Hospital admissions in Australia have risen sharply over the past decade, according to a new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The AIHW report highlights growing pressure on Australia’s hospital system, driven by rising demand for both emergency and planned care across public and private sectors.

About 12.6 million Australians were hospitalized in the 2023-24 financial year, up from 10.2 million in 2014-15, said the report released by the government AIHW on Wednesday.

While population growth is partly responsible, the rate of hospitalizations has also increased, from 405 to 421 admissions per 1,000 people, the report said.

Public hospitals accounted for 59 percent of admissions, with private hospitals more commonly used for planned, or elective, care. Of all admissions where urgency was recorded, 69 percent were elective, mostly treated in private facilities, such as planned surgeries, while 31 percent were emergencies, mostly handled by public hospitals, it said.

Hospital stays varied, with an average duration of 2.7 days. Most admissions, or 63 percent, were same-day, especially in private hospitals. For overnight stays, public hospitals reported a longer average stay than private ones, statistics show.

Over the past decade, non-admitted care also grew, with outpatient service events rising from 34.9 million in 2014-15 to 40.9 million in 2023-24, often involving follow-up care after emergency or inpatient treatment, according to AIHW.

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