Deaths/mortality 2024 (ABS)
In 2024, there were 478 deaths with asthma as underlying cause in Australia, including 322 females and 156 males (see table below) (ref 1):
* Asthma deaths were nearly identical to the previous year (480 deaths in 2023; 329 females and 151 males)*** (ref 1), with a return to pre-pandemic level after seeing a reduction in 2021 due to pandemic measures resulting in fewer respiratory infections (ref 1, 2)
* However, over the last 35 years, asthma deaths have halved, from 964 deaths in 1989 (ref 2)
*** Note that ABS numbers were updated in this release for previous years with 480 deaths in 2023 and 474 deaths in 2022, compared to 474 deaths in 2023 according to previous ABS release and Asthma Australia infographic.
The age-standardised death rate in 2024 was 1.3 deaths per 100,000 people (1.5 for females and 0.9 for males) which remains similar to before the pandemic. (ref 1)
There were 3,864 years of potential life lost due to asthma in 2024 (1,964 years in males and 1,847 years in females). (ref 1)
Looking at asthma as a contributing factor at death (not underlying/principal cause of death), there were 2,395 deaths in 2024 in which asthma was a contributing factor (1,475 females and 920 males) (ref 1)
Asthma deaths by state/territory and sex 2023 (ref 1)
| Asthma related deaths by state or territory and sex 2023 | ||||||
| Number | Standardised Death Rate | |||||
| State or Territory | Males | Females | Persons | Males | Females | Persons |
| ACT | 0 | 5 | 5 | np | np | np |
| NT | 6 | 1 | 5 | np | np | np |
| TAS | 6 | 10 | 16 | np | np | np |
| WA | 7 | 29 | 36 | np | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| SA | 18 | 35 | 53 | np | 2.0 | 1.7 |
| QLD | 28 | 62 | 87 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 1.2 |
| VIC | 42 | 89 | 131 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 1.4 |
| NSW | 63 | 91 | 154 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Australia | 156 | 322 | 478 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| Note: males + females does not equal persons here, and the sum of all states does not equal Australia | ||||||