How common is polypharmacy in Australia?

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare AIHW has released a new report exploring how polypharmacy was distributed in Australia in 2025.

The Report utilises Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) data. Private prescriptions are not included, so the findings may underestimate the true extent of polypharmacy in Australia.

What is polypharmacy?

Polypharmacy is defined as the same person being on five or more medicines over a year to manage one or more health conditions.

While taking multiple medicines can help manage long-term and complex health conditions, it may also increase the risk of side effects, medicine interactions and difficulties managing multiple medicines as prescribed.   

How common is polypharmacy in Australia?

• Around 1.9 million Australians, or 7% of the population, experienced polypharmacy in 2025.  
• Around 11% of people experiencing polypharmacy were regularly dispensed 10 or more medicines in 2025 (hyperpolypharmacy).  
• Mental health medicines were more common in younger people, while medicines for chronic conditions were more common in adults. 

As indicated in Figure 1, polypharmacy increased with age, with around 40% of people aged 75+ dispensed five or more PBS/RPBS medicines in 2025. With an ageing population, it is anticipated that the number of Australians experiencing polypharmacy will increase.

Why is tracking the prevalence of polypharmacy important?

The World Health Organization recognises polypharmacy as a priority area of medication safety due to the risk of medication-related harm generally increasing as the number of medicines a person takes increases.

Older adults are vulnerable to the risks of polypharmacy due to age-related physiological changes, higher rates of multiple chronic conditions, and more frequent interactions with multiple prescribers.

Gaining insight into the prevalence of polypharmacy is important for informing medication management strategies and potentially demonstrating the need for regular medication reviews, coordinated care, and quality use of medicines to reduce medicine-related harm.