Health of children

Good health influences how children feel and go about their daily lives, as it can affect participation in family life, schooling, social and sporting activities. The foundations for good health start during the antenatal period and early childhood with effects that can extend into adulthood (see Australia’s mothers and babies). Health during these early stages is shaped not only by biological factors, but also by social, economic and environmental conditions in which children are born and grow. Addressing health risk factors early can reduce the burden of preventable chronic diseases in adulthood and equip children with the best life chances (AIHW 2022a, Department of Health 2019). This page focuses on key health issues affecting children in Australia.

Key findings

• In 2024, infant and congenital conditions (including pre‑term birth and low birth weight) were the leading causes of disease burden for children under 5, while asthma was the leading cause among children aged 5–14.
• Nearly half (45%) of children aged 0–14 had at least one chronic condition, and around 1 in 10 had a disability, with higher prevalence among boys in 2022. 
• In 2023–24, there were around 62,800 injury hospitalisations among children aged 0–14, accounting for 8.5% of all hospitalisations in this age group, with boys about 1.5 times as likely as girls to be hospitalised.
• Although childhood immunisation coverage remained high, coverage declined since 2020, and whooping cough notifications reached their highest level since 1991 in 2024, with children under 15 accounting for most cases.
• In 2023, physical activity declined with age among children, with those aged 12–17 spending long periods inactive and most not reaching 1 hour a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
• In 2023–24, around 156,000 children aged 0–11 (41 per 1,000) were dispensed ADHD medications, receiving an average of 8 prescriptions each, with dispensing more than ten‑fold higher than in 2004–05.
• In 2024, child abuse and neglect was the second leading risk factor contributing to burden of disease and injury among children aged under 15, accounting for 1.3% of total burden and 0.4% of deaths.
• From 1998 to 2024, death rates declined substantially across both infants and children - falling from 5.0 to 3.3 deaths per 1,000 live births among infants, and from 19.7 to 8.8 deaths per 100,000 among children aged 1–14.

Profile of children

At 30 June 2024, an estimated 4.8 million children aged 0–14 lived in Australia with boys accounting for just over half (51%) of this population compared to girls (ABS 2023d). 

The number of children in Australia is projected to reach 7.2 million by 2071 (ABS 2023e). However, due to sustained low fertility rates and increasing life expectancy, the number of children as a proportion of the entire population has steadily decreased, from 29% in 1968 to 17% in 2025 (ABS 2023d). 

Figure 1: Number of children and children as a proportion of the total Australian population, 1968–2048

Note: Population projections (2019 onwards) are based on ABS Projection Series B. See ABS 2018e for the assumptions on which Projection Series B is based.

Sources: ABS 2014; ABS 2018a; ABS 2018b.

Health status

Burden of disease

Burden of disease refers to the quantified impact of a disease or injury on a population, which captures overall health loss, that is, years of healthy life lost through premature death or living with ill health (see Burden of disease). 

In 2024, among infants and young children aged under 5, the leading causes of total burden of disease were pre-term birth and low birth weight complications, and birth trauma and asphyxia (51 DALY per 1,000 population for children aged under 1 and 0.1 DALY per 1,000 population for children aged 1–4). Leading causes were similar for both boys and girls in this age group (Figure 2). 

For children aged 5–14, asthma was the leading cause of total burden followed by 4 mental health conditions: autism spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders and conduct disorders (AIHW 2024a).

The burden from these causes was greatest for children under one:

• Pre-term birth and low birth weight complications was associated with 73 DALY per 1,000 population for children aged under 1 and 0.4 DALY per 1,000 population for children aged 1–4.
• Birth trauma and asphyxia was associated with 51 DALY per 1,000 population for children aged under 1 and 0.1 DALY per 1,000 population for children aged 1–4.

These patterns reflect differences in the severity and timing of health impacts rather than how common the conditions are. Early life conditions contribute a large burden due to high severity in infancy, while more prevalent conditions in older children contribute burden primarily through ongoing disability. 

