

The estimated prevalence of chronic conditions in Australia is based on self-report data from the 2022 National Health Survey for 72 selected long-term health conditions. The process for selecting these 72 conditions included (1) selecting conditions from the Australian Burden of Disease Study that had the highest impact in terms of burden of disease and (2) identifying these conditions in the 2022 National Health Survey. The final list of conditions that could be reasonably identified in the National Health Survey were 72 chronic conditions. As such, not all chronic conditions were included in the prevalence estimate.

Chronic conditions statistics have not been consistently reported for priority populations. Future updates to this report will progressively include additional reporting on priority populations, such as socioeconomic and remoteness areas (for hospitalisations and deaths) and among First Nations people. For information on (10 selected) chronic conditions among First Nations people see National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, 2022–23.

Where do I go for more information?

For further information on chronic conditions see: