Asthma Facts

  • Over 2 million Australians have asthma.1
  • The prevalence of asthma in Australia is relatively high, by international standards:1
    • 11-13% of children have asthma (about 1 in 8 or 9 children)
    • 9-11% of adults have asthma (about  1 in 10 adults)
  • More boys than girls have asthma. However, after teenage years, asthma is more common in women than in men.1
  • Asthma is more common among Indigenous Australians, particularly women, than among other Australians.1
  • There is a strong link between asthma and allergy - more than 80% of people with asthma have evidence of allergies.2
  • Allergy (atopy) is strongly associated with asthma that persists beyond the first 6 years of life.3,4
  • The presence of other allergic disorders (eczema, hay fever or allergic rhinitis) or parental history of allergy are risk factors for persistent asthma at 6 years.5
  • Allergy is also a risk factor for hospitalisation for asthma, as are frequent respiratory symptoms, airway hyperresponsiveness and reduced lung function.6
  • Children are the group that most commonly visits doctors, emergency departments or is hospitalised for asthma.1
  • Among pre-school and primary age children, rates of hospital visits for asthma are highest in February and May. In adults, hospital admissions peak in winter.1
  • Around 11% of children who have asthma live with smokers and are likely to be exposed to passive smoke.1
  • Despite the known additional health risks, just as many people with asthma smoke as people without asthma.1
  • Nearly 10% of adult-onset asthma is caused by work-related exposures.1
  • People with asthma report poorer general health and quality of life than people without asthma.1
  • More people with asthma experience anxiety and depression than people without asthma.1
  • A greater proportion of people with asthma had days away from work or study in the last two weeks (16.6%) than people without asthma (10.7%) preceding a survey.1
  • Poorly controlled asthma restricts participation in normal physical and social activities.7
  • In 2009, 411 people died from asthma - the latest figures.8 The risk of dying from asthma is highest in the elderly.  However, education, together with self-monitoring, appropriate drug therapy, regular medical review and a written asthma action plan, reduces these risks.7,9
  • Most people with asthma lead normal lives and can participate competitively in sport. Many of Australia's leading sportsmen and women have asthma.7

More information

Our website has lots more facts and figures about asthma and its management. Check out these sections:

Visit the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website for a wide range of data and statistics about asthma.