The leading causes of total burden of disease among boys and girls aged 5–14 differed slightly, with autism spectrum disorders contributing the most burden to boys (16%) and asthma contributing the most burden to girls (11%) (Figure 2).

Note: Mental conditions, mental illness and mental disorders are used interchangeably

Mental health

The most recent national data on child and adolescent mental health is from the 2013–14 Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (also known as the Young Minds Matter survey). Note that fieldwork for the latest National Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Wellbeing Study commenced in November 2025 and will run for up to 12 months. Modelling was used to update these estimates. To explore this in more detail, see Regional estimates of children and adolescent mental disorders.

In 2013–14, 1 in 7 (14%) children aged 4–11 experienced a mental disorder in the 12 months prior to the survey. Boys were more commonly affected than girls (17% compared with 11%), particularly in relation to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (11% compared with 5.4%) (Table 1) (Lawrence et al. 2015).

In 2013–14, about 14% of children and adolescents aged 4–17 were estimated to have experienced mental illness in the previous 12 months. The most common mental illnesses among children and adolescents were:

• ADHD (7%)
• Anxiety disorders (7%)
• Major depressive disorder (3%)
• Conduct disorder (2%).

About 30% of adolescents with a mental illness experienced 2 or more mental illnesses at some time in the previous 12 months.

Boys (16%) were more likely than girls (12%) to have experienced mental illness in the previous 12 months. The prevalence of mental illness was slightly higher for older girls (13% for those aged 12–17) than younger (11% for those aged 4–11). The prevalence for boys did not differ markedly between the younger and older age groups (17% and 16%, respectively) (Lawrence et al. 2015, AIHW 2025h).

(a) Totals are lower than the sum of disorders as children may have had more than 1 class of mental disorder in the previous 12 months.

Source: Lawrence et al. 2015.

Among children aged 4–11 with some form of mental disorder: 

• almost 3 in 4 (72%) had mild disorders, 1 in 5 (20%) had moderate disorders and around 1 in 12 (8.2%) had severe disorders
• severe disorders were more common among boys (9.9%) than girls (5.6%) (Lawrence et al. 2015).

For more information, see Mental health.

Medicare-subsidised mental health-specific services and Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme mental health-related medications

In 2023–24, children aged 0–11 made up 5.4% (146,000) of all people receiving Medicare subsidised mental health‑specific services in Australia. Adults aged 25–34 accounted for the greatest proportion of patients (22% or 585,300). Among children aged 0–11 who accessed mental health‑specific services, general practitioners were the most common provider type, delivering 78% of services. These data relate to services billed against specified mental health items under the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and do not capture all mental health‑related care provided to children, including care billed under general consultation items (AIHW 2023a). In contrast, use of psychotropic medications, particularly ADHD medications, was relatively widespread among children (see Box) (AIHW 2025g). Time trends are impacted by changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) and clinical guidelines (AIHW 2025f).

For more information, see:

• Medicare mental health services
• Mental health-related prescriptions

Disability

According to the 2022 SDAC: 

• around 11.0% or an estimated 520,000 Australian children aged 0–14 have disability 
• disability was more common among boys (13.3%) than girls (8.5%)
• an estimated 7.4% (around 348,300) of children aged 5–14 had a schooling restriction 
• boys aged 5–14 were more likely than girls to have a schooling restriction (13.6% compared with 8.4%) (ABS 2022). 

An estimated 6.6% (around 310,600) children aged 0–14 had a profound or severe core activity limitation, a slight decrease from previous survey years (around 7% to 8% from 2003 to 2018 respectively). 

Note: Schooling restrictions are determined based on whether a person needs help, has difficulty participating, or uses aids or equipment in their education because of their disability.

For more information, see Health of people with disability.

