National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data collection

National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data collection: data and methods

Age

Age is calculated as at 30 June of the collection year.

Agency remoteness area

Dosing points have been classified according to their remoteness area (RA) as defined by the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Remoteness Structure (ABS 2021). This structure allows areas that share common characteristics of remoteness to be classified into broad geographic regions of Australia. These areas are:

• Major cities (for example, Sydney, Canberra, Newcastle)
• Inner regional areas (for example, Hobart, Bendigo)
• Outer regional areas (for example, Cairns, Darwin)
• Remote areas (for example, Katherine, Mount Isa)
• Very remote areas (for example, Tennant Creek, Meekatharra).

The Remoteness Structure divides each state and territory into several regions based on their relative access to services. Using this classification, dosing points were assigned to an RA based on their recorded Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2) code. Some SAs are split between multiple remoteness areas. This may have impacted the calculation of rates.

Confidentiality

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has strict confidentiality policies which have their basis in Section 29 of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Act 1987 (the AIHW Act) and the Privacy Act 1988 (the Privacy Act). Cells in supplementary tables may be suppressed for either confidentiality reasons or where estimates are based on small numbers, resulting in low reliability. Information that results in attribute disclosure will be suppressed unless agreement from the particular data provider to publish the data has been reached. Information on the AIHW's Privacy policy is available on the  privacy page.

Data coverage

In 2024, Western Australia adopted a new data extraction mechanism and were unable to discern between the types of pharmacotherapies prescribed by each prescriber. Client status was unavailable in 2024. Data for Western Australia were not available for the 2023 NOPSAD collection because of changes to data collection and management systems.

Queensland data were not available for the 2021 NOPSAD collection as a result of the implementation of Queensland’s real-time prescription monitoring system (QScript) and the commencement of the Medicines and Poisons Act 2019. In 2021, collection of medicines information transitioned from the Monitoring of Drugs of Dependence System database to the new QScript system. This transition resulted in significant changes to the data being collected for the Queensland Opioid Treatment Program.

Prescribers

Medical personnel, including general practitioners, nurse practitioners and other medical specialists, can prescribe opioid pharmacotherapy. Each state and territory has a registration process through which prescribers can undergo training and become registered or authorised to prescribe opioid pharmacotherapy to clients. For more information on registered and authorised prescribers, see Glossary.

Data on all registered or authorised prescribers are included in this report, except for New South Wales, Western Australia, and South Australia, where prescribers are included only if they are actively prescribing to at least 1 client on the snapshot day. These 3 jurisdictions have prescribers who prescribe in more than 1 location, and as such are counted more than once. This will lead to slightly reduced client to prescriber ratios. For more details about the collection, refer to Table T2 in NOPSAD collection: State and territory data quality.

Population estimates used for rates calculations

All rates in this report, including historical rates, have been calculated using population estimates based on the 2021 Census. All Indigenous rates in this report are calculated using the Indigenous population estimates and projections, based on the 2021 Census.

In 2022, the increase in the total rate of Indigenous clients per 10,000 people may relate to several factors, including improved coding of Indigenous status in Victoria leading to an increase in the number of First Nations clients overall (Table T2). This may result in increased rates even if the number of clients did not increase.

Population rates

Crude rates are calculated using the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimated resident population (ERP) as at 30 June of each collection year. Rates for 2025 data were calculated using the preliminary ERP at 30 June 2025.

In the year ending 30 June 2021, the estimated residential population in Victoria decreased. This decline was driven by a relatively large net negative overseas migration, likely due to the closure of Australia's international border in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This may result in increased rates even if the number of clients did not increase. Other states and territories were also impacted by border closures; caution should be taken when comparing population data for 2021 with other years.

Sex

The classification of Sex ‘Another term' was introduced into the NOPSAD collection for the first time in 2022. These data are not reported in text due to small numbers in this category. For more information, see the NOPSAD Data Quality Statement.

Trends

Trend data may differ from data published in previous versions of the National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data collection report due to data revisions. Data for Western Australia were not available in 2023 and Queensland data were not available in 2021, therefore caution should be taken when comparing these data with other years that include these states.