Neurological conditions in Australia:
Cerebral palsy in Australia
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Last updated:
Topic: Neurological conditions
Citation
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2025) Cerebral palsy in Australia, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 14 June 2026.
This article is part of Neurological conditions in Australia
- Cerebral palsy in Australia This page
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- Myasthenia gravis in Australia
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Cerebral palsy is a group of illnesses that affect a person’s movement and posture which can impact participation in daily life. The condition is caused by irregularity or early injury to the developing brain of a fetus or infant up to 2 years after birth (Cerebral Palsy Alliance 2023, Healthdirect 2023). Cerebral palsy is a lifelong complex condition with each person experiencing a unique presentation. Cerebral palsy is not a degenerative condition but can change with age.
People living with cerebral palsy can experience problems with:
- movement
- muscle control or coordination
- muscle tone
- reflexes
- vision and hearing
- speech
- learning (Healthdirect 2023).
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An estimated $55.4 million was spent on public hospital admissions and outpatient services for cerebral palsy in 2022–23.
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The median age of hospitalisations due to cerebral palsy was 9 years.
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Around half (51%) of emergency department presentations due to cerebral palsy were subsequently admitted to hospital.
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70% of total disease burden attributed to cerebral palsy in 2024 was fatal (YLL).
This report presents both crude and age-standardised rates, where available.
Crude rates are based on unadjusted data and indicate whether there is a difference between populations without accounting for differences in the age structures of the populations.
Age-standardised rates are based on data that are adjusted to account for differences in the age structures of the populations.
Therefore, a difference between 2 populations in crude rates indicates that the rate differs between them. The differences may be due to any number of factors, including different age structures of the populations. In contrast, a difference between 2 populations in age-standardised rates indicates that the rate differs between them but that this difference is not due to different age-structures.
For example, a difference in the prevalence rate between males and females indicates that prevalence differs between them, and this difference in prevalence could be due to any number of risk factors, including age. A difference in the age-standardised prevalence rate between males and females indicates that prevalence differs between them and, furthermore, that this difference in prevalence is not due to age.
For more details about rate calculations see the Technical notes in the Neurological conditions in Australia report.
For interactive visualisations on hospitalisations, emergency department presentations, burden of disease and mortality for cerebral palsy, see Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 5 and Figure 6, respectively, in the Neurological conditions in Australia report. Change the toggles in the visualisations from “all neurological conditions” to “cerebral palsy”.
For downloadable data tables, see Data section of this article.
How common is cerebral palsy in Australia?
The Australian Cerebral Palsy Register (ACPR) recently estimated that the birth prevalence of cerebral palsy in Australia is 1.5 per 1,000 live births in 2015–16 (Smithers-Sheedy et al. 2024, see also ACPR 2025). This comprises those who sustained a brain injury in the pre/perinatal period (1.4 per 1000 live births) and also those whose brain injury occurred after the neonatal period and prior to 2 years (0.08 per 1000 live births) (Smithers-Sheedy et al. 2024).
Socioeconomic and remoteness areas
Smithers-Sheedy et al. (2024) did not report prevalence of cerebral palsy for different socioeconomic areas.
They reported the total number of children across different remoteness areas who were diagnosed with cerebral palsy with birth years in 1995–2016, but the prevalence per 1,000 live births was not reported. Major cities accounted for over 70% of children who were diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Inner and Outer regional areas accounted for over 26% and Remote and Very remote areas accounted for 3.4% – for 15% of children with cerebral palsy remoteness area was unknown. (These statistics are based on data from all states and territories, including those for which not all cases of cerebral palsy were registered.)
Trends over time
Since 1995–96, the prevalence of cerebral palsy has declined, going from 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 1995–96 to 1.5 per 1,000 live births in 2015–16 (Smithers-Sheedy et al. 2024, see also ACPR 2025).
Although the study by Smithers-Sheedy et al. (2024) currently provides the best estimate of cerebral palsy prevalence among all Australians, it should be used with caution due to the age of the reference years. It should be noted that the estimates are for birth prevalence and not the number of Australians currently living with cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy register staff work with health professionals and families to confirm that a cerebral palsy description continues to best describe each child when they reach 5 years of age.
The most recent ACPR data available in 2025 is for the 2017–2018 birth years, and comprises data from New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. These data are reported in the ACPR (2025) Bulletin which estimates birth prevalence to be 1.3 per 1,000 live births in 2017–18, though it should be noted that these most recent data are provisional.
