Health of young people

Youth is a key transition period in a person’s life. The health of young people can influence how likely they are to achieve better educational outcomes, make a successful transition into full-time work, develop healthy adult lifestyles, and experience fewer challenges forming families and parenting (AIHW 2021a).

A recent survey of youth found that the cost of living, mental health, climate change and the environment, and housing and homelessness were the top 4 most important issues in Australia today identified by young people (McHale et al. 2025).

This article focuses on key health issues that adolescents and young adults face. For information about children, see Health of children.

Key findings

• In 2024, mental health and behavioural conditions contributed the greatest burden among young people.
• An estimated 1 in 2 (52%) young people aged 15–24 were living with at least one selected long-term health condition in 2022.
• Nearly 1 in 13 (7.3%) people aged 18–24 smoked tobacco daily and nearly 1 in 10 (9.3%) currently used an e-cigarette or vaping device in 2022–2023. 
• Over 4 in 5 (87%) people aged 12–17 and 1 in 8 (13%) people aged 18–24 spent one hour or less doing moderate physical activity per day in 2023.
• In 2024, child abuse and neglect was the leading risk factor contributing to total disease burden among females aged 15–24 and the third leading risk factor for males.
• In 2024–25, females aged 18–24 had the highest rate of mental health service use (192 patients per 1,000 population), around double that of males the same age (97 patients per 1,000 population).
• Prescriptions for psychostimulants, agents used for ADHD and nootropics, among people aged 18–24 increased by 3.1 times from 2020–21 to 2024–25.
• The death rate among young people fell almost 20% between 2009 and 2024, from 41 to 33 deaths per 100,000 population.

Profile of young people

At 30 June 2024 an estimated 3.4 million young people aged 15–24 lived in Australia. Just over half of these people were male (52%, or 1.8 million) and 48% (1.7 million) were female. Young people aged 15–24 made up 13% of the total population (ABS 2024b).

Health status

Burden of disease

Burden of disease refers to the quantified impact of a disease or injury on a population. It 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, mental health and behavioural conditions contributed the greatest burden among young people. Suicide and self-inflicted injuries were the leading specific cause of total burden among males, while anxiety disorders were the leading specific cause among females (Figure 1) (AIHW 2024b).

Chronic conditions

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 (AIHW 2024a).

Based on AIHW analysis of 72 selected long-term health conditions that could be reasonably identified from self-reported data in the ABS 2022 National Health Survey (NHS):

• the most common conditions among children and young people aged 0–24 were anxiety (16%), asthma (9.0%) and depression (7.6%)
• around 1 in 2 (52%) young people aged 15–24 were living with at least one selected long-term health condition (AIHW 2024a)
• young males aged 15–24 were more likely to have none of the selected long-term health conditions than females in the same age group
• young females aged 15–24 were more commonly living with multimorbidity (2 or more chronic conditions at the same time) when compared to males in the same age group (AIHW 2025c).

For further information, including the selected long-term health conditions, see Chronic conditions and Multimorbidity.

Mental health

Based on the NSMHW 2020–2022, nearly 2 in 5 (39%) young people aged 16–24 had experienced a mental disorder in the previous 12 months, with prevalence higher among females than males (46% and 32%, respectively) (ABS 2023f).

The study assessed 3 groups of mental disorders: anxiety, affective and substance use disorders. Across the three disorder groups, females reported higher prevalence of anxiety disorders and affective disorders, whereas males reported higher prevalence of substance use disorders (Table 1) (ABS 2023f).

Notes:

1. A 12-month mental disorder is having experienced a mental disorder in the last 12 months including conditions where the diagnostic criteria was met at any point in their life but they experienced symptoms in the 12 months prior to the survey.
2. Total persons with any 12-month anxiety, affective or substance use disorder.
3. Sex refers to sex recorded at birth, what was determined by the sex characteristic observed at birth or infancy.

Source: National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHW) 2020–2022 (ABS 2023f)

For more information about prevalence and impact, see Mental health.

Psychological distress

According to self-reported data from the NSMHW, in 2020–2022, 26% of people aged 16–24 experienced high or very high psychological distress. Young women (34%) were more likely to experience high or very high psychological distress than young men (18%) (ABS 2023f).

Body image

Body image is a common source of distress among young people. According to the Mission Australia Youth Survey 2025, 33% of those aged 14–19 reported feeling stressed about body image, with large differences between females (46%), males (19%) and gender diverse young people (55%). The gender diverse reporting category combined A-gender / non-gendered, non-binary gender, transgender, intersex and other (McHale et al. 2025).

Similarly, the NSMHW reported that, in 2020–2022, nearly one-quarter (24%) of young people aged 16–24 felt their weight or body shape was very or extremely important to how they thought about themselves. This was higher among young women compared with young men (30% and 19%, respectively) (ABS 2023f). 

Eating disorders are also particularly prevalent among young people. Paying the Price, a report by the Butterfly Foundation, found 12% (184,600) of people aged 15–19 had an eating disorder in 2023. This age group had the highest prevalence and were 2.7 times more likely than the average Australian to experience an eating disorder (12% and 4.5% respectively). In 2023, the prevalence of eating disorders was more than 2 times as high among females aged 15–24 compared with males (Butterfly Foundation 2024).

For more information, see Paying the Price.

Education and employment

Mental disorders can affect young people’s education and employment. In 2025, 18% of young people studying at school or equivalent reported they had missed school due to anxiety, depression or mental issues. A higher proportion of females missed school for these reasons compared with males (25% and 9%, respectively) (McHale et al. 2025).

A report by the National Mental Health Commission found, 89% of people aged 16–24 with a mental or behavioural condition were employed and/or studying in 2022, which is significantly lower compared with those without a mental or behavioural condition (96%). This gap was larger for females aged 16–24 (9.3% difference) compared to males of the same age group (5.4% difference).

Between 2017–18 and 2022, education and employment participation among young females with a mental or behavioural condition, was stable (87% and 86%, respectively). In contrast, participation among young males with a mental or behavioural condition increased from 79% to 91% over the same period. This may partly reflect a larger proportional increase over time in the number of males reporting a mental or behavioural condition compared with females (NMHC 2025).

For more information, see National Report Card 2024 - Technical Report.

Mental health-related prescriptions

In 2024–25, 3 million (6.0%) mental health-related prescriptions were dispensed for young people aged 18–24 – a rate of 1,200 prescriptions per 1,000 population. Of the 3 million prescriptions:

• 64% (1.9 million) were dispensed to young females and 36% (1.1 million) to young males
• 67% (2 million) were for antidepressants, followed by psychostimulants, agents used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and nootropics (23%) and antipsychotics (7.4%) (AIHW 2026a).

Between 2020–21 to 2024–25, the number of prescriptions for psychostimulants, agents used for ADHD and nootropics for people aged 18–24 increased by 3.1 times (from 220,000 to 680,000 prescriptions, respectively) – the largest increase of all mental health-related prescriptions over this period. This increase was 4.2 times for females aged 18–24 (85,900 to 357,000 in 2024–25) and 2.4 times for males the same age (134,000 to 323,000 in 2024–25) (AIHW 2026a).

For more information, see Mental health-related prescriptions.

Self-harm and suicide

Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy and the impacts on family, friends and communities are profound. The circumstances relating to their deaths can be complex, and each experience is unique. Analysis of data related to sensitive topics (such as suicide) is important to understand who may be at risk, and where efforts can be targeted to prevent further loss of life.

Intentional self-harm is deliberately causing physical harm to oneself with or without the intention of dying (AIHW 2025e). In 2020–2022, based on self-reported data from the NSMHW, an estimated 20% of Australians (553,900 people) aged 16–24 had self-harmed in their lifetime, and 6.0% (162,900 people) had self-harmed in the previous 12 months. A higher proportion of females had self-harmed in the previous 12 months than males (8.7% and 3.3%, respectively) and over their lifetime (28% and 14%, respectively) (ABS 2023f).

In 2024, young people aged 15–24 accounted for 9.6% of all intentional self-harm (suicide) deaths. The age-specific rate of deaths by suicide among young people was 9.2 per 100,000. The rate was higher among young males than females (13.2 per 100,000 and 4.9 per 100,000, respectively) (ABS 2025a).

For more information, see Deaths in Australia and Suicide and intentional self-harm.

Disability

The prevalence of disability among young people has increased over time, from 6.6% in 2009 to 14% in 2022, with some variation in the intervening surveys (7.8% in 2012, 8.2% in 2015 and 9.3% in 2018) (ABS 2024a).

Based on self-reported data from the 2022 SDAC:

• 14% of people aged 15–24 had disability (around 431,000 people)
• the prevalence of disability among young people was similar for males (14%) and females (13%)
• among young people with disability, 9.8% had schooling or employment restrictions
• 1 in 20 (5.1%, or an estimated 156,900 people) aged 15–24 had severe or profound core activity limitations – almost 2.8 times the prevalence in 2009 (1.8%, or an estimated 56,200 people respectively) (ABS 2024a).

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 employment restrictions see, People with disability in Australia, Employment participation needs and challenges.

For more information, see Health of people with disability. 

Injuries

In 2023–24, there were around 71,100 hospitalised cases among people aged 15–24 due to injury or poisoning – a rate of 2,100 per 100,000 (AIHW 2025b). The leading causes of injuries among young people were: 

• other unintentional causes (where no external cause of injury is documented in the clinical record, and clarification cannot be obtained from the clinician)
• transport accidents, and 
• contact with objects (such as being struck or cut by something other than another human or animal) (Figure 2).

For more information, see Injury in Australia. 

Deaths

In 2024, there were 1,100 deaths among young people aged 15–24. The death rate among young people fell almost 20% between 2009 and 2024, from 41 to 33 deaths per 100,000 population (AIHW 2025a; ABS 2025a).

In 2024, death rates were twice as high among young males as females (44 and 21 per 100,000 population, respectively) (ABS 2025a).

Consistent with previous years, the top underlying causes of death among people aged 15–24 were intentional self-harm (suicide), followed by land transport accidents and accidental poisoning (ABS 2025a).

For more information, see Deaths in Australia.

Health risk factors

Overweight and obesity

A healthy body weight is an important factor for a young person’s current and future health, with young people living with overweight or obesity at increased risk of poor physical health in adulthood (AIHW 2021b). 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 2021).

Based on measured height and weight data collected through the 2022–24 National Health Measures Survey, it is estimated that:

• more than 1 in 4 (28%) people aged 15–17 were living with overweight (18%) or obesity (10%)
• around 4 in 10 (42%) people aged 18–24 were living with overweight (27%) or obesity (15%) (AIHW 2026d).

Difference between birth cohorts

Birth cohort analysis compares people at the same age across different time periods, which can help identify groups at higher risk of particular health outcomes. 

In Australia, people born more recently are more likely to be living with obesity than earlier generations when compared at the same age. 

Based on birth cohort analysis of ABS data, among people aged 15–24, those born most recently in 1998–2007 were more likely to be living with obesity (13%) than those born in 1971–1980 (8.4%) at that same age (AIHW 2026d).

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

Physical activity 

For young people, being active every day can have many social, emotional, intellectual and health benefits. 

Based on measured physical activity data from the ABS National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) 2023: 

• over 4 in 5 (87%) young people aged 12–17 spent an hour or less doing daily moderate physical activity, and 1 in 5 (20%) spent no time doing daily vigorous physical activity
• over 1 in 8 (13%) people aged 18–24 spent an hour or less doing daily moderate physical activity and almost 1 in 13 (7.4%) spent no time doing daily vigorous physical activity
• across both age groups, males spent more time doing moderate and vigorous physical activity than females (45 minutes compared with 33 minutes for those aged 12–17 and 2 hours 25 minutes compared with 1 hour 46 minutes for those aged 18–24) (ABS 2026).

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

Sleep

Good-quality sleep is essential for healthy growth and development among young people. In 2023, based on sleep data measured using wearable accelerometers in the NNPAS:

• 1 in 2 (51%) people aged 12–17 had less than 8 hours of sleep per night – an average of 7 hours and 56 minutes per night
• nearly 3 in 5 (59%) people aged 18–24 had less than 8 hours of sleep per night – an average of 7 hours 31 minutes.

Young people aged 12–17 with screen-based devices in their bedrooms slept 29 minutes less than those without (7 hours 51 minutes compared with 8 hours 20 minutes, respectively) (ABS 2026).

Diet

A healthy diet can help in promoting overall health and wellbeing, reduce the risk of diet-related diseases and help protect against many chronic conditions. In 2022, based on self-reported daily consumption data from the ABS NHS 2022: 

• 54% of young people aged 14−17 did not meet the recommended daily fruit consumption and 96% did not meet the recommended daily vegetable consumption (ABS 2023d)
• 63% of young people aged 18−24 did not meet the recommended daily fruit consumption and 97% did not meet the recommended daily vegetable consumption (ABS 2023e). 

The NNPAS found that adolescents aged 12–17 and young people aged 18–29 were most likely to consume sugar-sweetened beverages (34% and 31%, respectively), with consumption rates decreasing across older age groups (ABS 2025d).

