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Latest report card on Australia's health reveals areas of improvement and challenges
Health outcomes in Australia continue to improve and remain high by global standards, however chronic conditions and mental health conditions are increasingly impacting Australians, according to a new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Published today, Australia’s health 2026 provides a comprehensive, national picture, showing where Australia’s health stands, the key drivers shaping it and where targeted attention is most needed. The report also includes 6 focus areas that highlight contemporary and emerging issues that are central to understanding the health of the nation.
‘Our health is shaped by many different factors, including our environment, lifestyle and access to the services we need,’ said AIHW spokesperson Louise Gates.
‘Good health helps Australians stay connected to their communities, continue learning and working, and live long fulfilling lives.’
Australians are living longer despite a decline in recent years
Life expectancy at birth was 81.1 years for males and 85.1 years for females in 2022–2024.
Life expectancy has risen steadily over decades, with a recent decrease seen across the years impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chronic diseases account for most of the health burden in Australia
Chronic conditions continue to have a considerable impact on the health of Australians, with over 3 in 5 (61%) people living with at least one chronic condition and almost 2 in 5 (38%) living with 2 or more in 2022.
The 5 disease groups causing the most years of healthy life lost due to illness and premature death in 2024 were cancer, mental health conditions and substance use disorders, musculoskeletal conditions, cardiovascular disease and neurological conditions.
Dementia is now the leading cause of death in Australia, accounting for almost 1 in 10 deaths. Over the past decade, the number of deaths caused by dementia has risen by 39%. Meanwhile the number of deaths caused by coronary heart disease, the previous leading cause of death, has decreased by 18%.
‘This marks the first change in Australia’s leading cause of death since the early 20th century, reflecting a change in patterns of illness and death as Australians live longer,’ Ms Gates said.
However, coronary heart disease remained the leading cause of death for people living outside of major cities and inner regional areas.
Mental health conditions affect a growing number of Australians, particularly young people
Around 1 in 5 (22%) Australians aged 16–85 experienced a mental health condition (such as anxiety or depression) in the last 12 months in 2020–2022.
While the overall proportion of people experiencing a mental disorder has remained relatively stable over time, young people aged 16–24 have experienced a large increase. Prevalence rates increased from 26% to 39% between 2007 and 2020–2022 for young people.
Young people are also most likely to access Medicare-subsidised mental health services, with young females accessing support at twice the rate of young males.
Over the past decade, the use of Medicare-subsidised mental health services has increased the most among females aged 25–34, with rates rising by 26% (149 to 188 people per 1,000 between 2015–16 and 2024–25), compared with an almost 9% increase overall.
Cancer outcomes continue to improve
‘People diagnosed with cancer today are surviving longer than ever before, reflecting advances in diagnosis and treatment,’ said Ms Gates.
The 5-year relative cancer survival rate increased from 50% to 72% between 1987–1991 and 2017–2021. Five-year relative survival is the probability of being alive for 5 years after a cancer diagnosis compared with the general population.
Although cancer diagnoses are increasing among people in their 30s and 40s, rates are still low, survival rates are improving and cancer death rates for these age groups have generally been decreasing.
Risk factors continue to shape health outcomes
‘Around 36% of Australia’s total disease burden in 2024 could have been prevented or reduced by addressing risk and environmental factors,’ said Ms Gates.
Overweight and obesity is increasingly impacting the health of Australians and is now the leading risk factor contributing to ill health and death, overtaking tobacco smoking for the first time.
Around 13.2 million adults (67%) and 1.4 million children and adolescents (27%) were living with overweight or obesity in 2022–24.
Australians born more recently were more likely to be living with obesity than those born in earlier birth cohorts, when compared at the same age.
For example, almost 9 additional adults in every 100 adults aged 25–34 were living with obesity in 2022–24 (29%), compared with those at the same age in 2011–12 (20%).
While self-reported daily tobacco smoking has declined from 11% to 8.3% between 2019 and 2022–2023 among people aged 14 and over, self-reported daily use of e-cigarettes increased from 1.1% to 3.5% over the same period.