Using data from 27 countries across five continents, McIntyre et al. (2022) estimated the current overall cerebral palsy birth prevalence in high income countries as 1.6 per 1000 live births with considerably higher birth prevalence identified in low- and middle-income countries.
Hospitalisations
Based on the National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD), in 2023–24:
- there were 2,500 hospitalisations with cerebral palsy recorded as the principal diagnosis (9.4 hospitalisations per 100,000 population, or 11 hospitalisations per 100,000 population, age-standardised), representing 0.7% of all neurological condition hospitalisations
- males accounted for 56% of hospitalisations due to cerebral palsy (principal diagnosis), with 11 hospitalisations per 100,000 males, compared with 8.2 hospitalisations per 100,000 females – age standardisation did not change the sex difference (12 and 10 hospitalisations per 100,000 population for males and females, respectively)
- the average length of hospital stay due to cerebral palsy was 2.1 days
- the median age of people hospitalised due to cerebral palsy was 9 years.
Socioeconomic and remoteness areas
In 2023–24, hospitalisations rates for cerebral palsy (principal diagnosis):
- were 1.3 times as high in the lowest socioeconomic areas (10 per 100,000 population, or 11 per 100,000 age-standardised) compared with the highest socioeconomic areas (8.1 per 100,000 population, or 9 per 100,000 age-standardised)
- were higher for Inner regional areas (10 per 100,000 population, or 12 per 100,000 age-standardised), compared with Major cities (9.3 per 100,000 population, or 10 per 100,000 age-standardised), Outer regional areas (8.1 per 100,000 population, or 9.4 per 100,000 age-standardised) and Remote and very remote areas (7.8 per 100,000 population, or 8.0 per 100,000 age-standardised), while rates for and.
Data tables on socioeconomic and remoteness figures are available for download under the Data section of this article.
Trends over time
Between 2015–16 and 2023–24, the crude rate of cerebral palsy hospitalisations (principal diagnosis) decreased from 15 to 9.4 per 100,000 population. After adjusting for different population age structures over time, the decrease was from 16 to 11 hospitalisations per 100,000 population.
Information on procedures in the National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD) is reported using the Australian Classification of Health Interventions (ACHI) which classifies surgical operations, procedures and other types of interventions performed for the purpose of investigating and/or remedying health state.
In 2023–24, there were 10,700 procedures for hospitalisations with a principal diagnosis of cerebral palsy, equating to around 4.2 procedures per hospitalisation. Almost half (43%) were administration of agent into other musculoskeletal sites, 18% were generalised allied health interventions and 14% were cerebral anaesthesia.
For more information on surgeries and intervention types, see Surgery and other interventions.
In July 2015, a list of 29 supplementary codes for chronic conditions (U78–U88) were incorporated in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM) 9th edition.
These codes represent a distinct list of clinically significant chronic conditions which are part of the patient’s current health status on admission but do not meet the criteria for inclusion as a principal and/or additional diagnosis in that episode of care.
In 2023–24:
- there were 13,300 hospitalisations where a cerebral palsy chronic condition code (U80.4) was recorded (50 hospitalisations per 100,000 population, crude and age-standardised rates were the same)
- the rate of cerebral palsy chronic condition codes was higher among males compared with females (52 and 47 hospitalisations per 100,000 population, respectively, or 52 and 49 hospitalisations per 100,000 population, age-standardised).
For further information, see Supplementary codes for chronic conditions.
Emergency department presentations
Based on the National Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database (NAPEDC), in 2023–24:
- there were around 100 emergency department (ED) presentations due to cerebral palsy (principal diagnosis) (equivalent to 0.4 presentations per 100,000 population, crude and age-standardised rates were the same)
- the proportion of ED presentation due to cerebral palsy was slighter higher for males than females (53% and 47%, respectively)
- around half (51%) of ED presentations due to cerebral palsy were subsequently admitted to hospital.
Socioeconomic and remoteness areas
There were too few ED presentations due to cerebral palsy (principal diagnosis) for meaningful comparisons between different socioeconomic and remoteness areas.
Data tables on socioeconomic and remoteness figures are available for download under the Data section of this article.
Trends over time
Between 2018–19 and 2023–24, the crude rate of ED presentations due to cerebral palsy fluctuated slightly from year to year, ranging between 0.3 and 0.5 per 100,000 population. After adjusting for different population age structures over time, fluctuations remained similar, ranging between 0.3 and 0.6 per 100,000 population.
