ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Population Health Survey: Key findings for 2024

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  1. ​O±¹±ð°ù±¹¾±±ð·É
  2. Key findings for 2024​
  3. Results
  4. ¸é±ð´Ú±ð°ù±ð²Ô³¦±ð²õ​â¶Ä‹â¶Ä‹â¶Ä‹â¶Ä‹â¶Ä‹

​Overview

The ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Population Health Survey (the Survey) is an annual survey of people in New South Wales (ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø). The Survey collects information about a range of health risk factors and health behaviours.

In 2024, 13,649 people across ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø participated in the Survey. Of these, 11,611 people were aged 16 years and older, with the remaining 1,992 interviews conducted with parents of children under 16 years of age.

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Key findings for 2024

  • In 2024 in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, 77% of adults rated their own health as excellent, very good or good. This has been relatively stable since 2015. 
  • In 2024 in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, 19% of adults experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress. The proportion of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø adults experiencing high or very high levels of psychological distress has been relatively stable since 2019. High or very high levels of psychological distress were most commonly reported by those aged 16–24 years (31%). In contrast, 11% of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø adults aged 75 years and over reported high or very high levels of psychological distress.
  • There has been a long-term reduction in smoking rates in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø. Around 1 in 10 adults (11%) smoked daily or occasionally in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø in 2024. This rate has declined from 14% in 2015, mainly due to a decline in daily smoking rather than occasional smoking rates.
  • Across the two-year period 2023–2024, people aged 16–24 years had the highest rate of daily or occasional vaping (20%) of any age group. Vaping rates among people aged 16–24 years have started to stabilise after the rapid increase from 2018–2019 to 2022–2023. Further years of data collection are required to confirm this trend.
  • In 2024 in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, around 7 in 10 (69%) adults aged 18 years and over met the Australian alcohol guidelines for adults (NHMRC Guideline 1),1 that is, they drank 10 or less standard drinks a week, and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day.
  • Over the two-year period 2023–2024 among ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø residents aged 16 years and over, the proportion reporting use of the following drugs for non-medical purposes in the previous 12 months was:
    • 8.7% for marijuana/cannabis
    • 3.7% for cocaine
    • 2.4% for ecstasy/MDMA
    • 1.0% for anti-depressants
    • 0.7% for prescription opioids
    • 0.5% for benzodiazepines
    • 0.4% for meth/amphetamines/'ice'
    • 0.1% for heroin. 
  • In ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, the proportion of children and adults reporting they consume the recommended daily intake2 of fruit and vegetables has declined over the past 10 years.
    • Over the two-year period 2023–2024, 59% of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø children aged 2–15 years consumed the recommended daily fruit intake, down from 69% in 2014–2015.
    • Only 4 in 100 (4.2%) children aged 2–15 years consumed the recommended daily intake of vegetables over the two-year period 2023–​2024, a slight decrease from around 8 in 100 (7.7%) in 2014–2015.
    • In 2024, less than 4 in 10 (38%) adults aged 16 years and over consumed the recommended two or more serves of fruit daily, down from 48% in 2015.
    • Only 5 in 100 (4.6%) adults aged 16 years and over consumed at least the minimum recommended number of serves of vegetables daily in 2024. The daily intake of vegetables among adults has remained low since 2015.
  • In ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø i​n 2024, 62% of children aged 2–15 years consumed at least 4 cups of plain water per day, while 38% drank between 1 and 3 cups of water daily.
  • Over the two-year period 2023–2024, about 2 in 10 (20%) ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø children aged 5–15 years met the recommended physical activity guideline3 of at least 60 minutes each day of moderate to vigorous physical activity. This is a decline from 28% in 2014–2015. 
  • In 2024, of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø adults aged 16 years and over, 65% met the requirements of at least 150 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity in a week and at least 5 sessions in the week. This represents a significant increase from the 58% meeting requirements in 2015.
  • The percentage of children living with overweight or obesity has been relatively stable in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø over the last 10 years, with around 1 in 5 (21%) children aged 5–16 years in 2024 being above a healthy weight.
  • Over the last 10 years, the percentage of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø adults aged 16 years and over living with overweight or obesity has gradually increased from 52% in 2015 to 61% in 2024. This increase is being driven mainly by an increase in the rate of people living with obesity over this period (from 19% to 27%). 
  • In 2023–2024 in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, 64% of children aged 5–15 years brushed their teeth using toothpaste at the recommended frequency of twice a day (63% of boys and 66% of girls). Children aged 9–15 years were more likely to have brushed twice a day compared to those aged 5–8 years (66% and 61% respectively).
  • In 2024 in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, 61% of adults visited either a public or private dental service in the past 12 months. Adults aged 65–74 years were most likely to have visited a dental professional while those aged 25–34 years were the least likely (70% and 54% respectively).
  • In 2024 in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, 80% of children aged 5–15 years visited either a public or private dental service in the past 12 months. Children aged 9–15 years were more likely to have visited a dental professional than those aged 5–8 years (84% and 71% respectively). 

* For age groups with small sample sizes, multiple years of data are combined to ensure reliable estimates of rates.

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Results

The ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Population Health Survey 2024 databook​​​ (right click and select 'Save link as' to access this file) provides weighted and unweighted descriptive statistics for each question in the 2024 ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Population Health Survey questionnaire​â¶Ä‹.

More detailed insights and additional results on specific topics from the Survey can be accessed through HealthStats ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø​​​​ and using the links provided below. 

​Health status

Self-rated health

Psychological distress

Weight status

Health behaviours

Smoking and vaping

Alcohol use

Substance use

Nutrition

Physical activity

Oral health behaviours

​R±ð´Ú±ð°ù±ð²Ô³¦±ð²õ

  1. National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2020.
  2. National Health and Medical Research Council (2013) Australian Dietary Guidelines. Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council.
  3. ​​Australian Government. Physical activity and exercise guidelines for all Australians. Australian Federal Government Canberra, Australia; 2021.
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Current as at: Friday 30 May 2025
Contact page owner: Health Survey Program