For more data see Diet.

Device and social media usage

For young people in Australia, the ease of access to technology and digital devices means screen time and use of social media is a central part of everyday life. From 10 December 2025, the Australian Government introduced a new social media age-restriction law, where many social media platforms are not allowed to let Australians under 16 have accounts. This is to protect youth under 16 from design features that encourage them to spend too much time on screens and show them content that can be harmful to their health and wellbeing (eSafety Commissioner 2026).

While data is limited on these topics, the ABS How Australians Use Their Time 2024 survey found that 28% of people aged 15–24 spent their free time on checking emails, social media, and browsing (an average of 1 hour 40 minutes per day). From this age group, females were more likely than males to spend free time on checking emails, social media, and browsing (36% compared with 21%), while males were much more likely to play video or mobile games (33% compared with 12% of females) (ABS 2025c).

In addition, Mission Australia’s Social Media and Young people in Australia 2024, reported that of the estimated 17,500 young people aged 15–19 surveyed:

• almost all participants (97%) used social media daily
• around 2 in 3 (67%) spent two or more hours per day on social media, with 2 in 5 (38%) spending three or more hours daily
• high social media use (3+ hours) was more common among females than males (42% and 35%, respectively), culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) youth compared with non‑CALD youth (41% and 38% respectively), and First Nations young people compared with non‑Indigenous young people (50% and 38%, respectively) (La Sala et al. 2025).

The Growing Up in Australia study (2023–24) reported that 31% of people aged 19–24 often used social media to share interests or hobbies, and 39% said it often helped them connect with peers with similar experiences. However, nearly 2 in 5 (38%) reported negative online experiences in the past 12 months, with higher rates among young women than young men (44% and 31%, respectively) (AIFS 2025). 

Experiences of violence, abuse and neglect

Young people are particularly at risk of experiencing family, domestic and sexual violence (FDSV) and its effects (AIHW 2026b). For young people who have experienced FDSV, it can have physical, sexual and psychological effects, with serious and long-term impacts on individuals, families and communities and effects on their health, wellbeing, education, and social and emotional development (Boxall et al. 2021; Campo 2015; DSS 2022; Toivonen and Backhouse 2018).

Child abuse and neglect

In 2024, the Australian Burden of Disease Study found child abuse and neglect (also referred to as child maltreatment) as a risk factor contributed to 2.4% of total disease burden in Australia. Among people aged 15–24, child abuse and neglect was the leading risk factor contributing to total disease burden among females and the third leading risk factor for males (AIHW 2024b).

Experiences of child maltreatment can have early and long-term impacts on people’s mental health and health risk behaviours throughout their lifetime. The 2021 Australian Child Maltreatment Study found that, compared to those who had not experienced maltreatment, people who had experienced child maltreatment were more likely to report:

• a mental disorder (48% compared with 22%)
• current cannabis dependence (6.2 times more likely), suicide attempt (4.6 times more likely) and self-harm (3.9 times more likely) in the 12 months prior to the interview. This was higher among young people aged 16–24, compared to other age groups (AIHW 2026b).

For more information about impacts of child maltreatment, see Family, domestic and sexual violence – Children and young people.

For information about child maltreatment as a risk factor, including linked diseases, see Australian Burden of Disease Study – Attributable burden across the life course.

Intimate partner violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a subset of the broader definition of FDSV and refers to physical and sexual violence within a current or previous intimate relationship.

In 2024, IPV was the fifth leading risk factor for total burden of disease for females aged 15–24 and contributed to 1.7% of total burden for females in Australia (AIHW 2024b). Burden of disease data for IPV is not available for men.

The PSS 2021–22 provides the latest available estimates of IPV among women. For women aged 18–24: 

• 6.7% reported they had experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a partner in the 2 years before the survey
• 31% reported they had experienced emotional abuse from a partner in the 2 years prior (AIHW 2024g).

Estimates are not available for men aged 18–24 from the PSS 2021–22 due to insufficient statistical reliability for reporting. However, for estimates of intimate partner violence among males aged 18 and over, see Intimate partner violence.

In 2023–24, for hospitalisations involving treatment for family and domestic violence (FDV) assault among people aged 15–24:

• the most common FDV perpetrator among females was a domestic partner (71%) and for males it was a ‘other’ family member (61%)
• injuries to the head were the most common principal diagnosis in hospitalisations for FDV related injuries (31%) (AIHW 2026b).

