Rural, regional and remote Australians are dying at higher rates than their urban counterparts, with avoidable deaths in the regions nearly four times higher, according to new data released today by the National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA).
The Rural Health in Australia Snapshot 2025 paints a grim picture of health inequities between rural and metropolitan areas. The life expectancy gap is stark, with men in Very Remote areas dying up to 13.6 years earlier and women up to 12.7 years earlier than those in Metropolitan areas.
Indeed, nearly 18,500 people in Australia still have no access to essential primary healthcare services within an hour’s drive of their home, although this is a significant improvement from the last data collection. This is as many people as Double Bay and Bondi Junction in NSW, or St Kilda in Victoria, or Cottesloe, Dalkeith and Claremont in WA, having to drive one hour to access healthcare.