Chronic conditions are an important global, national and individual health concern. They cause substantial ill health, disability, premature death, and disease burden. Many people with chronic conditions do not have a single condition, but rather they have multimorbidity – the presence of 2 or more chronic conditions at the same time. Using 10 major chronic conditions, this report, and the associated fact sheet, explore the characteristics and experiences of people with multimorbidity.
- Cat. no: PHE 286
Findings from this report:
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1 in 5 (20%) of Australians had multimorbidity—2 or more of 10 chronic conditions—in 2017–18, based on self-report
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Multimorbidity increases with age—it affects 12% of those aged 15–44 and half (51%) of those aged 65 and over
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Multimorbidity is more common among females (23%) than males (18%)
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Almost half (45%) of adults with multimorbidity live in the lowest 2 socioeconomic areas