For more information about FDSV among children and young people, see Family, domestic and sexual violence - Children and young people.

Substance use

In Australia, young people are identified as one of the priority groups in the National Drug Strategy 2017–2026, as they are more vulnerable to behaviours associated with alcohol, tobacco and other drug-related issues which can lead to adverse health and social outcomes (Department of Health 2017). 

Tobacco smoking and e-cigarette use

Self-reported data from the 2022–2023 NDSHS showed that fewer young people than ever before reported smoking tobacco daily. In 2022–2023, 4.5% of people aged 15–24 smoked daily, which is significantly lower than in 2019 (21%). Consistent with previous years, the proportion of males aged 15–24 who smoked daily was 1.5 times as high as that of females (5.4% and 3.7%, respectively) (AIHW 2024c).

In contrast to tobacco, there was a sharp increase in the use of vapes and electroni cigarettes (‘e‑cigarettes’) among young people aged 15–24 between 2019 and 2022–2023 (from 4.5% to 18%). In 2022–2023 a slightly higher proportion of females than males reported they currently used e-cigarettes (19% and 17%, respectively) (AIHW 2024d).

The NHS 2022 reported on tobacco smoking and e-cigarette use among young people aged 15–24. Estimates based on self-reported data show that in 2022:

• among people aged 15–17, 1.6% smoked tobacco daily and 6.8% currently used e-cigarettes
• nearly 1 in 12 (7.3%) people aged 18–24 smoked tobacco daily and nearly 1 in 10 (9.3%) currently used e-cigarettes (ABS 2023c). 

Alcohol consumption

In 2022–2023, two-thirds (66%) of people aged 14–17 had never had a full serve of alcohol, compared with 16% of those aged 18–24. Between 2019 and 2022–2023, the proportion of 14–17-year-olds consuming 4 or more drinks at least monthly has decreased from 8.9% to 5.5% (AIHW 2024e). 

Use of illicit drugs

Between 2019 and 2022–2023, the proportion of young males who had recently used illicit drugs remained stable at 10% among those aged 14–17 and 35% among those aged 18–24. However, there were increases in the recent use of illicit drugs among females over this period, from 9.2% to 17% among those aged 14–17 and from 27% to 35% among those aged 18–24 (AIHW 2024f).

Contributing to the increased use of illicit drugs among females aged 18–24 was higher recent use of cannabis (from 20% in 2019 to 26% in 2022–2023) and cocaine (from 8.0% in 2019 to 12% in 2022–2023) (AIHW 2024i).

For more information on substance use among young people, see Young people’s use of alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarettes and other drugs and Children and young people’s experiences of alcohol and other drugs.

Sexual and reproductive health

Adolescence and youth are key periods of sexual and reproductive development. In 2021, among young people (aged 14–18) surveyed in the seventh National Survey of Australian Secondary Students and Sexual Health:

• more than half (61%) reported they had had sexual experience or were currently sexually active (defined as having experienced oral, vaginal or anal sex)
• most reported that during their most recent sexual experience, they had discussed having sex (80%), sexual pleasure (65%) and using a condom (55%) 
• three-quarters (75%) reported they had a condom available, but only 49% reported using a condom during their most recent sexual encounter
• almost three-quarters (72%) agreed that young people should be tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, young people perceived some barriers with getting tested, with only 39% knowing where they could go to get tested, 26% agreeing that it was easy to get tested, and 33% agreeing that talking to partners about STI testing was difficult
• a large proportion (77%) sought information about sex or sexual health from friends, followed by seeking information from websites (57%) and their mothers (50%), but the most trusted sources of information were general practitioners (GP) (78%) 
• almost all (96%) reported that relationship and sexuality education (RSE) is an important part of the school curriculum. Most (93%) reported receiving RSE at school however, only a quarter (25%) reported their most recent RSE class was very or extremely relevant to them (Power et al. 2022). 

As the 2021 survey was extensively updated from previous years, comparisons to previous data were not included above. For findings from previous years, see the National Survey of Australian Secondary Students and Sexual Health.

Health care

Medicare-subsidised mental health-specific services

In 2024–25, people aged 12–24 made up 21% (576,000) of all people receiving Medicare-subsidised mental health-specific services, with people aged 18–24 more likely to receive services (13% of all patients) (AIHW 2026c). Females aged 18–24 had the highest rate of service use (192 patients per 1,000 population), around double that of males the same age (97 patients per 1,000 population).

