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Chronic pain in Australia
Publication
Release Date:
Topic: Chronic disease
Citation
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2020) Chronic pain in Australia, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 4 June 2026.
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Chronic pain is a common and complex condition characterised by persistent pain experienced on most days of the week. It affects 1 in 5 Australians aged 45 and over. New analysis in this report shows that compared with people without pain, people with chronic pain are more likely to:
- be female and older
- have long-term conditions
- stay longer in hospital
- report limitations to daily activities.
COVID-19
This release precedes COVID-19 data.
- ISBN: 978-1-76054-669-4
- Cat. no: PHE 267
- Pages: 16
Findings from this report:
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Almost 1 in 5 (1.6 million) Australians aged 45 and over had chronic pain in 2016
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Females and older people are more likely to have chronic pain
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People over 45 with chronic pain are 5 times as likely as those without to be ‘limited a lot’ in daily activities
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People over 45 with chronic pain were 2.7 times as likely to be dispensed pain medication as those without in 2016