Prevalence

According to the Global Burden of Disease study 2021, a systematic review and meta-analysis including data from 389 sources for asthma reported that in 2021 there was:

• an estimated 260 million people with asthma worldwide
• forecast to reach 275 million people having asthma in 2050
• age standardised prevalence: 3340 per 100,000 in 2021, a 40% decrease compared to 1990 (5568 per 100,000), and expected to remain stable between 2021 and 2050.

Modifiable risk factors were responsible for 30% of the global asthma DALY burden, particularly high BMI in high-socio-demograhic (SDI) index settings, and occupational asthmagens in low SDI settings.

According to AIHW, the prevalence of asthma has remained relatively stable (after adjusting for age structures over time) since 2001, at 12% in 2001 and 11% in 2022.(ref 1)

Previously, AIHW stated that the age-standardised asthma prevalence (based on National health Survey) is increasing (up to 2017-2018). (ref 2, 20 Jul 2022, not available online anymore)

This is a great resource if you required detailed breakdown within your state or territory to support grant applications or relevant government submissions.
You can choose for the data to be broken down by Local Government Areas (LGAs), Population Health Areas (PHAs) or Public Health Networks (PHNs).

Note that previously PHIDU modelled data from the National Health Survey (NHS), currently prevalence is only available based on the Census 2021 data. AIHW and ABS recommend to rely on NHS prevalence data rather than Census when available.

How to access the data:
– go to https://phidu.torrens.edu.au/social-health-atlases/maps
– Select the breakdown you would like (PHA, PHN, LGA)
– Once the map is opened, click ‘select data’ on the left and select the indicator of interest, e.g.:

Long-term conditions (Census), by conditions (several age groups available) => select asthma in drop-down menu

Admissions by principle diagnosis 2020/21 (male, female or persons) => select asthma

Potentially Preventable Hospitalisations by Chronic Conditions 2020/21 => select asthma

Make sure you include the type of map (PHN, LGA etc), indicator (e.g. asthma prevalence Census 2021) and date in your reference!

E.g. Hospitalisations for asthma as principal diagnosis in 2020/21, at PHN level: https://phidu.torrens.edu.au/current/maps/sha-aust/phn_pha_single_map/atlas.html 

Previous releases of the PHIDU including NHS 2017/2018 prevalence data (2021 release) can also be accessed at: https://phidu.torrens.edu.au/social-health-atlases/data-archive/data-archive-social-health-atlases-of-australia

Ecological study using data from the Census 2021 (self-reported asthma prevalence in 4,6 million aged 0-14) for spatial clustering using statistical area level 2 (SA2, a ‘suburb’ within cities and catchments of rural areas, population around 3000 to 25000) and statistical modelling. The study reported that: (ref 1)
– 6.27% overall (average) childhood asthma prevalence in these geographical areas, ranging from 0 to 16.5%
– 465 areas (suburbs) were hotspots (they had a prevalence above the average 6.27% and were surrounded by areas with similar prevalence) , representing 20% of all areas
– NSW had the most hotspots (39%) followed by VIC (21%), QLD (18%) and TAS (11%)
– More than 60% of hotspots were in socio-economically disadvantaged areas
– Higher asthma prevalence in areas of areas of SE disadvantage vs advantage (10% higher, PR=1.10)
– Higher asthma prevalence in areas with high proportions of First Nations people (13% higher, PR=1.13)
– Hotspots mostly observed in regional or remote areas of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and Tasmania

Concl/Discussion: Childhood asthma variation was found to be associated with area-level sociodemographic features, such as social deprivation and Indigenous density. These findings can be attributed to environmental features including socioeconomic deprivation, race or ethnicity, pollen, dust, exhaust pollutants, air pollution, violence, or crime, as well as limited access to healthcare because the majority of specialised paediatric asthma services are located in tertiary metropolitan hospitals.

Note/Limitations: ecological studies can demonstrate associations rather than causal relationships, and parent-reported data may not be reliable due to reporting bias.

23 Hotspot Regions

The hotspot suburbs with high asthma childhood prevalence were identified in 23 SA4 areas (regions/shires, mostly with a population over 100,000) listed below: (ref 1 and 3)

Note: reference 3 is a Data on File ( UNSW Asthma hotspots – Childhood-Asthma-Clusters-Data-by-suburb-SA2-with-electorates .xlsx) provided by UNSW and can’t be shared without approval from UNSW.

Refer to attached file (Ref 3) for detail of hotspot suburbs (SA2s) included in each region (SA4).

Reproduced from Ref 4:

UNSW data – Asthma Hotspots in WA and NT (ref 5):

UNSW data on file – asthma hotspots WA – email J Khan 20 Jan 2026.pdf

UNSW team shared with AA that 4 hotspot suburbs (SA2) out of 465 were located in WA, and none were located in NT:

Note that most areas in WA exhibited relatively low asthma prevalence. This pattern may reflect a combination of low population density, and the potential for underdiagnosis, particularly in remote communities.

