Chronic musculoskeletal conditions in Australia

Based on the 2022 NHS: 

• musculoskeletal conditions were more common among older Australians, with the prevalence increasing steadily from 1.0% among those aged 0−14 to 69.0% among those aged 75 and over
• overall, musculoskeletal conditions were more common among females compared with males (30.8% and 26.8%, respectively)
• females had higher prevalence of arthritis and osteoporosis (1.4 and 5 times the prevalence among males, respectively)
• males had higher prevalence of gout (2.6 times the prevalence among females)
• the prevalence of back problems was similar among males and females (Figure 1) (ABS 2023).

For more information see All arthritis, Back problems, Gout and Osteoporosis.

Between 2004 and 2022, the prevalence of:

• chronic musculoskeletal conditions decreased from 31.0% to 28.8%
• back problems remained relatively stable in a range between 14.9% and 16.7%, with an average of 16.0%
• arthritis remained relatively stable in a range between 14.5% and 15.3%, with an average of 15.0%
• osteoporosis remained relatively stable in a range between 3.0% and 3.8%, with an average of 3.4% (Figure 2) (ABS 2023).

For more information see All arthritis, Back problems and Osteoporosis.

In 2022, the prevalence of arthritis, back problems, and osteoporosis increased with increasing levels of disadvantage (socioeconomic quintiles). Prevalence in the most disadvantaged quintile, compared with the least disadvantaged quintile, was:

• 1.5 times as high for arthritis (18.1% and 11.7%, respectively)
• 1.4 times as high for back problems (18.4% and 13.0%, respectively)
• 1.2 times as high for osteoporosis (3.6% and 3.0%, respectively).

Prevalence for these conditions was generally higher in regional and remote Australia than in Major cities. Prevalence in Inner regional areas, compared with Major cities, was: 

• 1.6 times as high for arthritis (19.9% and 12.8%, respectively)
• 1.3 times as high for back problems (18.6% and 14.7%, respectively)
• 1.4 times as high for osteoporosis (4.4% and 3.1%, respectively) (AIHW analysis of ABS 2023).

People living with chronic musculoskeletal conditions are often also living with other chronic conditions. This is known as ‘comorbidity’.

ABS analysis of the 2022 NHS, indicates that:

• an estimated 74.4% of people living with arthritis also had one or more of 9 other select chronic conditions. Among them, 38.1% were estimated to be living with mental or behavioural conditions and 36.3% were estimated to be living with back problems
• an estimated 71.6% of people living with back problems also had one or more of 9 other select chronic conditions. Among them, 43.3% were estimated to be living with a mental or behavioural condition and 33.6% were estimated to be living with arthritis (ABS 2023).

For more information, see All arthritis and Back problems.

In 2023–24, hospitalisation rates for musculoskeletal conditions were higher among older age groups, increasing from 238 per 100,000 population among children aged 0–4 years to 12,600 among those aged 75–79, and declining slightly among those aged 80 and over. Rates rose gradually across younger age groups, then increased more sharply from around 45–49 onwards (Figure 3).  

Overall rates were higher for females than males (3,600 and 3,100 hospitalisations per 100,000 population, respectively), though patterns varied by age. Analysis by 5-year age groups showed that rates were generally higher among males than females under the age of 45 (with a notable exception for 10–14 year olds) whereas rates were higher among females than males for ages 45 and older (Figure 3).

The rate of hospitalisations for musculoskeletal conditions was relatively stable between 2015–16 and 2018–19 (at about 3,200 hospitalisations per 100,000 population), and has fluctuated since then to 2023–24, in a range between around 2,900 and 3,300 per 100,000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic is one known factor driving some of these fluctuations. The proportion of overnight stays and average length of overnight stays were relatively stable between 2015−16 and 2023–24, at around 49% and 5.4 days on average, respectively (Figure 4).

Musculoskeletal hospitalisation rates showed a different pattern by remoteness compared with overall hospitalisation rates, but a similar pattern by socioeconomic area.

By remoteness area, hospitalisations per population were highest in Inner regional areas (3,700 per 100,000 population) and lowest in Remote and Very remote areas (2,200 per 100,000 population), in 2023–24. Age-standardised rates were highest in Major cities, and lowest in Remote and Very remote areas. This indicates that the higher crude rate in Inner regional areas is likely partly driven by their older population profile, while the lower crude rate in Remote and Very remote areas may reflect non-age-related factors. Furthermore, this pattern for musculoskeletal conditions was directionally different to the pattern for overall hospitalisation rates, where Major cities and Inner regional populations had the lowest hospitalisation rates, and Remote and Very remote populations had the highest rates.

