Australians experience health loss from diseases and injuries at various stages of life. The Australian Burden of Disease Study (ABDS) 2024 includes estimates of disease burden due to 220 diseases and injuries in Australia in 2024 and the burden attributed to 20 individual risk factors.
Summary of findings
Living with illness or injury caused more disease burden than dying prematurely. After adjusting for age, the total disease burden has decreased by 10% between 2003 and 2024. However, in 2024, Australians lost 5.8 million years of healthy life due to living with illness or injury accounts for just over half (54%) of the overall disease burden, with injury accounting for 7.9% of the total burden.
The ABDS found that 36% of the burden in Australia in 2024 could have been avoided or reduced due to modifiable risk factors.
In 2024, the 5 disease groups causing the most burden were cancer, mental health conditions & substance use disorders, musculoskeletal conditions, cardiovascular diseases and neurological conditions. Together these disease groups accounted for around two-thirds (64%) of the total burden, including chronic or long term conditions.
Males and females experience burden differently
In 2024, injury among males accounted for 10.4% of the total burden in Australia compared to females accounting for 5.1%.
The leading specific causes of total burden among males were coronary heart disease, back pain & problems and suicide & self-inflicted injuries. Among females, the leading cause was dementia, followed by anxiety disorders and back pain & problems.
Males experienced 3 times the amount of burden due to suicide & self-inflicted injuries. Together these disease groups accounted for around two-thirds (64%) of the total burden, including chronic or long term conditions.
What about age?
Australians experience health loss from different diseases and injuries at various stages of life. Leading causes of burden at various ages can be different for females and males.
Leading causes of burden for females aged 15-44 were anxiety and depression disorders with suicide and eating disorders also featuring in the top 5 leading causes. For males aged 15-44, suicide and self-inflicted injuries were the leading cause. Anxiety and depressive disorders, alcohol use disorders and poisoning were also in the top 5 with alcohol and illicit drug use being leading contributors.
In women aged 45–64, leading causes of burden included back pain and problems, osteoarthritis and anxiety disorders. For men in this age group, coronary heart disease, back pain and problems, and suicide and self-inflicted injuries were the top contributors.
For women and men aged 65 and over, dementia was in the top 3 leading causes of burden as well as stroke and falls emerging in the top 5 for those 85 and over.
Breakdown of injuries accounting for total burden of disease
- Suicide and self-inflicted injuries-2.8%
- Falls- 1.6%
- Poisoning 1.2%
- Road traffic injuries (occupants)- 0.6%
- Violence-0.3%
- Drowning-0.2%
- Road traffic injuries (Motorcyclists)-0.2
- Road traffic injuries (Pedestrians)-0.1%
- Burns- 0.1%
Associated risk factors and the impact on burden
Health impacts due to risk factors vary by age and sex. The AIHW have an interactive data visualisation table which provides data on the types of risk factors associated with the burden of injury, including drowning, falls, burns and scalds, violence, road traffic and suicide and self-inflicted injuries.
National Preventive Health Strategy 2021–2030: burden of disease targets
As highlighted earlier, over one-third of the total burden of disease and injury could have been prevented and was attributable to the risk factors discussed.
The National Preventive Health Strategy 2021–2030 (the Strategy) outlines the long-term approach to prevention in Australia. The Strategy aims to address the wider determinants of health, promote health equity and decrease the overall burden of disease and injury through a whole-of-systems approach to prevention.
A public health approach to injury prevention
A common method to preventing injuries is the Public Health Approach to Injury Prevention, which consists of five stages.