Chronic conditions

Chronic conditions, also known as long-term conditions or non-communicable diseases, refer to a wide range of conditions, illnesses and diseases that tend to be long-lasting with persistent effects. Chronic disease can interrupt a child’s normal development and can increase the risk of being developmentally vulnerable at school entry (AIHW 2022; Bell et al. 2016). Self-reported data from the ABS 2022 National Health Survey (NHS) indicate that an estimated 2 in 5 (45%) children aged 0–14 had one or more chronic conditions, with boys (49%) more likely to have a long-term health condition than girls (42%) (ABS 2023c). According to the 2022 NHS, the most common chronic conditions among children aged 0–14 were:

• hay fever and allergic rhinitis (13%) and asthma (8.2%), both diseases of the respiratory system
• allergies, including food, drug and undefined (10%)
• anxiety related disorders (8.6%) and problems of psychological development (7.0%), both mental and behavioural conditions (ABS 2023c).

Among children aged 0–14, multimorbidity (living with 2 or more chronic conditions), was statistically significantly more common in boys than girls. The prevalence among males (14%) was around 1.7 times as high as among girls (8.4%). Overall, an estimated 11% of children aged 0–14 were living with multimorbidity, while 16% were living with a single condition (AIHW 2025b).

Childhood cancer outcomes in Australia have improved markedly over recent decades. In 2024, an estimated 762 children aged 0–14 were diagnosed with cancer, with almost half diagnosed before age 5 (44%). Survival has increased substantially over time but continues to vary by cancer type. In 2020, the 3 most common types of childhood cancer were acute lymphoid leukaemia (24%), astrocytoma (10%) and neuroblastoma (6%) (AIHW 2025a).

For more information, see Chronic conditions and Multimorbidity in Australia.

Injuries

In 2023–24, there were around 62,800 injury hospitalisations among children aged 0–14, accounting for 8.5% of all hospitalisations in this age group, or a rate of around 1,300 per 100,000 children (AIHW 2025c). Hospitalised injury cases exclude presentations to emergency departments that are not admitted to hospitals. For more information on non-admitted patient services, see Hospitals. Children aged 0–4 have the highest rates of emergency department presentations due to injury of any age group.

Overall, boys were 1.5 times as likely as girls to sustain an injury that resulted in hospitalisation (around 1,600 and 1,100 per 100,000, respectively) (AIHW 2025c). These differences varied by age, from 1.4 times as likely for children aged 0–4 to 1.9 times for 10–14-year-olds. 

In 2023–24, the leading causes of injury hospitalisations among children were falls, contact with objects (such as being struck or cut by something other than another human or animal) and transport accidents (Figure 2).

During 2022–2023, injuries contributed to 144 deaths of children aged 0–14, a rate of 3.1 per 100,000 children (AIHW 2025c).

For more information, see Injury in Australia. 

Deaths

In 2024, there were 957 deaths of infants under the age of one, a rate of 3.3 per 1,000 live births (ABS 2024). Infant deaths accounted for 71% of deaths among all children aged 0–14. The leading causes of infant deaths in 2024 were: perinatal conditions (58%), congenital conditions (22%) and symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (10%) (ABS 2024). The infant death rate fell from 5.0 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1998 to 3.3 per 1,000 in 2024.

In 2024, there were 397 deaths of children aged 1–14, a rate of 8.8 per 100,000 children. The leading causes of child deaths were land transport accidents (12.1%), certain conditions originating in the perinatal conditions (9.6%) and malignant brain tumours (9.1%) (ABS 2024). The death rate for children aged 1–14 fell from 19.7 deaths per 100,000 in 1998 to 8.8 per 100,000 in 2024 (ABS 2024, AIHW 2023b). 

For more information, see ABS, Causes of Death, Australia.