By socioeconomic area, rates were highest in the least disadvantaged areas (highest socioeconomic quintile) (3,900 per 100,000 population) and lowest in the most disadvantaged areas (lowest socioeconomic quintile) (2,900 per 100,000 population). The same directional pattern was true for age-standardised rates. Furthermore, the same directional pattern was observed for overall hospitalisations.

In 2024−25, the rate of emergency department presentations due to musculoskeletal conditions: 

• was similar among males and females (around 1,800 per 100,000 population)
• increased with age, from around 1,000 per 100,000 population among people under 15 years, to 2,200 among those aged 65−74, and rising more sharply to 3,300 among those aged 75 years and older (Figure 5).

Between 2018−19 and 2024−25, the number of emergency department presentations due to musculoskeletal conditions fluctuated from year-to-year but trended up by around 2.5% per year on average. The presentation rate ranged between around 1,600 to 1,800 per 100,000 population, but with no clear upward trend observed in crude or age-standardised rate. This suggests that the increase in the number of emergency department presentations likely reflects population growth over time rather than an increased propensity to present to an emergency department for musculoskeletal conditions (Figure 6).

Patterns of emergency department presentations for musculoskeletal conditions by remoteness and socioeconomic areas are consistent with those observed for all conditions.

In 2024−25, the rate of emergency department presentations due to musculoskeletal conditions: 

• was higher in Remote and Very remote areas compared with Major cities (3,300 and 1,400 per 100,000 population, respectively)
• was highest in areas of most disadvantage (lowest socioeconomic quintile), and lowest in areas of least disadvantage (highest socioeconomic quintile) (2,300 and 1,100 per 100,000 population, respectively).  

Age standardised rates had similar patterns, indicating that variations by remoteness and socioeconomic area are driven by factors other than the population age structure.

Back pain and problems, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis accounted for 33%, 20% and 16% respectively of total burden due to musculoskeletal conditions (Figure 7) (AIHW 2024).

In 2024, the rate of burden from musculoskeletal conditions:

• increased with age, from less than 10 DALY per 1,000 population for age groups under 20 years to more than 50 DALY per 1,000 population for age groups over 59 years (Figure 8)
• was 27% higher among females compared with males (30.6 and 24.2 per 1,000 population, respectively) (AIHW 2024).  

The musculoskeletal burden per population increased between 2003 and 2024, from 25.6 to 27.4 DALY per 1,000 (Figure 9). However, trends differed by sex, with:

• the rate among females trending upward from 27.2 to 30.6 DALY per 1,000 population, which may have been driven in part by the ageing of the population but also by substantial increases in rates among older females
• the rate among males showing little overall trend, fluctuating between 23.1 and 24.1 DALY per 1,000, possibly reflecting a reduction in burden rates among male adults
• the gap in crude rates between females and males widening from 12% to 27% (AIHW 2024).

For more information, see the Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024.

In 2018, the rate of musculoskeletal condition burden varied by remoteness, ranging from 33.2 DALY per 1,000 population in Inner regional areas to 19.7 in Remote and Very remote areas, with rates of 28.9 in Outer regional areas and 24.2 in Major cities.

Rates also increased with socioeconomic disadvantage (socioeconomic quintiles) and were 1.6 times as high in the most disadvantaged areas (32.6 DALY per 1,000 population) as in the least disadvantaged areas (20.7) (AIHW 2021a).

Crude and age-standardised rates showed similar patterns, suggesting that differences between remoteness and socioeconomic areas are driven by factors other than age.

For more information, see the Australian Burden of Disease Study 2018: Interactive data on disease burden.

Reported risk factors that contributed to musculoskeletal burden in Australia in 2024 included:

• overweight and obesity, which contributed to 9% of the total musculoskeletal burden, 29% of the osteoarthritis burden, and 10% of the back problems burden
• occupational exposures and hazards, which contributed to 5% of the total musculoskeletal burden, and 15% of the back problems burden
• tobacco use, which contributed to 2% of the total musculoskeletal burden, 4% of the rheumatoid arthritis burden, and 3% of the back problems burden (AIHW 2026).

The Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024 analyses low bone density as a risk factor that contributes to the burden from falls (AIHW 2026). In 2024, falls represented 1.6% of total disease burden in Australia, and 26% of fall burden was attributed to low bone mineral density, which is around 0.4% of total disease burden. Low bone mineral density contributed to 32% of burden from falls among females, and 20% among males. Note that this does not represent the complete burden of low bone mineral density, just the proportion associated with falls.

For definitions and information on the burden of disease associated with these conditions, see Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024.