Consistent with previous years, the most common provider of Medicare-subsidised mental health-specific services in 2024–25 was general practitioners (GPs), followed by other psychologists and clinical psychologists (AIHW 2026c). 

For more information, see Medicare mental health services.

Immunisations

The National Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Program has been providing immunisation to adolescent girls since 2007 and was extended to boys in 2013. Immunisation against HPV can prevent cervical and other cancers, and other HPV-related diseases. Since 2023, the routine 2-dose HPV vaccine schedule provided to young people aged 12–13 became a single dose schedule due to changes to the National Immunisation Program (NIP) Schedule. 

The proportion of 15-year-olds who received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine declined over the past 3 years. Coverage among girls fell from 84% in 2023 to 81% in 2024 and 79% in 2025, while coverage among boys declined from 82% to 78% and then to 76% over the same period (NCIRS 2026).

Adolescent HPV vaccination is administered by state and territory health services through school-based vaccination programs, which also include vaccinations for diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (dTpa) and meningococcal disease (types ACWY) (AIHW 2024h).

In 2024, 83% of females and 81% of males turning 15 years of age had received an adolescent dose of dTpa, and 73% of females and 69% of males turning 17 years of age had received a dose of meningococcal ACWY vaccine (NCIRS 2025). Coverage of these two vaccines declined slightly over recent years. In 2021, 87% of 15-year-olds received their adolescent dose of dTpa vaccine, and 80% of 17-year-old females and 76% of males had received one dose of meningococcal ACWY vaccine (NCIRS 2022; NCIRS 2026).

For more information, see Immunisation and vaccination.

Health service use

The ABS Patient Experiences Survey collects information about access and barriers to a range of health care services (ABS 2025e).

In 2024–25, among people aged 15–24, use of health services in the previous 12 months was generally higher among females than males:

• 65% of males and 79% of females saw a general practitioner
• 43% of males and 60% females received a prescription for medication 
• 12% of males and 22% of females had a telehealth consultation 
• 8.6% of males and 15% of females saw 3 or more health professionals for the same condition.

The proportion of males who visited a hospital emergency department was slightly higher than the proportion of females (16% and 14%, respectively) (Figure 3).

Priority populations

Some young people in Australia experience inequitable health outcomes and a higher burden of disease due to social, economic and structural factors that influence access to resources, opportunities and health care. 

Priority populations include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) young people, those from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, those living with disability or mental illness, young people living in rural, remote and regional areas, and those experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage. Young people may experience, or be affected by, more than one of these circumstances. This can compound health risks and contribute to inequitable access to health services and poorer health outcomes across the life course.

Due to current data availability, reporting for priority populations among young people is limited. However, improved data for these populations are needed to identify health inequities, monitor trends over time, and inform policy and service responses.

For more information, see Population groups.

For information about First Nations young people, see Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescent and youth health and wellbeing 2018 and Health and wellbeing of First Nations people.

Key data gaps and data improvement activities

There are data gaps that limit our understanding of the health and wellbeing of Australia’s young people. While national data are available, information is often missing, outdated or self-reported for key areas such as mental health, disability, and social determinants of health.

Routinely collected national data are limited for priority population groups including:

• young people of refugee and asylum seeker families
• those living in rural and remote areas
• young people with disability
• young people from CALD backgrounds
• incarcerated young people
• young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, or young people who have intersex variations (AIHW 2021a).

In addition, gaps remain in linked and longitudinal data needed to monitor young people’s pathway through their developmental stages, their interactions with services and systems (such as education, mental health and justice), and their health outcomes – particularly for emerging issues such as the impact of device and social media usage, vaping and the climate of anxiety.

The National Action Plan for the Health of Children and Young People 2020–2030 focuses on addressing these gaps and outlines priority areas and accompanying actions to help drive change and improve outcomes of Australia’s young people (Department of Health 2019). Nationally, ongoing work by the AIHW and other government agencies, through the creation of linked datasets such as the National Health Data Hub, the National Disability Data Asset, and Data Over Multiple Individual Occurrences will help strengthen cross-sectoral and pathways analysis of young people, effectively evaluate service/s use, and better understand young people’s experiences and outcomes over time.

Where do I go for more information?

For more information on the health of young people, see:

• National Youth Information Framework (NYIF) indicators
• Australia's youth
• Youth justice
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescent and youth health and wellbeing 2018
• Glossary

For more on this topic, visit Children & youth.