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey for the financial year 2022-2023  reported:
• 16.6% has asthma, up from 15.7% in 2018-2019 (note that the difference between 2018-2019 and 2022-2023 was not statistically significant)
• Asthma was the second most prevalent selected chronic condition after mental and behavioural conditions
• By remoteness: 18.2% of people living in non-remote areas had asthma, compared to 8.1% of people living in remote areas (the difference was statistically significant)
• Around two in four people (49%) had one or more selected chronic conditions in 2022–2023, up from 46% in 2018–2019.
• 29% of people aged 15 years and over smoked daily (excluding e-cigarettes or vaping devices), down from 37% in 2018–2019.

Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions in Australia, with prevalence and mortality rates that are high by international comparisons

New research using geographical modelling of the 2021 Census data to map the prevalence of asthma in children aged 5-14 reported:
– On average, childhood asthma prevalence was 7.9%, 8.2%, 8.5%, and 7.6% in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, respectively (intra-city special variation)
– prevalence ranged between 6 and 12% between least and most affected locations in each city (intra-city special variation)
– 66% of this intracity variation was attributed to the following covariates in Australian-born non-Indigenous children: climatic and environmental factors (30%), outdoor air pollution (19%), Socio-economic status (51%)

According the National Health Survey 2022 (conducted with face-to-face interviews, the same methodology as the 2017-18 NHS), it is estimated that:
• Just under 2.8 million (2,754,100 people or 10.8%) Australians had asthma in 2022, including about 386,000 children aged under 15
• the prevalence of asthma has remained steady over the last 10 years (from 10.2% in 2011-12 to 10.8% in 2022)
• Females are more likely to have asthma (12.2%) compared to males (9.4%)
• In children aged 0-14, boys are more likely to have asthma (10.1%) than girls (6.2%) – overall 8.2%
• Age-specific prevalence is provided below: note that the difference between males and females is only statistically significant in those aged 0-14; 35-44 and 55-64 (95% CI do not cross)
• prevalence by jurisdiction (states/territories)

– People born in Australia compared to overseas:12.4% vs 7.3% in 2022 (ref 3); 12.6% compared to 6.0% in 2020-2021 (ref 1)
– People who lived in Inner Regional areas are more likely than those who lived in Outer Regional and Remote areas to have asthma (13.1% compared to 9.2% in 2020-2021, ref 1)
– People living in the Outer regional and remote areas compared to Major cities (aged standardised rate 13% vs 11% in 2017-2018, 1.2 times more likely, ref 2)
– People with a profound or severe core activity limitation are almost three times more likely than those with no disability to have asthma (23.3% and 8.2% in 2020-2021, ref 1); while people with a disability were more likely to have asthma than those without in 2022 (17.0% vs 8.0%; ref 3)
– Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders compared to non-Indigenous Australians (ref 1 and 2)
– People living in areas of most disadvantage were more likely to have asthma than those living in areas of least disadvantage: 13.2% vs 10.2% in 2022(ref3 )
– people living in the lowest socioeconomic areas compared to highest socioeconomic areas (aged-standardised rate 13% vs 10% in 2017-2018, 1.3 times more likely, ref 2)

Note: Data first entered in March 2022 then updated in May 2022 and January 2024.

According to the Census 2021, 3.6% of humanitarian entrants reported having asthma, a rate equal to other permanent migrants but 60% lower than the rest of the Australian population.

AIHW report providing summary of epidemiological data in First Nations peoples with asthma (prevalence, risk factors, quality of life, burden of disease, mortality, hospitalisations, ED). This report provides a nice summary and a single reference.

Prevalence (2018-2019 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health survey (NATSIHS):
– Around 128,000 First Nations people reported having asthma (16%), down from 18% in 2012-13, making asthma the third most prevalent long-term condition reported in 2018-19.
– higher in females (18%) compared to males (13%)
– increased with age, from 12% in children aged 0–14 to 26% in those aged 55 and over
– 1.6 times as high for boys compared with girls (aged 0–14) (14% and 8.6%, respectively)
– 2.1 times as high for females compared with males aged 55 and over (34% and 16%, respectively)
– 1.6 times higher in First Nations people compared to non-Indigenous Australians after adjusting for age structure (18% and 11% age-standardised prevalence respectively)
– Prevalence decreased with increasing remoteness: 19% in Major Cities, 12% in Remote areas and 7% in Very remote areas
– Prevalence by states: 25% in ACT, 23% in SA, 22% in TAS, 19% in NSW, 18% in VIC, 14% in QLD, 13% in WA, 6% in NT