In 2023–24:

• hospital services accounted for 67% ($11 billion) of musculoskeletal expenditure, slightly higher than the hospital share across all disease groups (63%). Within musculoskeletal expenditure, the share spent for private hospital admitted patients was more than double the equivalent share across all disease groups (34% compared with 14%) (Figure 10)
• primary care accounted for 22% ($3.6 billion) of musculoskeletal spending, which was lower than the primary care proportion for all disease groups (28%) (Figure 10)
• referred medical services accounted for 10.6% of musculoskeletal expenditure, similar to the share for referred services across all disease groups (9.0%). Medical imaging represented a notably larger share of musculoskeletal expenditure at 6.6% compared to 3.0% of expenditure across all disease groups (Figure 10)
• Musculoskeletal conditions accounted for the highest portion (22%) of private hospital admitted patient spending across all disease groups, and the second-highest portion of spending for medical imaging (20%) (AIHW 2025a).

The distribution of health system expenditure for musculoskeletal conditions by age and sex reflects the prevalence distribution, with more spending for older age groups and females. In 2023–24:

• 82% of musculoskeletal expenditure was for people aged 45 and over
• 56% of musculoskeletal expenditure was for females, and 44% for males ($9.1 billion and $7.2 billion respectively), however expenditure per case was similar for females and males at around $1,300 per case (AIHW 2025a, 2025b).

Over the period 2013–14 to 2023–24, after adjusting for the effects of inflation:

• total spending on musculoskeletal conditions grew 25% ($3.2 billion), increasing from $13.0 billion to $16.3 billion (Figure 11) 
• spending per 100,000 population grew 8% ($4 million), increasing from $55 million to $59 million (Figure 11)
• spending increased for all reported specific musculoskeletal conditions except rheumatoid arthritis, which decreased (Figure 11)
• the musculoskeletal portion of all disease spending was 9.5% on average, ranging between 8.5% and 9.8% (AIHW 2025a, 2025b).

For more information, see 

• Health system spending on disease and injury in Australia, 2023–24
• Health system spending per case of disease and for certain risk factors.

In 2023–24, overall health expenditure per population increased with increasing remoteness. However, expenditure on musculoskeletal conditions did not follow this pattern, with the highest spending per population occurring in Inner regional areas ($71.1 million per 100,000 population), which tend to have older population structures, and the lowest spending rate in Very remote areas ($48.7 million per 100,000 population).

In comparison to all deaths, deaths with a musculoskeletal condition as an underlying or associated cause were relatively more common among:

• older people (77% of musculoskeletal deaths were among people aged 75 and over, compared with 68% for total deaths, in 2023)
• females (60% of musculoskeletal deaths were among females compared with 47% of total deaths, in 2023).

Between 2011 and 2023, deaths per population where a musculoskeletal condition was recorded as an underlying or associated cause:

• increased from 31 to 39 deaths per 100,000 population
• were consistently higher among females compared with males, although this gap has narrowed over time, decreasing from 2.0 times as high in 2011 to 1.5 times as high in 2023 (Figure 12).

Age standardised rates showed the same directional patterns, but with reduced magnitudes; indicating that the changes over time and differences between male and female populations are partially explained by the ageing population and differences in the age structures of the male and female populations.

In 2023, deaths per population where a musculoskeletal condition was recorded as an underlying or associated cause were:

• Over 1.3 times as high in Inner regional and Outer regional areas (47 and 49 deaths per 100,000 population, respectively) compared with Major cities and Remote areas (36 and 31 deaths per 100,000 population, respectively)
• 1.4 times as high for people living in areas of most disadvantage (lowest socioeconomic quintile) compared with people living in areas of least disadvantage (highest socioeconomic quintile) (47 and 33 deaths per 100,000 population, respectively).

Age standardised rates did not vary as much between remoteness areas as crude rates, indicating that the differences in crude rates could be largely due to differences in age structure. Age standardised rates across socioeconomic areas varied in a similar way to crude rates.

Around 21% of First Nations people (213,000) were estimated to be living with a musculoskeletal condition in 2022–23, based on the latest National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) (ABS 2024b). Prevalence increased steadily with age, from 0.9% among children under 15 years to 58.6% among those aged 55 and over, and was estimated to be slightly higher among females compared with males (23.1 and 19.6%, respectively).

Among First Nations people in 2023–24, there were around 20,700 hospitalisations with a musculoskeletal condition as the principal diagnosis (2,000 per 100,000 population). This represented 3.0% of all hospitalisations among First Nations people. There were around 35,500 hospitalisations with a principal or additional musculoskeletal diagnosis (3,400 per 100,000 population).

In 2023−24, hospitalisation rates for principal musculoskeletal diagnoses among First Nations people:

• increased with age, from 260 per 100,000 population among children aged 0−4 years, to around 8,100 per 100,000 population among those aged 65 years and over
• were 10% higher for females than males (2,100 compared with 1,900 per 100,000 population)
• were generally higher than rates for non‑Indigenous Australians, except among people aged 60 and over. The difference was most pronounced among those aged 25−49 years, where rates for First Nations people were around 1.4 to 1.7 times as high as those for non-Indigenous Australians of the same age.

