Bronchiectasis

Main findings

What is bronchiectasis?

Bronchiectasis is the abnormal widening of the airways in the lungs usually caused by damage to the airway walls. This condition is characterised by a persistent cough with excess amounts of mucus and, often, airflow obstruction together with episodes of worsening symptoms.

In healthy individuals, glands in the lining of the airways make small amounts of mucus, which keeps the airways moist and traps inhaled dust, dirt and organisms. Usually, when mucus becomes excessive it is either coughed up and out or swallowed. However, in people with bronchiectasis, the mucus pools where the airway is widened and makes the person prone to recurrent respiratory tract infections.

How common is bronchiectasis?

Who gets bronchiectasis?

Bronchiectasis can affect anyone at any age, and in any socioeconomic group, but the disease occurs much more commonly in rural and remote Indigenous communities and in less affluent communities (Chang et al. 2003, Karadag et al. 2005, Singleton et al. 2000, Twiss et al. 2005). This may be due to higher exposure to smoke from heating and cooking, limited access to quality health services, non-adherence to medications and inadequate medical follow-up (Goeminne and Dupont 2010).

There is little information available on the prevalence or incidence of bronchiectasis in Australia. The Australian Bronchiectasis Registry, which opened in 2016, is a non-commercial research project that has been initiated by a group of Australian Respiratory Specialist doctors together with The Lung Foundation Australia. The main aims of this registry are to identify and collect health information from patients with non-Cystic Fibrosis (non-CF) Bronchiectasis for doctors to research the causes and to improve treatments. For more information, see Lung Foundation of Australia.

Bronchiectasis differs between women and men, particularly in the areas of prevalence, incidence, causative organisms and etiology. Specifically, cystic fibrosis (CF) and non-CF bronchiectasis follow a more severe course and appear more frequently in women (Morrissey and Harper 2004).

While there is limited data on bronchiectasis prevalence in Australia, a recent study of international prevalence data of bronchiectasis which included more than 437 million participants in 15 studies published from 2005 to 2024, indicated that prevalence may be around 680 per 100,000 population (Laska 2025).

Treatment and management of bronchiectasis

Clinical practice guidelines in Australia and New Zealand recommend early diagnosis and coordination of multidisciplinary care needs. Chest high-resolution computed tomography scan (C-HRCT) is required to confirm the diagnosis and to assess the severity and extent of the disease; with specific criteria and protocol required for children (Loebinger et al. 2009). As the condition is complex with a variety of underlying causes, clinical decisions around the management of the condition are made based on individual presentations. Treatment may include physiotherapy, use of medicines (particularly to control infections), regular influenza vaccinations and, where appropriate, surgery (King et al. 2006). Managing bronchiectasis effectively may require a broad range of health care providers from primary health care, hospital care through to palliative care for those with advanced disease.

Hospitalisations for bronchiectasis

Some people with bronchiectasis require treatment in hospital, particularly for the management of severe disease exacerbations ('flare-ups' or a worsening in respiratory symptoms).

Data from the National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD) show that in 2023–24, there were 16,300 hospitalisations with a principal or additional diagnosis (any diagnosis) of bronchiectasis.

The rest of this section discusses hospitalisations with a principal diagnosis of bronchiectasis, unless otherwise stated. However, charts and tables also include statistics for any diagnosis of bronchiectasis.

In 2023–24:

• there were 7,300 hospitalisations with a principal diagnosis of bronchiectasis, a rate of 27 hospitalisations per 100,000 population
• bronchiectasis accounted for 48,200 bed days, representing 0.1% of all bed days
• 79% of bronchiectasis hospitalisations were overnight stays, with an average length of 8.2 days
• the rate of hospitalisations increased with increasing age, and were highest among people aged 80–84 (205 per 100,000 population)
• females were hospitalised at a higher rate than males (36 and 18 per 100,000 population, respectively).

Trends over time

Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, the rate of hospitalisations remained stable at around 27 per 100,000 population (Figure 1). 

It should be noted that the rate of hospitalisations over the past few years has been affected by the COVID‑19 pandemic. For more information, see Chronic respiratory conditions COVID-19 impact.

Socioeconomic and remoteness areas

In 2023–24, the age-standardised hospitalisation rate due to bronchiectasis:

• was almost 3 times as high for people living in Remote and Very remote areas compared to people living in Major cities (22 and 61 per 100,000 population, respectively)
• were similar across socio-economic areas, ranging from 21 per 100,000 population in areas of least disadvantage, to 24 per 100,000 population in areas of most disadvantage.

