Australia: Aging

Australia: Health System Facts

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Aging
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“Population ageing places a significant challenge on health and social care systems, with the number of people aged 65 years and over projected to reach 2.2 billion globally by 2070 [1]. This demographic shift is accompanied by a growing demand for aged care services. In Australia, the proportion of individuals aged 65 and over is expected to increase from 17% in 2022 to between 25% and 27% by 2071 [2]. The number of individuals residing in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in Australia increased by 9.5% between 2013 and 2023 (from 169,000 to 185,000 people) [3].

“Older adults living in LTCFs in developed countries consistently experience a high burden of symptoms due to aging-related physiological changes, significant frailty, multimorbidity and complex health conditions [4]. An Australian population-based study reported that 92% of residents potentially had palliative care needs prior to their death [5], underscoring the growing importance of structured palliative care approaches in LTCFs [6].”

Source: Johnson CE, Dai Y, Bryce L, et al. The Palliative Aged Care Outcomes Program (PACOP): establishing a national framework to improve palliative care in long-term care facilities for older people. BMC Geriatr. 2026;26(1):281. Published 2026 Jan 31. doi:10.1186/s12877-026-07009-5

“At 30 June 2024 (or during the 2023–24 financial year for home support):

  • “around 2 in 3 people using aged care were women
  • “almost 3 in 5 (59%) people using permanent residential care were aged 85 and over, compared with 29% of people using home support and 41% of people using home care
  • “almost 2 in 3 (64%) women living in permanent residential care were aged 85 years and over, compared with 49% of men; the age profiles of people using home support and home care were similar between the sexes
  • “there were more men than women in residential care in younger age groups (54% of people aged under 65 in permanent residential care were men), despite more women using aged care services overall.”

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2025) GEN fact sheet 2023–24: People using aged care, AIHW, Australian Government.

“In Australia, it is estimated that 51%–75% of the population has at least one chronic condition.7,8 For those in middle age or ‘early ageing’ (defined as 45–64 years), 30% have one chronic condition and a further 30% live with multimorbidity (defined as two or more chronic conditions).9 Chronic conditions among ageing adults are associated with negative health outcomes, higher healthcare costs, and reduced quality of life,10, 11, 12, 13, 14 with burden on healthcare systems influencing the optimal provision of care.15“

Source: Block H, Stevens A, Exley H, Winter A, George S. Barriers and enablers to implementing early intervention initiatives for healthy ageing in Australian primary care: A qualitative study. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2026;50(2):100320. doi:10.1016/j.anzjph.2026.100320

World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other OECD member nations.

Page last updated July 1, 2026 by Doug McVay, Editor.