National snapshot of antimicrobial resistance and use released

The Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has today released the Sixth Australian report on antimicrobial use and resistance in human health (AURA report), which reveals the latest antibiotic resistance and antimicrobial use data.

The data shows reports of critical antibiotic resistance in Australia increased by 25% in 2024 and less than half the antibiotics given after surgeries were appropriate.

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines. This resistance makes infections difficult – and sometimes impossible – to treat.

The report brings together 2022–24 data from hospitals, aged care settings and the wider community and provides Australia’s most comprehensive picture of how antibiotics are being used – and where resistance is emerging fastest.

The data reveals that in 2024, 23.2 million antibiotic prescriptions were supplied to about 37.1% of Australians under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, a 4.8% increase from 2023. A 25.2% increase in reports of critical antibiotic resistance was also reported in that same period. This underscores how essential antimicrobials are and why it is critical to maintain effective antimicrobials for community use.

Other key findings include:

• 88.1% of ‘last-line’ antibiotics were prescribed appropriately in hospitals
• only 45.0% of antibiotics given after surgeries were deemed appropriate
• in 2024, 14.4% more antimicrobials were prescribed to older Australians in residential aged care than in 2023
• 34.7% of antibiotics prescribed to aged care residents were used for prolonged periods (over 6 months).

A CDC spokesperson said the findings showed there were key areas of significant concern.

“The fact that in Australia, cases of critical antimicrobial resistance increased by 25% in 2024 and less than half of the antibiotics given after surgeries were appropriate, shows the need for us to focus our attention a lot more strongly in targeted areas,” the spokesperson said.

“Encouragingly, overall antibiotic use in Australia is almost 21% lower than a decade ago, and ‘last-line’ antibiotics used to treat life-threatening infections are still being carefully dispensed in hospitals.

“However, there appears to be less caution when prescribing antibiotics that are considered to have a lower risk of promoting resistance, resulting in their more frequent use even in situations where there is no clear benefit.

“Identifying these pressure points – as this analysis has done – is critical if we are to safeguard treatment options for the future.”

The report highlights that many antimicrobial stewardship programs are working well. However, prescribing practices vary significantly across settings, and improvements in some areas are not keeping pace with emerging resistance.

The AURA report does not announce new policy measures. Instead, it provides the national evidence base needed to guide stewardship, infection prevention, clinical guidelines and future policy decisions.

“This is exactly why national surveillance matters,” the CDC spokesperson said.

“By detecting risks through concrete data, Australia can act before antimicrobial resistance becomes pervasive.”

The AURA report is the first national antimicrobial resistance report drafted and released by the Australian CDC, following its establishment on 1 January 2026, and forms a foundational part of Australia’s long-term response to antimicrobial resistance.