Emergency department presentations for bronchiectasis

Data from the National Non-Admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database (NAPEDC) show that in 2024–25:

• there were around 2,600 emergency department (ED) presentations for bronchiectasis, about 9.6 presentations per 100,000 population
• ED presentation rates were higher for females compared with males overall (13 and 6.6 per 100,000 population, respectively)
• ED presentation rates increased with increasing age and were highest among people aged 75 and over (57 per 100,000 population).

Trends over time

Between 2018–19 and 2024–25, ED presentation rates decreased slightly from 11 to 9.6 per 100,000 population. In 2024–25, rates were higher for females aged 55 and over compared with males (Figure 2).

Socioeconomic and remoteness areas

In 2024–25, the age-standardised rate of ED presentations where bronchiectasis was the principal diagnosis:

• was higher for people living in Remote and Very remote areas compared to people living in Major cities (47 and 6.6 per 100,000 population)
• was higher for people living in areas of most disadvantage compared to people living in areas of least disadvantage (12 and 4.5 per 100,000 population, respectively).

Deaths due to bronchiectasis

Bronchiectasis was recorded as an underlying cause of death for 471 deaths or 1.8 deaths per 100,000 population in Australia in 2023. This represented 0.3% of all deaths and 3% of all respiratory deaths in 2023.

Bronchiectasis was recorded as an associated cause of death for an additional 735 deaths, resulting in a total of 1,206 deaths due to, or associated with, bronchiectasis. This represented 0.7% of all deaths and 2.3% of respiratory deaths.

In 2023, bronchiectasis mortality rates (as the underlying cause of death):

• increased with increasing age and were highest for people aged 75 and over (20 per 100,000 population)
• were higher for females compared to males (2.4 and 1.1 per 100,000 population, respectively).

Trends over time

After adjusting for different population age structures over time, mortality rates for bronchiectasis (as the underlying cause of death) between 2013 and 2023:

• stayed relatively stable, from 1.1 in 2013 to 1.3 in 2023
• were consistently higher for females compared to males (Figure 3).

Socioeconomic and remoteness areas

In 2023, after adjusting for different population age structures, mortality rates for bronchiectasis (as the underlying cause of death) differed little by remoteness or level of disadvantage (also known as socioeconomic area). Rates were:

• 1.3 deaths per 100,000 population for people living in Major cities areas and 1.1 per 100,000 population for those living in Outer regional areas. Rates for Remote and Very remote areas could not be published for data confidentiality reasons.
• 1.4 deaths per 100,000 population for people living in areas of most disadvantage (lowest socioeconomic areas), and 1.3 per 100,000 population for those living in the least disadvantaged areas (highest socioeconomic areas).

First Nations people

How common is bronchiectasis among First Nations people?

There are limited bronchiectasis prevalence estimates for First Nations people in Australia.

Studies suggest that bronchiectasis is prevalent among First Nations people and is particularly high in First Nations children (Gibbs et al. 2024, Laird et al. 2022).

The estimated prevalence of bronchiectasis is at least around 1,500 per 100,000 in central Australian Aboriginal children (Chang et al. 2010).

Hospitalisations among First Nations people

In 2023–24:

• there were around 430 hospitalisations where bronchiectasis was recorded as the principal diagnosis for First Nations people, a rate of 42 per 100,000 population.
• after adjusting for differences in age, the hospitalisation rate among First Nations people was 2.9 times the rate among non-Indigenous Australians.

Emergency department presentations among First Nations people

In 2024–25:

• there were around 350 ED presentations where bronchiectasis was the principal diagnosis among First Nations people, with a rate of 34 per 100,000 population. After adjusting for age differences, the rate was 47 per 100,000 population.
• the rate of bronchiectasis ED presentations was similar among First Nations men and women (32 and 35 per 100,000 population, respectively).
• after adjusting for differences in age, the rate of ED presentations among First Nations people was 7.1 times the rate among non-Indigenous Australians.

Deaths among First Nations people

In 2023:

• there were 12 deaths where bronchiectasis was recorded as the underlying cause of death among First Nations people, this represents 0.2% of all First Nations deaths.
• there were 47 deaths among First Nations people where bronchiectasis was either the underlying or associated cause of death, with a rate of 4.8 per 100,000 population.
• after adjusting for age differences, the rate of bronchiectasis deaths (as the underlying and/or associated cause) among First Nations people was 2.6 times the rate among non-Indigenous Australians.