Health-system costs
Estimates of health-system costs related to cerebral palsy are included under the infant and congenital disease category in the Health system spending on disease and injury in Australia 2023–24 report.
Although cerebral palsy is a neurological condition, most of its associated health-care expenditure occurs in younger age groups. For this reason, it is not classified as a neurological condition in the health-system costs report.
Note on comparing previous health expenditure reports
The scope of expenditure and methods used in the most recent 2023–24 disease expenditure study (AIHW 2025) are similar to those used in the 2022–23 report however there are changes that have been made that make comparison of data between the 2023–24 report and the 2022–23 report to be done with caution. For more information see the methodology of the Health system spending on disease and injury in Australia 2023–24 report (AIHW 2025).
In 2023–24:
- an estimated $62.4 million of health-system expenditure was attributed to cerebral palsy, which was more than the health-system expenditure attributed to motor neurone disease ($58.7 million)
- 89% of cerebral palsy expenditure was attributed to public hospital admissions and public hospital outpatient services ($55.4 million)
- more than three quarters (76%) of total disease expenditure attributed to cerebral palsy was for Australians aged 0–24 years
- health-system expenditure attributed to cerebral palsy was 1.3 times as high in males compared with females ($35.1 million and $27.3 million, respectively).
For more information, see the Health system spending on disease and injury in Australia 2023–24 report (AIHW 2025).
Socioeconomic and remoteness areas
The Health system spending on disease and injury in Australia 2023–24 report (AIHW 2025) did not include statistics disaggregated by socioeconomic areas.
The rate of health-system costs for cerebral palsy was lowest for people living in Very remote areas ($192,000 per 100,000 population) and highest for people living in Remote areas ($266,000 per 100,000 population). The rate was higher for people living in Outer regional areas ($245,000 per 100,000 population), compared with people living in Inner regional areas ($243,000 per 100,000 population) and Major cities ($208,000 per 100,000 population).
Trends over time
After adjusting for inflation (reported in constant prices), the total expenditure attributed to cerebral palsy was 1.3 times as high among Australians in 2023–24 compared with 2013–14 ($62.4 million and $47.1 million, respectively) (AIHW 2025).
Burden of disease
Estimates of burden of disease related to cerebral palsy are included under the infant and congenital disease category in the Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024 report.
Although cerebral palsy is a neurological condition, most of its associated burden occurs in younger age groups. For this reason, it is not classified as a neurological condition in the burden of disease report.
Burden of disease is measured using the metric of disability-adjusted life years (DALY, also referred to as total burden). One DALY is one year of healthy life lost due to disease or injury.
DALY caused by living with disease or injury are referred to as non-fatal burden and measured in years lived with disability (YLD). DALY caused by premature death are referred to as fatal burden and measured in years of life lost (YLL).
In 2024:
- cerebral palsy was responsible for 7,900 DALY, equivalent to 0.3 DALY per 1,000 people (crude and age-standardised)
- males accounted for 58% of the total disease burden attributed to cerebral palsy
- rates of total disease burden were highest among males aged 15–19 years (0.7 DALY per 1,000 population) and girls aged 5–9 years (0.5 DALY per 1,000 population)
- 70% of the total burden attributed to cerebral palsy was fatal (YLL), with the remaining 30% non-fatal (YLD).
For more information, see Australian Burden of Disease Study (ABDS) 2024 (AIHW 2024).
Socioeconomic and remoteness areas
The most recent burden of disease statistics disaggregated by socioeconomic and remoteness areas, at the time of writing this report, are from the ABDS 2018 (AIHW 2021).
In 2018 the age-standardised rate of total disease burden attributed to cerebral palsy was:
- highest for people living in the lowest socioeconomic areas (0.4 DALY per 1,000 population), and lowest for people living in the highest socioeconomic areas (0.2 DALY per 1,000 population), with people in the other socioeconomic area quintiles falling in between (0.3 DALY per 1,000 population)
- lower for people living in Major cities and Outer regional areas (both 0.3 DALY per 1,000 population), compared with people living in Inner regional areas and Remote and very remote areas (both 0.4 DALY per 1,000 population).
Trends over time
Between 2003 and 2024, the crude and age-standardised rate of total disease burden due to cerebral palsy remained stable at approximately 0.3 DALY per 1,000 population (AIHW 2024).
