Description: Percentage of the total population who report having current and long-term asthma (age-standardised).
Asthma affects people of all ages and has a substantial impact on the community. According to the 2015 Australian Burden of Disease Study, asthma was the 10th largest cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and the 5th largest cause of non-fatal disease burden (AIHW 2019).
The interactive visualisations on this page show data on the percentage of people with asthma by:
- age and sex
- remoteness
- socioeconomic area
- Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
Key findings
Based on self-reported data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2017–18 National Health Survey (NHS):
- 1 in 9 Australians (11%) had asthma — that’s 2.7 million people.
- The prevalence of asthma was more common in females (12%) than males (10%). Among those aged 0–14 asthma was more common in boys. No significant difference was noted in people aged 15–29. Among those aged 30 and over, asthma was more common in females.
- Among males, the prevalence of asthma was similar across remoteness areas. Among females, the prevalence of asthma was highest for those living in Outer regional areas (15%), compared with those living in Major cities (11%).
- The prevalence of asthma varied by socioeconomic area. Among males and females, the prevalence of asthma was highest for those living in the lowest socioeconomic areas compared with those living in the highest areas (males: 13% and 10%, respectively; females: 16% and 10%, respectively).
According to self-reported data from the ABS 2012–13 Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (AATSIHS):
- Indigenous Australians were almost twice as likely to have asthma (19%) compared with non-Indigenous Australians (10%) after adjusting for age.