Respiratory conditions affect the airways, including the lungs as well as the passages that transfer air from the mouth and nose into the lungs. They can be long lasting (chronic) or short term (acute) and can cause ill health, disability and death.
This report is regularly updated with data from a range of sources. There are differences in the source year and frequency of publication. For more information, see notes.
- Cat. no: ACM 42
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Asthma expenditure on medication was over 4 times the proportion for total health expenditure (53% compared with 11%)
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Around 2.7 million Australians (11% of the total population) had asthma in 2020–21
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In 2023, COPD was the 5th leading cause of total disease burden (DALY), accounting for 3.6% of total DALY
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In 2021, COPD was a leading underlying cause of death in Australia, representing 4.1% of all deaths