NDIS and aged care
As of 31 March 2025, there were 22,600 registered NDIS plans where cerebral palsy was reported as the individual’s primary or secondary condition (NDIS 2025). Of which, approximately 8 in 10 (80%) had cerebral palsy listed as their primary condition.
These numbers represent people who are eligible for NDIS funding based on evidence required by the National Disability Insurance Agency, they should not be used as an indication of prevalence.
Based on Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) assessments, between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022:
- there were 640 people in permanent residential care with cerebral palsy listed as a condition affecting care, with a median age of 74 years
- 52% of these were women and 48% were men, with median ages of 78 and 73 years, respectively.
In October 2022, the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) was replaced with the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) funding model, which does not capture health condition information. Therefore, the most recent data for this section are from 2021–22, with no further updates. For more information, see the National Aged Care Data Clearinghouse tab in the Data sources section of the Neurological conditions in Australia report.
Mortality
Based on the National Mortality Database (NMD), in 2023:
- cerebral palsy was recorded as the underlying cause of 135 deaths (0.5 deaths per 100,000 population, crude and age-standardised rates were the same) and an associated cause of 97 deaths (0.4 deaths per 100,000 population, or 0.3 deaths per 100,000 population, age-standardised)
- cerebral palsy accounted for 1% of deaths for which neurological conditions were recorded as the underlying cause and 0.1% of all deaths
- the proportion of deaths due to cerebral palsy (underlying cause) were evenly distributed among males and females (50%, respectively) – the mortality rate was also similar for males and females (both 0.5 deaths per 100,000 population, crude and age-standardised rates were the same)
- the median age of death due to cerebral palsy was 51 years (52 years for males and 49 years for females) – it is important to note that many people living with cerebral palsy will have normal life expectancy. Mortality rates for people living with cerebral palsy depend on the severity of the condition. Half of the deaths of people with cerebral palsy listed as the underlying cause of death lived beyond 51 years.
Socioeconomic and remoteness areas
In 2023, the age-standardised mortality rate with cerebral palsy recorded as the underlying cause:
- was higher for people living in the lowest socioeconomic areas (0.6 deaths per 100,000 population), compared with people living in the highest socioeconomic areas (0.4 deaths per 100,000 population)
- the numbers of deaths in different remoteness areas were too low for meaningful comparisons.
Data tables on socioeconomic and remoteness figures are available for download under the Data section of this article.
Trends over time
Between 2013 to 2023, the crude mortality rate for cerebral palsy (underlying cause) fluctuated slightly from year to year, ranging between 0.4 and 0.6 per 100,000 population. After adjusting for different population age structures over time, mortality rates fluctuated between 0.4 and 0.5 per 100,000 population.
First Nations people
How common is cerebral palsy among First Nations people?
Using data from the Australian Cerebral Palsy Register, Martin et al. (2022) estimated that the pre/perinatal cerebral palsy birth prevalence for children born to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) mothers was 1.9 per 1,000 live births in 2013–14 (for South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia combined).
It should be noted that the estimates are based on data for South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia and for birth prevalence for birth years 2013–14. The estimates are not for the number of First Nations people currently living with cerebral palsy.
Hospitalisations
For First Nations people, based on the National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD), in 2023–24:
- there were 225 hospitalisations due to cerebral palsy, equivalent to a rate of 22 per 100,000 population
- a higher proportion of hospitalisations for cerebral palsy were for males (67%), who had 29 hospitalisations per 100,000 population, compared with females who had 14 hospitalisations per 100,000 population
- the average length of stay for cerebral palsy hospitalisations was 1.8 days
- the median age of people hospitalised due to cerebral palsy was 6.5 years.
Emergency department presentations
For First Nations people, based on the National Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database (NAPEDC), in 2023–24, there were 14 ED presentations due to cerebral palsy, equivalent to a rate of 1.4 per 100,000 population.
Health-system costs
The Health system spending on disease and injury in Australia 2023–24 report (AIHW 2025) did not include statistics for First Nations people. AIHW is working to expand the scope of the Health system spending on disease and injury in Australia report in future updates to include spending on First Nations people.
Burden of disease
Burden of disease is measured using the metric of disability-adjusted life years (DALY, also referred to as total burden). One DALY is one year of healthy life lost due to disease or injury.