Health risk factors 

Exposure to violence, abuse and neglect

Most children and young people in Australia grow up in an environment where they feel safe and do not experience abuse or maltreatment, however, this is not the case for all children. Family, domestic and sexual violence (FDSV) is a key risk factor for poor health and wellbeing in childhood, and includes:

• violence directed at children and indirect forms of FDSV, in which children are exposed to obvious and/or subtle acts of violence directed at people they live with (AIHW 2024f) 
• child abuse and neglect (also referred to as child maltreatment) that encompasses physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect and other exploitation of children under 18 by a person in a position of responsibility, trust or power (AIHW 2024f; WHO 2026a). 

These experiences can have wide ranging and long-lasting impacts on children’s development and later life outcomes (AIFS 2014; ABS 2019).

Children are particularly at risk of experiencing FDSV and its effects. Data from the ABS Personal Safety Survey (PSS) 2021–22 indicate that, among adults aged 18 and over:

• 18% of women and 11% of men had experienced abuse before the age of 15 and family members were the most common perpetrators of the first incident of childhood abuse 
• 13% of adults reported witnessing partner violence against a parent before the age of 15 (AIHW 2024f)
• most commonly, the first incident of childhood sexual abuse experienced by women occurred when they were aged between 5 and 9 years old and by men when they were aged between 10 to 14 years old. 

Hospitalisation data further highlight the family context of violence affecting children. In 2023–24, among hospitalisations of children (0–14) with family and domestic violence-related injuries:

• a parent was the most common perpetrator recorded for family and domestic violence related hospitalisations among children aged 0–14 
• the most common principal diagnosis was injuries to the head (36% or about 135) (AIHW 2024f).

The Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024 estimates the burden due to child abuse and neglect experienced during childhood. Estimates across all ages are based on causal links to depressive disorders, anxiety disorders and suicide and self-inflicted injuries. In 2024:

• child abuse and neglect was the second leading risk factor contributing to burden of disease and injury among children aged under 15, accounting for 1.3% of total burden and 0.4% of deaths 
• across all ages, 2.4% of total burden was due to child abuse and neglect including 27% of the total burden from anxiety, 26% of the burden from suicide and self-inflicted injuries and 20% of the burden from depressive disorders (AIHW 2024f).

The child protection system aims to protect children from maltreatment in family settings. In 2023–24, around 1 in 137 (42,100) children aged under 18 were the subject of substantiated maltreatment through the child protection system, with emotional abuse the most common primary type (57% or 24,000) (AIHW 2025d). 

Experience of child maltreatment can have serious and long-lasting impacts beyond childhood. The Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS), highlights the association with mental health conditions and health risk behaviours, particularly impacting young people (aged 15–24) (see, Health of Young People).

Further information, 

• Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024
• Child protection Australia 2023–24
• Family, domestic and sexual violence - Children and young people

Nutrition

As children are constantly growing, good nutrition is key to support their growth and development, and it gives them the energy they need to concentrate, learn and play (NHMRC 2013). A healthy diet also:

• supports children’s physical and cognitive development
• helps to prevent overweight and obesity
• helps to maintain a healthy weight
• increases quality of life
• protects against infection 
• protects against the development of chronic conditions in adulthood (AIHW 2022a, WHO 2026b).

The ABS 2022 NHS reported on children’s fruit and vegetable consumption among 2–14-year-olds (ABS 2023c).

According to self-reported data from the 2022 NHS:

• around 7 in 10 (69%) children aged 2–14 met the serve recommendation for fruit
• 1 in 20 (4.8%) children aged 2–14 met the serve recommendation for vegetables (ABS 2023c).

It was also estimated that 17% of children aged 2–14 consumed sugar-sweetened drinks and 8% of children consumed diet drinks at least once a week. 

For more information, see Diet.

Physical activity

In addition to good nutrition, participating in physical activity and limiting sedentary behaviour is critical to a child’s health, development and psychosocial wellbeing. Based on physical activity and sedentary screen time for children data reported in ABS National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) 2023:

The majority of children aged 2–14 did not meet both the physical activity and screen-based activity components of the guidelines (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing 2026a).

