Main findings

  • Nearly 1 in 4 Australians (more than 6 million people) had allergic rhinitis in 2022.

  • Children were less likely to have allergic rhinitis than adults (13% aged 0−14 and 27% aged 15 and over).

  • Between 2018−19 and 2022−23, the proportion of First Nations people with allergic rhinitis increased from 14% to 19%.

What is allergic rhinitis?

Allergic rhinitis (also known as hay fever) is an allergic reaction that happens when the immune system responds to an allergen. Common seasonal allergens such as pollen and grass can trigger allergic rhinitis. It can also be triggered by year-round allergens including dust mites and animal fur (Health Direct 2024).

How common is allergic rhinitis?

In 2022, around 6.1 million people (24%) in Australia were estimated to have allergic rhinitis according to self-reported data in the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2022 National Health Survey (NHS) (ABS 2023).

In 2022:

  • children aged 0–14 were less likely to have allergic rhinitis (13%) compared with all other age groups
  • females of all ages were slightly more likely to have allergic rhinitis compared to males (23% for males and 25% for females).

Trends over time

Prevalence has increased to 24% in 2022, up from 19% in 2017–18 and 16% in 2001 (Figure 1). Environmental factors due to climate change, for example longer pollen seasons, could be contributing to the increase in prevalence (NACE 2024).

Figure 1: Prevalence of allergic rhinitis, 2001 to 2022

This line chart shows that the prevalence of allergic rhinitis has increased over the last 21 years, from 16% in 2001 to 24% in 2022. 

Note: Allergic rhinitis refers to self-reported current and long-term allergic rhinitis. 

Source: TABLE 1 Summary health characteristics, 2001 to 2022. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2022), National Health Survey.

Treatment of allergic rhinitis

There are a range of treatments available for allergic rhinitis, many of which do not require a prescription from a doctor. The main medicines used are intranasal corticosteroids (nasal sprays) and oral antihistamines (Health Direct 2024). For persistent allergic rhinitis and for moderate/severe intermittent allergic rhinitis, guidelines recommend the use of nasal sprays as the first-line therapy. For mild intermittent allergic rhinitis, the use of antihistamines is recommended.

There is no recent data available on the use of allergic rhinitis medicines.

First Nations people

How common is allergic rhinitis among First Nations people?

In 2022–23, around 188,200 (19%) First Nations people were estimated to be living with allergic rhinitis, based on the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) (ABS 2024).

The prevalence of allergic rhinitis:

  • was higher among females compared with males (21% and 17%, respectively)
  • was highest for those aged 45–54 (26%) (ABS 2024).

Between 2018–19 and 2022–23, the proportion of First Nations people with hay fever and allergic rhinitis increased from 14% to 19% (ABS 2024).

First Nations people living in non-remote areas had a higher prevalence of allergic rhinitis (21%) compared to First Nations people living in remote areas (7.7%) (ABS 2024).

 

Data

Report editions