In 2018, just under half of Australia’s population—49%, or 12.4 million people—were male. On average, Australian males experience different health outcomes to Australian females. They are more likely than females to engage in risky health behaviours and to die prematurely. They are also more likely to be homeless or in custody. Compared with females, males experienced more of their total disease burden due to dying early from disease and injury than from living with disease.

To learn more about the health outcomes of females, see The health of Australia’s females.

  • Cat. no: PHE 239
Findings from this report:

  • 3 in 4 men were overweight or obese in 2017–18

  • Fewer than 1 in 30 men ate the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables in 2017–18

  • 1 in 2 men were sufficiently physically active in 2017–18

  • More than half of Australian men exceeded the single occasion risk drinking guideline in 2017–18