Hospitalisation rates (2021-2022):
– 1,800 hospitalisations with asthma as principal diagnosis in 2021-22 (Covid pandemic year), an hospitalisation rate of 200 per 100,000; a decrease by 30% compared to 2018-19 (non Covid-pandemic year; 290 per 100,000)
– highest for females aged 45–54 (469 per 100,000) and higher for females overall compared to males (250 vs 155 per 100,000)
– 1.8 times higher for boys compared to girls aged 0-14 (318 vs 173 per 100,000)
– 2.1 times higher in First Nations people compared to non-Indigenous Australians after adjusting for age structure (205 vs 100 per 100,000, age-adjusted)

Emergency Departments visits (2021-2022 Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care database):
– 5,400 ED presentations for asthma in 2021-22 (605 per 100,000 population, decreased by 14% compared to 700 per 100,000 in 2018-19)
– Highest for females 35-44 (1,063 per 100,000) then females 45-54 (1,014 per 100,000) then boys 0-14 (883 per 100,000)
– 1.6 times higher in boys vs gilrs aged 0-14 (883 vs 558 per 100,000)
– 1.4 times higher in females vs males overall (about 710 vs 500 per 100,000)
– 2.6 times higher in First Nations people compared to non-Indigenous Australians after adjusting for age structure (about 600 vs 230 per 100,000; age-standardised)

Mortality (2017-2021):
– 65 deaths over the 5 years, corresponding to a mortality rate of 1.7 deaths per 100,000 population (decreasing from 2.1 per 100,000 in 2015-2019)
– Mortality rate increases with age and is 1.6 times higher in females
– Mortality rates adjusted for age structure are 1.9 times higher in First Nations people compared to non-Indigenous Australians

Burden of Disease (Australian Burden of Disease Study 2018):
– 7th leading cause of disease burden in First Nations people, contributing 3.4% to the total burden
– Burden of asthma is greater in females (4.3%) compared to males (2.5%)
– 4th leading cause of non-fatal disease burden (5.7% of total non-fatal burden)

Risk factors for First Nations people with asthma compared to those without asthma (2018–2019 NATSIHS):
– Similar likelihood to be a current daily smoker (43% vs 40%)
– More likely to be insufficiently active (93% vs 87%)
– 1.3 times more likely to live with obesity (55% vs 43%)

Quality of life (2018–2019 NATSIHS) for adult First nations people with asthma compared to those without asthma:
– 2.5 times more likely to have poor health (18% vs 7.2%)
– 1.5 times more likely to experience high or very high levels of psychological distress (42% vs 28%)
– 62% had at least one other chronic condition – the top 3 comorbidities were arthritis (51%), mental and behavioural conditions (46%), and back problems (37%)

Asthma Management in First Nations people with asthma (2018–2019 NATSIHS):
– 56% reported using asthma medication within the last 2 weeks
– 32% had a written asthma action plan (32% of those in non-remote areas vs 27% of those in remote areas)

Based on the Census 2021 data:
* People born in Australia had a higher prevalence of asthma (10.3% crude prevalence; 10.5%, age standardised) than people born in any other country
* People born in Australia, English-speaking and European countries generally had higher prevalence of asthma, arthritis, cancer, lung conditions and mental health conditions
* For people born overseas, the (age-standardised) prevalence of asthma increased with time since arrival in Australia, from 2.72% for 0-5 years to 4.14% for 6-10 years; 4.99% for 11-15 years and 7.20% for more than 15 years
* People who spoke English had a higher (age-standardised) prevalence of asthma (10.29%) than any other language except Auslan (15.17%), Maori (New Zealand, 14.63%), Sign languages (nfd, 14.49%), Gaelic (12.36%), Maltese (10.49%) and Welsh (10.38%)
* The (age standardised) prevalence of asthma decreased with decreasing level of proficiency in English

Figures are displayed below. Factors can be combined (e.g. time since arrival and proficiency in English)

Top 5 are anglo-saxon cultural background!

Age-standardised asthma prevalence by language used at home:

reference for % population speaking this language: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Cultural diversity: Census [Internet]. Canberra: ABS; 2021 [cited 2023 June 16]. Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/cultural-diversity-census/latest-release.

The Census 2021 data was released, including a question on whether people had asthma. The ABS media release reported:(ref 1)
– Asthma was the third most reported long-term condition, with 2,068,020 people reporting having asthma
– Asthma is the most commonly reported health condition for 0–14 year olds, with a notable difference between male children with 7.4%reporting asthma compared to 5.3% of female children.

Note: ABS recommends to use the National Health Survey rather than the Census as definite and correct source for national prevalence rates.

