Australia: share of population with a mental disorder by type 2021

Approximately one in five people living in Australia had a 12-month mental health disorder in the 2021 financial year. Anxiety disorders were the most prevalent, specifically social phobia. Post-traumatic stress disorder affected over five percent of the population.

Share of the Australian population with a 12-month mental disorder in Australia in financial year 2021, by type of disorder

Characteristic	Share of population
Any 12-month* mental disorder**	21.4%
Anxiety disorders**	16.8%
Panic disorder	3.7%
Agoraphobia	4.6%
Social phobia	7%
Generalised anxiety disorder	3.8%
Obsessive-compulsive disorder	3.1%
Post-traumatic stress disorder	5.7%
Affective disorders**	7.5%
Depressive episode	4.6%
Dysthmia	1.7%
Bipolar affective disorder	2.2%
Substance abuse disorders**	3.3%
Alcohol harmful use	1.6%
Alcohol dependence	0.9%
Drug use disorders	1%

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Release date

July 2022

More information

Region

Australia

Survey time period

December 5, 2020 to July 31, 2021

Number of respondents

5,554 households

Age group

16-85 years

Method of interview

Face-to-face interview

Supplementary notes

*12 month mental disorder refers to people who had experienced a mental disorder at some time in their life and had sufficient symptoms of that disorder in the 12 months prior to the survey.
**A person may have had more than one mental disorder.

Study included all usual residents in Australia living in private dwellings in both urban and rural areas in all states and territories, except very remote parts of Australia and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The exclusion of residents in special dwellings (e.g., hotels, boarding houses, and institutions) and homeless people means the results are likely to underestimate the prevalence of mental health disorders in the Australian population.

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