Around 1 in 5 young people (21%) aged 18–24 reported using vapes in 2022–2023, and almost 1 in 10 (9.3%) using vapes daily. Updated data from the 2025 National Drug Strategy Household Survey will be released in tranches in 2026, with the first to include high level findings on tobacco, e-cigarette and nicotine use.
Childhood immunisation coverage has declined in recent years
Between September 2020 and September 2025, childhood immunisation coverage fell from 95% to 92% for 1-year olds, 93% to 90% for 2-year-olds and 95% to 93% for 5-year-olds.
‘While Australia has long maintained high childhood immunisation rates, these recent declines are concerning, particularly given rising notifications rates for measles, diphtheria and whooping cough,’ said Ms Gates.
Progress in health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people
There has been considerable improvement in the health of the First Nations population but there are still opportunities to progress further.
Among First Nations people, the healthy years lost from illness and premature deaths decreased by 6.3% between 2011 and 2022. This was driven by declines in premature deaths from cardiovascular diseases.
First Nations people experienced disease burden at 2.1 times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians, but the gap has narrowed since 2011.
Life expectancy at birth was 71.9 years for First Nations males and 75.6 years for First Nations females, born in 2020–2022.
Health system demand and spending rises
An estimated $270.5 billion was spent on health goods and services in 2023–24, equivalent to $10,037 per person and an increase from $8,615 per person in 2014–15, after adjusting for inflation. This includes spending by the Australian and state and territory governments, health insurance providers, individuals and other non-government sources.
Hospital care accounted for the largest share, responsible for 42% of total health spending ($113.8 billion).
Conversely, primary health care (including public health) accounted for 33% of total health spending ($89.1 billion). The gap between expenditure on hospital services and primary health care (including public health) as a share of total health spending continues to widen.
Australia’s hospitals and emergency departments continued to see growing demand over time
There were 12.8 million hospital admissions in 2024–25, equivalent to 416 hospitalisations per 1,000 people. This rate has fluctuated over the last 10 years, with a rate of 413 per 1,000 people in 2015–16.
Emergency departments saw 9.1 million presentations in 2024–25 or 328 presentations per 1,000 people. The rate of ED presentations has declined in recent years, following a peak during the initial years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Over the same period, a lower proportion of emergency department presentations were seen on time (care starting within the triage time target) than a decade ago, 67% in 2024–25, down from 74% in 2015–16. Elective surgery wait times are longer, with half of patients admitted within 45 days in 2024–25, up from 37 days in 2015–16,’ said Ms Gates.
Persistent inequalities remain and many Australians are delaying health care
Of the 18.5 million Australians aged 15 and over who needed to see a general practitioner (GP) in 2024–25, 1 in 4 (27%) reported delaying their GP visit at least once or did not see a GP. This is the same as a decade prior (27% in 2015–16).
‘Potential barriers to Australians seeing a GP include cost, service availability and waiting times,’ said Ms Gates.
Around 1 in 13 (7.7%) reported delaying or not seeing a GP due to cost. This has almost doubled from 4.1% in 2015–16.
In 2024–25, 78% of GP attendances were bulk billed, a decline from 85% in 2015–16. However, bulk billing rates have increased in recent months, and in January–March 2026 it was 82% (as reported in AIHW’s monthly dashboards on Medicare bulk billing of GP attendances).
Dental visits are also being delayed. One in 6 (16%) people aged 15 and over in 2024–25 who needed to see a dentist reported delaying or not seeing a dentist due to cost.
These access challenges sit alongside stark health inequalities. After adjusting for age, the death rate in 2022–2024 for people living in the lowest socioeconomic area was 1.5 times as high as the rate for people living in the highest socioeconomic areas. Similarly, people living in Very remote areas had a death rate 1.6 times as high as people living in Major cities.
‘While many health outcomes for Australians are improving, the growing impact of chronic conditions, poor mental health and an ageing population mean prevention and effective, equitable and coordinated care from health, disability, aged care and other welfare systems are more important than ever.’