PHIDU maps: (ref 2)

The Public Health Information Development Unit has mapped the results from the ABS Census 2021, including asthma prevalence.
Note that when available, particularly for national or state prevalence, data from the National Health Survey is more reliable and preferred over the Census data.
Prevalence is reported as age-standardised rates (the ABS reports crude rates).

Data can be visualised for ages 0-14, 15+ or all-ages, and by states and territories, Local Government Areas (LGAs), Population Health Areas (PHAs) or Public Health Networks (PHNs) here: https://phidu.torrens.edu.au/social-health-atlases/maps#2021-census-population-health-areas  

According the National Health Survey for 2020-2021 (a year impacted by the Covid pandemic), it is estimated that:
• Just under 2.7 million (10.7%) Australians had asthma in 2020-21 (ref 1)
• Females were more likely than males to have asthma (12.0% compared to 9.4%) (ref 1)
• The rate of asthma was similar in boys and girls aged 0-14 years (9.5% and 7.9%) (ref 1)
• 411,000 children aged 0-14 have asthma (8.7%) (ref 2)
Note: due to Covid restrictions, data for the NHS 2020/21 was self-reported online rather than via interviews, and with a low response rate. Therefore it is less representative compared to previous NHS and comparisons with previous reports are limited (see Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2022) Chronic respiratory conditions, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 20 July 2022. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/chronic-respiratory-conditions for details).

The prevalence of asthma was about twice as high for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in non-remote areas (17%) compared with those living in remote areas (9%) in 2018-19.

In 2012–13, 18% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians had asthma (an estimated 111,900 people), with a higher rate among females (20%) compared with males (15%).
The prevalence of asthma was almost twice as high among Indigenous Australians compared with non-Indigenous Australians (a rate ratio of 1.9) after adjusting for difference in age structure.

In 2017-18, about one in nine Australians had been diagnosed with asthma (11% or total population, approximately 2.7 million people), based on self-reported data from the 2017–2018 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) National Health Survey (NHS) (Ref 1)

See tables (ref 1) and graph (ref 2) below for prevalence by age, gender and jurisdiction.

Note:  the data refers to self-reported asthma (diagnosed by doctor or nurse), collected during the National Health Survey 2017-2018 financial year.
– select ‘data downloads’ from menu to retrieve the data cubes for more detailed information. This includes by state/territory, population characteristics and health risk factors.
Select ‘past and future releases’ for historic prevalence data
National Health Survey is conducted every 3 years.

Prevalence 2017-18 by age and sex: AIHW (entry date 29 July 2022).

To get actual prevalence rate for each stratum, go to the AIHW webpage, Fig 2 and hover our mouse over the bar of interest.

Based on the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey 2018-2019

15.7% Indigenous Australians reported having asthma in 2018-2019: 13.4% of males and 15.7% of females (ref 1)

An estimated 128,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had asthma in 2018-2019 (16%), with a higher rate among females (18%) compared with males (13%). The prevalence of asthma among Indigenous Australians was was 1.6 times as high as non-Indigenous Australians after adjusting for difference in age structure, and the difference is more marked for older adults. (ref 4)

Asthma was the third most prevalent chronic condition in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. (ref 3)

Asthma was the most commonly self-reported long-term respiratory condition in 2018-2019 in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. (ref 1)

Prevalence by age groups: 11.5% of 0-14 yo; 13.8% of 15-24 yo; 15% of 25-34 yo; 17% of 35-44 yo; 20.8% of 45-54 yo; 25.8% of 55+ yo reported having asthma (ref 1 or ref 2)

Prevalence by jurisdictions: 18.6% in NSW; 18.0% in VIC; 13.7% in QLD; 12.6% in WA; 22.7% in SA; 21.9% in TAS; 25.3% in ACT; and 6.2% in NT (ref 2). Note: these statistics are also available stratified by remote/non-remote status in Table D1.04.20

AA commissioned the PHIDU team to create an Asthma Atlas with prevalence, AAP ownership, hospitalisations, and deaths. It breaks the data down by Commonwealth Electorate Divisions (CED), Population Health Areas (PHAs) and Statistical Area 3 (SA3).
The link to the left takes you to an online atlas.

The data is modelled using 2016/17 hospitalisation data which is not the most updated national or state/territory level data we have. However, this is very useful if you need data broken down by a local level.

Note (Feb 2024): this link is not accessible anymore, and PHIDU has updated their Social Health Atlas maps with the following asthma-specific data: Census 2021 data (for prevalence), asthma hospital admissions 2020/21; asthma potentially preventable hospitalisations 2020/21.

Previous releases of the PHIDU including NHS 2017/2018 prevalence data (2021 release) can be accessed at: https://phidu.torrens.edu.au/social-health-atlases/data-archive/data-archive-social-health-atlases-of-australia