Australia’s Healthiest and Unhealthiest Regions Revealed for 2024

A new report by BeSeenHub – a team with over three decades of experience in health, wellness, and lifestyle journalism – has uncovered some shocking disparities in health presence (or lack thereof) across Australia.

Based on data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the report sees Adelaide’s Central and Adelaide Hills as the nation’s healthiest regions, while Queensland’s Wide Bay emerges as the unhealthiest.

The report sheds light on the urgent need for targeted healthcare interventions to address these growing health divides.

Adelaide’s Central and Hills claim the top spot as the healthiest area in Australia with an impressive health score of 90. Only 2.1% of residents require assistance with daily tasks, and rates of chronic conditions like arthritis (2.9%) and heart disease (1.7%) are well below the national average. Additionally, the area boasts some of the lowest rates of cancer and dementia in the country.

At the other end of the spectrum, Queensland’s Wide Bay ranks as the unhealthiest region, with a concerning health score of 60.

In Wide Bay, 10% of residents require daily assistance, and the area struggles with alarmingly high rates of arthritis (15%), mental health issues (12.1%), and heart disease (6.6%), painting a grim picture of health for the community.

There are stark disparities between urban and regional areas, with residents in Wide Bay experiencing nearly triple the rate of disability support compared to those in Adelaide’s Central and Hills. Mental health concerns are particularly prevalent, with South West Sydney also reporting the highest incidence of mental health conditions at 12.5% – more than three times higher than the 4% reported in South Australia’s Barossa region.

Cancer prevalence varies significantly across the nation, with Adelaide’s Central and Hills showing the lowest rate at just 1.1%, while Western Australia’s Wheatbelt reports the highest at 4.6%. The analysis also spotlights rates of diabetes in regional areas, with West and North West Tasmania showing the highest percentage at 7.2%, compared to just 2.3% in Bendigo, Victoria.

Experts say these disparities are a clear indicator that certain regions are falling behind in healthcare access and preventative measures. As Australia’s population continues to age, these gaps are likely to grow unless urgent interventions are implemented.

“Wide Bay’s figures are a wake-up call,” says Sasha Mariposa, Health and Wellness Editor at BeSeenHub. “Chronic conditions like arthritis and heart disease are significantly higher here than in urban areas, suggesting that rural and regional communities are not receiving the same level of support and preventative care.”

Lisa Andrews