In 2024–25, among First Nations people, there were around 40,100 emergency department presentations with a musculoskeletal condition as the principal diagnosis (3,800 per 100,000 population). This represented 4.8% of all emergency department presentations among First Nations people.

In 2024−25, the rate of emergency department presentations among First Nations people:

• was higher for females than males (4,100 and 3,600 per 100,000 population, respectively)
• increased with age from around 990 per 100,000 population for children aged 0−4 years to around 6,500 per 100,000 population for 40–59-year-olds, then declining to around 5,400 per 100,000 population for those aged 60 and older.  
• was almost 3 times the rate among non-Indigenous Australians, after adjusting for differences in age structure (4,500 versus 1,600 per 100,000 population). This ratio is similar to that observed for all emergency department presentations, indicating that the difference was not unique to musculoskeletal conditions.

In 2022, for First Nations people:

• musculoskeletal conditions accounted for 7% of total disease burden (DALY), 13% of non-fatal burden (YLD) and 0.6% of fatal burden (YLL)
• there were around 21,600 years of healthy life lost (DALY) to musculoskeletal conditions (equivalent to 21.2 years per 1,000 population), with the majority (95%) of years lost to non-fatal burden (YLD).

Females lost an estimated 24.2 years of healthy life per 1,000 population due to musculoskeletal conditions, compared with 18.2 years per 1,000 population among males (AIHW 2026).

The prevention, management and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions beyond hospital settings cannot currently be examined in detail due to limitations in available data on:

• primary and allied health care at the national level
• the use of over-the-counter medicines to manage pain and inflammation
• diagnosis information for prescription pharmaceuticals (which would allow a direct link between musculoskeletal conditions and use of subsidised medicines).

For more reports on musculoskeletal conditions see: 

Chronic musculoskeletal conditions - Reports.

For more reports on other population health topics see:

Australian Centre for Monitoring Population Health.

The COVID‑19 pandemic had substantial impacts on hospital activity generally. The range of social, economic, business and travel restrictions, including restrictions on, or suspension of, some hospital services, and associated measures in other health-care services to support physical distancing in Australia resulted in an overall decrease in hospital activity between 2019–20 and 2020–21 (AIHW 2022).

At the beginning of the pandemic in Australia, non-urgent elective surgery was suspended from late March to late April 2020. In the same financial year (2019–20), after adjusting for age differences, the rate of total hip and knee replacement surgery where osteoarthritis was the principal diagnosis decreased 8.6% and 11.4% respectively from 2018–19. This decrease was driven by the April–June 2020 quarter, which saw 31% and 37% fewer admissions for hip and knee replacements respectively, compared with the April–June 2019 quarter (Figure 13).

In 2020–21, rates rebounded to exceed pre-pandemic levels, but in 2021–22 they decreased below pre-pandemic levels (for more information, see Osteoarthritis).

For more information, see 'Changes in the health of Australians during the COVID‑19 period’ in Australia’s health 2022: data insights.

In 2020–21:

• the median waiting times for total hip replacement surgery and total knee replacement surgery increased compared with 2019–20, by 49% and 38% respectively. This compares to an increase of 23% for all elective surgery (AIHW 2021b)
• the percentage of total hip replacements and total knee replacements with waiting times exceeding one year were 21% and 32%, respectively. These represent 13 and 20 percentage point increases on 2019–20, which compare to a 4.8 percentage point increase for all elective surgeries (AIHW 2021b).

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2006) 2004-05 National Health Survey Users’ Guide – Electronic Publication, ABS website, accessed 26 May 2026.

ABS (2015) National Health Survey First Results, 2014-15, ABS website, accessed 27 May 2026.

ABS (2023) National Health Survey, ABS website, accessed 22 April 2026.

ABS (2024a) Disability, ageing, and carers, Australia: summary of findings, 2022, ABS website, accessed 22 April 2026.

ABS (2024b), National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, ABS Website, accessed 10 March 2026.

AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2021a) Australian Burden of Disease Study 2018: Interactive data on risk factor burden, AIHW website, accessed 7 April 2026.

AIHW (2021b) Elective Surgery, AIHW website, accessed 22 February 2022.

AIHW (2022) Admitted Patients, AIHW website, accessed 7 March 2022.

AIHW (2024) Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 7 May 2026.

AIHW (2025a) Health system spending on disease and injury in Australia 2023–24, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 19 May 2026.

AIHW (2025b) Health system spending per case of disease and for certain risk factors, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 1 May 2026.

AIHW (2026) First Nations Burden of Disease Study 2022, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 28 April 2026.

WHO (World Health Organization) (2019) Musculoskeletal conditions, WHO website, accessed 18 February 2022.National Health Survey First Results, 2014-15