About the AIHW and flagship products
The AIHW is an independent statutory Australian Government agency that provides meaningful information and statistics to build a strong evidence base for improved health and welfare for all Australians.
This is the 20th edition of Australia’s health, which is published in alternate years with the AIHW’s other flagship publication, Australia’s welfare.
Our flagship publications are an authoritative source of health information for service providers, researchers, policy advisors and the public.
Ongoing data improvements alongside innovative data linkage systems are strengthening our understanding of the connections between health, welfare and wellbeing. This richer evidence base supports better decision-making and better outcomes for all Australians.
While Australia’s health 2026 is a national report, state and territory key findings for some topics can be provided upon request.
Expert Reaction
These comments have been collated by the Science Media Centre to provide a variety of expert perspectives on this issue. Feel free to use these quotes in your stories. Views expressed are the personal opinions of the experts named. They do not represent the views of the SMC or any other organisation unless specifically stated.
Dr Sayan Mitra is a Research Affiliate from the Faculty of Medicine and Health at The University of Sydney
"Australia’s health outcomes remain strong by global standards, but the report points to a problem we need to take more seriously.
More Australians are living with chronic conditions and mental health conditions, and the health system is still too often built around late intervention.
From my perspective as a researcher working across digital health, lifestyle interventions, cardiometabolic health, and early-course mental disorders, the key point is that many chronic diseases begin years before a clinical diagnosis.
Changes in blood pressure, glucose, body weight, physical activity, diet, sleep, and vascular health often accumulate long before people enter the health system, which are are not abstract risk factors, but measurable signals of future disease burden.
Digital health has an important role, but only if we stop treating those signals as just a way to collect more data or as a reason to push more apps into people’s lives. It should help us use information earlier, fairly and practically, so we can improve healthspan and reduce avoidable disease burden.
My argument is that Australia’s next major health gain will depend on shifting digital health from passive data collection to active prevention infrastructure, using individual-level signals at population scale to identify risk earlier and act before chronic disease becomes established.
Australia cannot treat its way out of chronic disease, and acting as though it can will only make the burden larger."
Dr Nicholas Chartres is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Health at The University of Sydney and Scientific Lead at the Stanford University Center to End Corporate Harm
"Life expectancy has risen steadily over decades; however, chronic diseases account for most of the health burden in Australia with approximately 61% of people living with at least one chronic condition and 40% living with two or more in 2022. This means Australians live longer, but with poor quality of life.
The report also states that approximately 22% Australians aged 16–85 experienced a mental health condition in the last 12 months in 2020–2022, and approximately 67% of adults and 27% children and adolescents were living with overweight or obesity in 2022–24.
This is totally unacceptable when they are preventable diseases. For example, we know from extensive empirical research that you are at a 48% increased risk of experiencing anxiety, 53% increased risk of experiencing a common mental disorder, and 55% more likely to be obese when you consume a high level of ultra-processed foods, yet the Australian Government still does nothing to regulate these products.
My research published in The New England Journal of Medicine in March 2026 has also shown the United States is following similar trends in the rates of chronic disease as between 1990 and 2021. We demonstrated that globally, five commercial products are key factors in 31% of all deaths each year: fossil fuels contribute to 8.1 million deaths, tobacco to 7.2 million, ultra-processed foods to 2.3 million, chemicals (used in commerce and pesticides) to 1.8 million, and alcohol to 1.8 million. An additional 600,000 deaths globally are attributable to drug use.
The transnational corporations that manufacture, market and sell these products implement strategies designed to undermine science and the regulatory process, and spread disinformation about their harms. Thus, they are arguably prominent global ‘vectors of disease’.
Thus, to the only way the only way the Australian Government can protect the Australian public’s health from the harms of these products and reduce the growing burden of chronic disease is by addressing the root cause of the disease, which is by regulating these products and preventing the corporations that make them from 1) biasing the research on the harms of their products (preventing corporations from producing favourable science/suppressing unfavourable science to skew the evidence base in the industry’s favour) 2) influencing the regulatory/policy process (changing rules on lobbying, the ‘revolving-doors’, and direct participation in government scientific committees and agencies to shape favourable regulations and policies), and 3) shaping the public narrative on the safety and harms of their products (banning advertising). These steps are essential for minimising the enormous personal, environmental, and societal harm they and their products cause."