• More than 4 in 5 children aged 12–17 (84%) spent less than 1 hour per day in moderate or vigorous physical activity, including 43% who spent less than 30 minutes per day.
• One in 5 children aged 12–17 (20%) recorded no time in vigorous physical activity on an average day, compared with around 1% of children aged 5–11.
• Across children aged 5–17, males spent more time in moderate and vigorous physical activity than girls (1 hour 9 minutes compared with 55 minutes per day), while girls spent slightly more time inactive overall (10 hours 57 minutes compared with 10 hours 51 minutes) (ABS 2026a).

Sleep

Good sleep is essential for children’s growth and development, supporting brain function, learning and memory, emotional regulation and physical health. In 2023, based on sleep data measured using wearable accelerometers in the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey:

• 1 in 2 (51%) children aged 12–17 slept less than 8 hours per night on average, compared with around 1 in 8 (12%) children aged 5–11
• overall, nearly 1 in 3 (31%) children aged 5–17 slept less than 8 hours per night, while most slept between 8 and 10 hours on average
• girls were slightly more likely than boys to have shorter sleep durations, with 33% of girls and 29% of boys sleeping less than 8 hours per night on average (ABS 2026a).

For information on current guidelines, see 24-hour movement guidelines for all Australians. For further information on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, see Physical activity.

Digital health (device and social media usage)

Among children in Australia, screen time and social media use have become increasingly prevalent, reflecting widespread access to digital technologies and online platforms.

Data from the ABS Cultural and creative activities report showed in 2021–22:

• 90% of children aged 5–14 participated in screen-based activities, with boys participating slightly more than girls (91% and 89%, respectively)
• screen-based activities increased with age (89% of children aged 5–8 to 92% of children aged 12–14)
• of children who participated in screen-based activities:
  • 24% spent 20 hours or more per week undertaking screen-based activities, compared with 16% in 2017–18
  • 40% spent 10 to 19 hours per week on screen-based activities (ABS 2023f).

Of the children surveyed in the 2024 Children and Social Media Survey: 

• 80% of children aged 8–15 use social media, increasing to 95% for 13- to 15-year-olds
• of the 8 social media services, YouTube was the most popular service used by children aged 8–12 (68%)
• almost 2 in 3 children aged 13–15 had used Snapchat (63%) or TikTok (62%), while over half (56%) had used Instagram
• over 1 in 3 (36%) of children aged 8–12 who reported using social media had their own account(s) (eSafety Commission 2025). 

Overweight and obesity

Overweight and obesity can increase a child’s risk of poor physical health and contribute to illness and mortality later in life. Overweight and obesity are shaped by a complex interplay of biological, behavioural, social, environmental and economic factors. These include genetics, diet, physical activity, sleep and mental health, alongside family and community environments and broader social determinants such as income, education and physical environment (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing 2021). Based on measured height and weight data from the 2022 NHS, among children aged 2–14, around:

• 2 in 3 (66% or an estimated 2 million) were healthy weight
• 1 in 4 (26% or an estimated 1 million) were living with overweight or obesity
• 1 in 13 (7.7%) were living with obesity (ABS 2023c).

The prevalence of overweight and obesity was similar for boys and girls across age groups, and remained relatively stable between 2011–12 and 2022 (ABS 2023c).

AIHW analysis of ABS data found that Australians who were aged 5–14 years in 2022–24 (born 2008-2017), were more likely than Australians of the same age in 1995 (born 1981–1990) to be living with obesity (8.4% compared to 5.1%). Analysis of different birth cohorts allows the comparisons of people at the same age in different time periods which can be used to identify cohorts at risk of a particular health outcome. The trend for children reflects the general finding that Australians born more recently were more likely to be living with overweight or obesity than those born in earlier birth cohorts. However, there is variation in the trends that different birth cohorts follow as they age (AIHW 2024g). 

For further detail of how overweight and obesity is defined and measured, see Overweight and obesity.

