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Australians’ life expectancy has fallen for the first time in 30 years.
Australians have lost a month off their life spans according to the latest health report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
For the first time since the mid-1990s, the life expectancy has decreased by 0.1 years for both males and females between 2020–2022.
The finding is part of the latest biennial report card on Australians’ health by AIHW.
The AIHW says the change is most likely because of the impact of COVID-19. In 2022, there was an increase in overall deaths — close to half of these were from the virus.
“COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death in Australia in 2022, marking the first time in over 50 years that an infectious disease has been in the top five causes of death,” AIHW Deputy CEO Matthew James said.
Despite COVID shaving a month off our life expectancy, we are still living longer compared to the past.
“Even though life expectancy in Australia decreased in 2020-2022, it was still higher than it was in 2017-2019, prior to the pandemic,” Mr James said.
It was worse for other countries. The United States and the United Kingdom saw drops in life expectancy of up to two years. In the US, life expectancy fell from 78.9 years in 2019 to 76.4 in 2021, and in the UK, it fell from 81.3 in 2019 to 80.4 in 2020.
Overall, Australians’ health is good when compared to similar countries.
Australian’s life expectancy at birth is the fourth highest among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries after Japan, Korea and Switzerland. A boy and a girl born in 2020–2022 can expect to live on average, 81.2 years and 85.3 years respectively — an increase of over 40% since the start of the 20th century.
Chronic conditions: heart disease still the biggest killer
Chronic conditions contributed to most deaths (between 89 and 92%) between 2002 and 2022. There’s also been an increase in the number of years that Australians spend in ill health — in men from 8.7 years to 9.7 years and in women, it has increased from 10.2 to 11.5 years.
The report highlights that around three in five Australians are estimated to live with at least one long term health condition.
Despite the death rate from coronary heart disease falling by 80% between 1980 and 2022, it is still the leading cause of death in Australia.
Cancer is still predominant, with more than 450 cases, on average, diagnosed each day. Over the past 20 years, consistent with Australia’s ageing population, the number of new cancer cases increased by 88% and deaths increased by 41%. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and prostate cancer is most common in men.
For cancer patients, the five-year survival rates have improved from 53% in 1990–1994 to 71% in 2015–2019. Screening has had an enormous impact. The AIHW said that cervical cancer death rates have halved since the National Cervical Screening Program was introduced in 1991.
Dementia to double over the next 35 years
Dementia is expected to affect almost every Australian over the course of their lives.
A 2023 survey by the AIHW found that two in every three people had a family member or friend living with dementia. And one in four had cared for a family member or friend living with dementia.
AIHW predicts that the number of Australians with dementia will more than double over the next three decades, affecting 533 800 women and 315 500 men.
First Nations people – some improvements
Death rates in Indigenous Australians have been falling in most age groups over the past decade. However, infant and child death rates have not improved.
Cancers are the most common cause of death in First Nations people, taking over from cardiovascular disease. The AIHW reports that the differences in social determinants and health risk factors between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians need to be resolved.
Health spending and workforce
In 2021–2022, governments, insurers and individuals spent about $241.3 billion on health goods and services — an average of $9365 per person. This figure has increased by 6% from the previous year and experienced the biggest average annual growth over the past ten years. It’s about one-tenth of the nation’s gross domestic product.
The money was spent on private and public hospitals, primary health care, referred medical services, patient transport services, aids and appliances, administration research and capital expenditure.
About $45 billion was spent on COVID-19 related programs by the Department of Health and Aged Care between 2019 and 2022.
There has been an increase of 37% in the number of health care professionals actively working in their registered professions since 2013.
Other interesting health data:
- 8.8 million people visited emergency departments in one year.
- GP attendances have been increasing steadily. Most Australians (86%) had a GP visit in 2022–2023 that was subsidised by Medicare.
- Tobacco smoking has decreased but vaping has increased.
- More people are overweight or living with obesity, with this figure increasing by 10% over the past few decades
- Extreme heat causes more hospitalisations than other weather events, including bushfires, storms and extreme cold
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In an article about Australia’s excellent record in extending life expectancy, why comment that “tobacco smoking has decreased but vaping has increased?” Most likely, tobacco smoking has recently decreased faster largely because vaping has increased. Vaping nicotine and smoking cigarettes are economic substitutes. In the age groups in Australia where vaping rates were highest, smoking rates declined fastest. In countries where use of vaping nicotine or other forms of tobacco harm reduction (including snus and heated tobacco products) increased most, smoking rates declined faster. Australia and New Zealand had similar policy responses to smoking and vaping until 2020 when the New Zealand government decided to make vaping more available than cigarettes. Since 2020, the smoking rate in New Zealand has fallen twice as fast as the smoking rate in Australia.