DALY caused by living in with disease or injury are referred to as non-fatal burden and measured in years lived with disability (YLD). DALY caused by premature death are referred to as fatal burden and measured in years of life lost (YLL).
The most recent burden of disease statistics for First Nations people, at the time of publication of this article, are from the ABDS 2018 (AIHW 2022).
In 2018:
- there were 590 DALY among First Nations people, equivalent to a rate of 0.7 per 1,000 population (age-standardised)
- rates of total disease burden (DALY) were highest among females aged 30–34 years and males aged 5–9 years (2.2 and 1.4 per 1,000 population, age-standardised, respectively)
- 79% of the cerebral palsy total disease burden among First Nations people was fatal burden (years of life lost, YLL) and the remaining 21% was non-fatal (years lived with disability, YLD).
Mortality
Based on the National Mortality Database (NMD), in 2023 cerebral palsy was recorded as the underlying cause of 7 deaths (0.7 deaths per 100,000 population).
More information and representative organisations
Healthdirect Australia is a nationwide, government supported online service that provides health information, advice and referrals to the community. The healthdirect webpage on cerebral palsy contains information on cerebral palsy includes types of cerebral palsy, symptoms, causes, diagnosis and resources for further support.
Cerebral Palsy Alliance has provided expertise in cerebral palsy research and acted as a base for advocacy, intervention and innovations in assistive technology for 80 years. Their website provides a wealth of information on topics such as the latest research, early childhood interventions and supported employment.
Cerebral Palsy Australia is a national voice for cerebral palsy awareness, contributing to research and improved life outcomes for people affected by the condition. The organisation collects stories of lived experiences and provides a directory of credible information.
Data sources
For details about the data sources used in this article, including the condition codes used to extract information about cerebral palsy from each source (for example, mortality, hospitalisations et cetera), see the Data sources in the Neurological conditions in Australia report.
Notes
The Neurological conditions in Australia 2025 project was undertaken by members of the Chronic Conditions Unit of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
The AIHW acknowledges the ongoing contributions and consultation provided by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and the Neurological Conditions Expert Advisory Group. A special thanks is extended to Dr Hayley Smithers-Sheedy for their expert advice on cerebral palsy. For further information on contributions to the project, see Notes in the Neurological conditions in Australia report.
ACPR (Australian Cerebral Palsy Register) Bulletin Birth years 1995-2018, March 2025.
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2021) Australian Burden of Disease Study 2018: Interactive data on disease burden, AIHW website, accessed 11 September 2025.
AIHW (2022) Australian Burden of Disease Study 2018: Interactive data on disease burden among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, AIHW website, accessed 5 May 2025.
AIHW (2024) Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024, AIHW website, accessed 5 May 2025.
AIHW (2025) Health system spending on disease and injury in Australia 2023–24, AIHW website, accessed 29 October 2025.
Cerebral Palsy Alliance (2023) What causes cerebral palsy? Cerebral Palsy Alliance website, accessed 3 March 2025.
Healthdirect (2023) Cerebral palsy, Healthdirect Australia website, accessed 22 May 2025.
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) (2025) Participants by diagnosis: Participants count by diagnosis data [data set], Participant datasets, NDIS website, accessed 22 May 2025.
Martin T, McIntyre S, Waight E, Baynam G, Watson L, Langdon K, Woolfenden S, Smithers-Sheedy H, Sherwood J, ACPR Birds-Eye View Group (2023), Prevalence and trends for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living with cerebral palsy: A birds-eye view, Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 65(11):1475-1485. doi: 10.1111/dmcn.15617.
McIntyre S, Goldsmith S, Webb A, Ehlinger V, Hollung SJ, McConnell K, Arnaud C, Smithers-Sheedy H, Oskoui M, Khandaker G, Himmelmann K; Global CP Prevalence Group (2022) Global prevalence of cerebral palsy: A systematic analysis, Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 64(12):1494-1506. doi:10.1111/dmcn.15346.
Smithers-Sheedy H, Waight E, Goldsmith S, Reis S, Gibson C, Scott H, Watson L, Auld M, Kay F, Wiltshire C, Hinwood G, Webb A, Martin T, Badawi N and McIntyre S (2024) ‘Cerebral palsy in Australia: birth prevalence, 1995–2016, and differences by residential remoteness: a population-based register study’, The Medical Journal of Australia, 221(10):533–539, doi:10.5694/mja2.52487.