Health care 

Immunisation

Immunisation remains a cornerstone of public health. Measuring childhood immunisation coverage helps track how protected the community is against vaccine-preventable diseases and reflects the capacity of the health care system to effectively target and provide vaccinations to children. Fully immunised status is measured at ages 1, 2 and 5 and means that a child has received all the scheduled vaccinations appropriate for their age (AIHW 2022b).

Childhood immunisation rates have fallen below the aspirational 95% target over recent years. Between 2020 and 2024, childhood immunisation coverage declined across all age groups, falling from 94.9% to 92.1% for 1‑year‑olds, from 92.6% to 90.4% for 2‑year‑olds, and from 95.1% to 93.6% for 5‑year‑olds. This pattern reflects delays in the timing of some vaccine doses, with fewer children receiving vaccinations within the recommended age windows, rather than widespread non‑vaccination. For example, in 2025, 2 in 5 children received the first dose of measles mumps rubella vaccine late, and 1 in 5 received the second dose of a diphtheria tetanus pertussis containing vaccine late (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing 2026b, NCIRS 2025a, NCIRS 2025b). On time childhood vaccination levels remain substantially lower than before the COVID‑19 pandemic, particularly for vaccines scheduled at older ages.

Vaccine-preventable diseases

Across all ages, the rate of vaccine preventable disease burden decreased by 31% between 2005 and 2015, driven by declines in diseases for which vaccines had been introduced in the previous 20 years, such as human papilloma virus (HPV), pneumococcal disease and rotavirus. In the same period, the vaccine preventable diseases burden rate decreased among infants, young children and young adults (AIHW 2019). This means that vaccination has further reduced illness and early death caused by vaccine‑preventable diseases, among young Australians, reflecting both the impact of newly introduced vaccines and the continued effectiveness of existing vaccines.

In 2024, influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and whooping cough (pertussis) had the highest number of notifications among vaccine-preventable diseases. In 2022, hospitalisations and deaths were highest for COVID-19, followed by RSV and influenza (AIHW 2025j). Whooping cough notifications surged to over 57,000 cases in 2024, marking the highest annual total since 1991 (CDC 2025). Children under 15 years of age accounted for 66% of these notifications while those aged 5 to 14 made up more than half of all reported cases (57%) in 2024 (CDC 2025, Immunisation Coalition 2025).

For more information, see Immunisation and vaccination.

Priority populations

While most children in Australia experience good health, outcomes are not evenly distributed across the population (AIHW 2022a). Some groups of children experience poorer health status, higher exposure to health risk factors, and greater barriers to accessing timely, appropriate and culturally safe health care (AIHW 2022a, AIHW 2024b). These differences are mainly influenced by social determinants of health, including socioeconomic circumstances, housing and neighbourhood conditions, education, geographic location, and experiences of discrimination, as well as by structural and system‑level factors within health, education and child protection systems (AIHW 2024c, AIHW 2024d). These factors interrelate, for example more socioeconomically disadvantaged areas may have less access to quality green spaces and tree canopy which are associated with positive health benefits such as increased physical activity (AIHW 2024h).

Priority populations include First Nations children, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, children living in low socioeconomic circumstances, children in rural and remote areas, children with disability or complex needs (who may have physical limitations), and children in out‑of‑home care (AIHW 2022a, AIHW 2025d). For these groups, intersecting social disadvantage and system barriers can compound health risks across the life course, contributing to persistent inequalities in health outcomes (AIHW 2024b, AIHW 2024d). Understanding these drivers is essential for informing targeted prevention, early intervention and service responses (AIHW 2024b).

For more detailed information on the health and wellbeing of priority populations, including children, see:

• Australia's children
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework - Summary report
• Built environment and health
• Natural environment and health
• Social determinants of health

Where do I go for more information?

For more information on the health of children, see:

• Australia’s children
• National Action Plan for the Health of Children and Young People: 2020–2030
• National framework for protecting Australia’s children indicators
• Children’s Headline Indicators
• Glossary

For more on this topic, visit Children & youth.