Australian Centre for Monitoring Population Health

Every year in Australia, millions of years of healthy life are lost because of injury, illness or premature deaths. This loss of healthy life is called the ‘burden of disease’. Information on burden of disease and injuries is important for monitoring population health and provides an evidence base to inform health policy and service planning.

The Australian Burden of Disease Study 2023 includes national estimates for 220 diseases and injuries in 2023 based on projections using historical trends in data.

Back problems’ describes a range of conditions related to the bones, joints, connective tissue, muscles and nerves of the back. These conditions can affect the neck (cervical spine), upper back (thoracic spine) and lower back (lumbar spine) as well as the sacrum and tailbone (coccyx). Back problems are a significant cause of disability and lost productivity.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable and treatable lung disease characterised by chronic obstruction of lung airflow that interferes with normal breathing and is not fully reversible. The symptoms of COPD include cough, sputum production, and dyspnoea (difficult or labored breathing).

Asthma is the most common respiratory condition reported by First Nations people and is a significant cause of poor health and health service use. This web article presents the latest available data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people with asthma.

Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis. It occurs when excess uric acid in the blood leads to deposits of uric acid crystals in one or more joints. These deposits cause inflammation, with the big toe joint being most commonly affected. Gout can also affect other joints in the arms (fingers, wrists, elbows) and legs (toes, ankles, knees).

Chronic kidney disease: Australian facts provides key information for monitoring chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the Australian population, focussing on CKD risk factors, treatment and impact. Incidence, prevalence, hospitalisation and mortality are described with additional analysis of priority population groups.

This report is regularly updated with data from a range of sources. There are differences in the source year and frequency of publication. See Data sources and Notes for more information. 

Juvenile arthritis, or juvenile idiopathic arthritis, includes several different kinds of arthritis occurring in children and adolescents, causing significant pain, disability and restrictions in school and other activities. Some will continue to have active disease into adulthood. Up to 30,100 Australians aged 0–24 are living with arthritis, and it is more common among girls than boys.

This web report presents updated data for the national asthma indicators published in the National Asthma Strategy 2018.

The indicators provide insights on how common asthma is in Australia; asthma related deaths, hospital visits and general practice encounters; medication use, asthma action plans, the impact of asthma on quality of life, and the cost of asthma to the Australian healthcare system.

Osteoarthritis is a chronic condition characterised by the breakdown of the cartilage that overlies the ends of bones in joints. Osteoarthritis mostly affects the hands, spine and joints such as hips, knees and ankles, and usually gets worse over time.

Osteoporosis (meaning 'porous bones') is a condition that causes bones to become thin, weak and fragile. As a result, even a minor bump or accident can cause a fracture (broken bone). Such events might include falling out of a bed or chair, or tripping and falling while walking. Fractures due to osteoporosis can result in chronic pain, disability, loss of independence and premature death.