Dr Linda Gallo is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Health at the University of the Sunshine Coast
"While it is encouraging to see a reduction in deaths caused by coronary heart disease, it remains a significant contributor to ill health. Many Australians need to manage living with this each and every day, and the number of people affected is likely to continue to increase.
Our research shows that cardiovascular risk factors are on the rise in young Australians - as young as their early 20s. A substantial proportion of young males have higher than normal blood pressure, and poor dietary patterns are universally problematic, including very low intakes of vegetables and high consumption of ultra-processed foods. Combined with overweight and obesity as leading contributors to disease burden, cardiovascular disease rates are likely to climb as our young generation ages.
Compounding this is the rising rates of mental health conditions in young people – an often overlooked, yet significant, contributor to cardiovascular disease. Our research confirms that mental health and sleep are areas where young people want the most help.
So, while we may be getting better at managing cardiovascular disease, we need to consider preventative initiatives beyond Heart Health Checks from middle-age.
Much of the burden of ageing-related disease begins decades before symptoms appear. Investing in the mental health and lifestyle behaviours of young Australians is one of the best opportunities we have to improve health across the lifespan."
Professor Dr Muhammad Aziz Rahman is Professor of Public Health and Associate Dean of Research from the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at Federation University Australia
“Dementia being the leading cause of death, replacing coronary heart disease among the Australian population based on 2024 data, is interesting and warrants further investigation. Specifically, identifying factors contributing to higher deaths in major cities and inner regional areas will provide valuable insights for preventing deaths due to dementia and for identifying gaps in health service provision in Australia.
Overweight, including obesity, being the leading contributor to disease burden on this occasion, warrants further examination of commercial determinants of health, specifically addressing the aggressive marketing of fast foods, ultra-processed foods, and sugar-sweetened beverages to children and adolescents, in addition to other regulatory measures.
Australia remains a global exemplar in tobacco control, and the continued decline in smoking is encouraging. However, higher prevalence by socioeconomic status, Indigenous status and regionality highlights the need for appropriate programs for priority populations, alongside stronger licensing and enforcement to address illicit tobacco.
The sharp rise in vaping, particularly among adolescents and those who first try vapes out of curiosity, reinforces the need for school-based prevention efforts, action against misleading industry messaging, clarifying scientific messages on the role of vaping for smoking cessation, and stronger cessation support from health professionals for both smoking and vaping.
Finally, the report mentioned that one in three Australians is born overseas. However, the report did not include any analysis based on migration status. It’s important to compare the health status, disease burden and mortality between the host and migrant population to identify gaps and consider culturally appropriate strategies for prevention and management of chronic conditions in Australia.”
Dr Brea Kunstler is a Senior Research Fellow in BehaviourWorks Australia at Monash University and a Senior Physiotherapist at Performance Medicine
"Three in five Australians are living with at least one chronic disease. What we know about chronic diseases is that many can be prevented or made less severe by modifying risk factors, such as by increasing physical activity levels and reducing time spent sitting. We can help people to reduce risk factors through changing their behaviour.
For people with chronic conditions, many experience what we call ‘teachable moments’. These moments often occur unexpectedly, and come as a shock.
For example, someone with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes might experience a heart attack. This moment leads to many survivors reflecting on what they could have lost, such as loved ones, had they not survived the heart attack. This can make the person more receptive to changing their behaviour to prevent another heart attack.
This is a teachable moment.
It’s important to leverage these moments to reduce the number of people experiencing subsequent heart attacks and other adverse health events such as stroke.
We need strong and consistent investment in community and outpatient health services for this to occur, and to utilise the large increase in allied health professionals seen in Australia since 2015 who have the skills to support health behaviour change."
