Burden of disease 2024 (AIHW)
In 2024, Asthma was the 10th leading contributor to the total burden of disease in Australia with a disability-adjusted life years (DALY) rate of 5.35 per 1,000 population (143,782 DALY, crude number), similar to 2023
– After adjustment for age structure, asthma was the 8th leading cause of total burden, with an age-standardised DALY rate of 5.3 DALY per 1,000, similar to 2023 (8th) but up from 9th in 2018 and 2015, and 10th in 2011 and 2003, with an increase by 8.5% in the last 21 years (from 4.9 per 1,000 in 2003; 4.4 in 2011; 5.0 in 2015; 5.2 in 2018; 5.3 in 2023 and 5.3 in 2024)
– 5.7% of the total asthma burden was fatal, 94.3% was non-fatal
By gender:
– Asthma ranked 6th in females of all ages for total burden (after adjusting for age) with an age-standardised DALY rate of 5.7 DALY per 1,000, up from 7th in 2018 and a 4.3% increase since 2003, but unchanged compared to 2023
– Asthma ranked 10th in males of all ages for total burden (after adjusting for age) with an age-standardised DALY rate of 4.9 DALY per 1,000, down from 9th in 2018 and a 13.5% increase since 2003, but unchanged compared to 2023
By age groups (age-specific DALY per 1,000), asthma ranked as leading cause of total burden of disease:
– Under 5 year-olds (0-4): 5th in females ( accounting for 2.9% of total burden) and in males (3.4% of total burden)
– under 1 year-olds: ranking 25th overall (24th in males, not in top 25 for females)
– 1-4 year-olds: ranking 1st in boys, girls and overall
– 5-9 year-olds: 1st in females, 2nd in males after Autism spectrum disorder, ranking 1st overall
– 10-14 year-olds: 2nd in females, 2nd in males and 2nd overall
– 5-14 year olds: 1st in females (accounting for 10.7% of burden) and 2nd in males (accounting for 12.8% of burden)
– 15-19 year-olds: 6th in females, 5th in males, 4th overall
– 20-24 year-olds: 5th in females, 8th in males, 6th overall
– 25-44 year olds: 4th in females (accounting for 4.7% of burden), not in the top 5 for males
For asthma burden for other age groups, see Fig 3.4 (Rank by number) on AIHW web report.
Note: to compare epidemiological data, it is usually preferred to use age-standardised statistics to ensure the differences are not caused by variations in age structure and an ageing population, unless the data is for specific age ranges in which case “crude” age-specific statistics are used.
Figure 3.5: Disease- or injury-specific summary of disease burden in Australia: Asthma
Risk factors attributable burden of asthma: it was estimated that in 2024
– 36% of asthma total burden was due/attributed to all risk factors combined
– 24% was due/attributed to being overweight (including obesity)
– 7% was due/attributed to tobacco use
– 5% was due/attributed to occupational exposures and hazards
Air pollution, although not directly linked to asthma burden, was linked to other respiratory conditions and was estimated to contribute 7.5% to the burden of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.