Health-system costs
Note regarding cerebral palsy
Estimates of health-system costs related to cerebral palsy are included under the infant and congenital disease category in the Health system spending on disease and injury in Australia 2023–24 report.
Although cerebral palsy is a neurological condition, most of its associated health-care expenditure occurs in younger age groups. For this reason, it is not classified as a neurological condition in the health-system costs report.
Note on comparing previous health expenditure reports
The scope of expenditure and methods used in the most recent 2023–24 disease expenditure study (AIHW 2025) are similar to those used in the 2022–23 report however there are changes that have been made that make comparison of data between the 2023–24 report and the 2022–23 report to be done with caution. For more information see the methodology of the Health system spending on disease and injury in Australia 2023–24 report (AIHW 2025).
In 2023–24:
- an estimated $6.6 billion of health-system costs were for neurological conditions, representing 3.6% of all health-system costs that can be attributed to disease or injury
- the highest costs for individual neurological conditions were dementia ($1.6 billion, epilepsy ($760.2 million), multiple sclerosis ($674.6 million) and migraine ($592.6 million)
- females accounted for 55% of the health system costs attributed to neurological conditions and males accounted for 45% (for 0.1% of costs, sex was not reported)
- about 35% of the health-system costs for neurological conditions were for public hospital admitted patient services; 17% were for Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (Figure 4) (AIHW 2025).
-
25%
of the health-system costs attributed to neurological conditions were due to dementia.
-
12%
of the health-system costs attributed to neurological conditions were due to epilepsy.
-
10%
of the health-system costs attributed to neurological conditions were due to multiple sclerosis.
-
9%
of the health-system costs attributed to neurological conditions were due to migraine.
For more information, see the Health system spending on disease and injury in Australia 2023–24 report (AIHW 2025).
Socioeconomic and remoteness areas
There were no data on health-system costs disaggregated by socioeconomic areas.
Except for Major cities ($21.9 million per 100,000 population), the rate of health-system costs for neurological conditions decreased with increasing remoteness. People living in Inner regional areas had the highest rate ($25.7 million per 100,000 population), and people living in Very remote areas had the lowest rate ($20.9 million per 100,000 population).
Trends over time
Between 2013–14 and 2023–24, health-system costs for neurological conditions, adjusted for inflation (reported in constant prices), have increased, going from $3.8 billion to $6.6 billion (Figure 4), representing 2.9% and 3.6% of all health-system costs in 2013–14 and 2023–24, respectively.
Figure 4: Neurological conditions expenditure by sex, age-group and area of the health-system, 2013–14 to 2023–24, constant prices
This interactive visualisation shows health system costs (constant prices) attributed to neurological conditions. The visualisation can be changed to display disaggregation by sex and age-group and to display the area of expenditure (for example, PBS or hospitals).
AIHW (2025) Health system spending on disease and injury in Australia 2023–24, AIHW website, accessed 29 October 2025.