Hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories in Australia

Australia: Hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories was 5.6 Days in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
5.6 Days
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
25th
of 32 countries
All-time high
6.8 Days
in 1995
All-time low
5.2 Days
in 2017
Years of data
32
1993–2024

Hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories in Australia, 1993–2024

02461993200820241993: 6.6 Days1994: 6.5 Days1995: 6.8 Days1996: 6.8 Days1997: 6.7 Days1998: 6.6 Days1999: 6.6 Days2000: 6.4 Days2001: 6.5 Days2002: 6.5 Days2003: 6.3 Days2004: 6.3 Days2005: 6.2 Days2006: 6.2 Days2007: 6.2 Days2008: 6 Days2009: 5.9 Days2010: 5.8 Days2011: 5.8 Days2012: 5.4 Days2013: 5.3 Days2014: 5.4 Days2015: 5.4 Days2016: 5.4 Days2017: 5.2 Days2018: 5.2 Days2019: 5.3 Days2020: 5.3 Days2021: 5.6 Days2022: 5.6 Days2023: 5.5 Days2024: 5.6 Days

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Days.

Analysis

Australia recorded 5.6 Days for hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories in 2024.

That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories in Australia peaked at 6.8 Days in 1995 and was at its lowest, 5.2 Days, in 2017.

Australia ranks 25th of 32 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.

Hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories in Australia, 1993 to 2024.
Year Days Change
1993 6.6 Days
1994 6.5 Days -1.5%
1995 6.8 Days +4.6%
1996 6.8 Days +0.0%
1997 6.7 Days -1.5%
1998 6.6 Days -1.5%
1999 6.6 Days +0.0%
2000 6.4 Days -3.0%
2001 6.5 Days +1.6%
2002 6.5 Days +0.0%
2003 6.3 Days -3.1%
2004 6.3 Days +0.0%
2005 6.2 Days -1.6%
2006 6.2 Days +0.0%
2007 6.2 Days +0.0%
2008 6 Days -3.2%
2009 5.9 Days -1.7%
2010 5.8 Days -1.7%
2011 5.8 Days +0.0%
2012 5.4 Days -6.9%
2013 5.3 Days -1.9%
2014 5.4 Days +1.9%
2015 5.4 Days +0.0%
2016 5.4 Days +0.0%
2017 5.2 Days -3.7%
2018 5.2 Days +0.0%
2019 5.3 Days +1.9%
2020 5.3 Days +0.0%
2021 5.6 Days +5.7%
2022 5.6 Days +0.0%
2023 5.5 Days -1.8%
2024 5.6 Days +1.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 6.66 Days 6.5 Days 6.8 Days 7
2000s 6.25 Days 5.9 Days 6.5 Days 10
2010s 5.42 Days 5.2 Days 5.8 Days 10
2020s 5.52 Days 5.3 Days 5.6 Days 5

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 22 Ireland 6 Days compare
  2. 23 Greece 5.8 Days compare
  3. 24 Belgium 5.7 Days compare
  4. 26 Denmark 5.4 Days compare
  5. 27 Norway 5.3 Days compare
  6. 27 Cyprus 5.3 Days compare

See the full ranking of 42 places →

More health data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories in Australia?
Hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories in Australia was 5.6 Days in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 6.8 Days in 1995.
What is the lowest hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 5.2 Days in 2017.
How does Australia rank for hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories?
Australia ranks 25th out of 32 countries with data for 2024.
Is hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/hospital-average-length-of-stay-by-diagnostic-categories/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Hospital average length of stay by diagnostic categories
Unit
Days
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
42 places, 1,093 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Average length of stay (ALOS) is calculated by dividing the number of bed-days by the number of discharges during the year. The list of diagnostic categories is based on the International Shortlist for Hospital Morbidity Tabulation (ISHMT). Click here to see the complete shortlist with ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.