More than 1 in 20 Australians have COPD and there were almost 60,000 hospitalisations for the disease in 2012-13. These are just some of the facts published by the AIHW in their a snapshot of the latest statistics on COPD in Australia.

COPD by numbers

More than 1 in 20

Australians aged 55 and over have COPD (5.7%). That’s 310,700 people.

Fifth leading cause of death

In 2012 COPD was the fifth leading cause of death in Australia. 5,923 people died from COPD (4.0% of all deaths).

Since 1970, COPD mortality has decreased by two-thirds for males. The COPD mortality rate has always been lower for females than males, but the female rate increased from the mid-60s to the mid-90s, and then showed a small decrease.

59,700

hospitalisations for COPD in 2012–13 among Australians aged 55 and over. That’s a rate of 1,052 per 100,000 population aged 55 and over.

Men’s hospitalisation rates declined between 2003–04 and 2012–13, while women’s rates were relatively stable.

$929 million

was spent on COPD in 2008–09.

That’s 1.3% of all direct expenditure on diseases