New Report: Chronic Pain in Australia

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

A new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare finds that 1 in 5 Australians over the age of 45 live with chronic pain. It also found that those with chronic pain have higher rates of arthritis, mental health problems and osteoporosis. 

Some other findings from the report titled Chronic pain in Australia include:

• Those with chronic pain are 5 times more likely to be ‘limited a lot’ in daily activities

• In 2017–18, there were nearly 105,000 hospitalisations for chronic pain. The most common reason for hospitliations was for diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue - including conditions such as arthritis and back pain. 

• It is estimated that chronic pain cost $139 billion in Australia in 2018. This is largely due to reduced quality of life and productivity losses.

To access the full report, visit https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-disease/chronic-pain-in-australia/contents/summary