Hepatitis B Statistics

Global hepatitis B situation (2022)

  • More than 296 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in the world in 2019.
  • 820,000 people died due to complications of hepatitis B, including liver cirrhosis and liver cancer in 2019
  • Hepatitis B prevalence highest in the Western Pacific Region and the African Region, where 116 million and 81 million people, respectively, were chronically infected. Other high prevalent regions include the Eastern Mediterranean Region (60 million), the South-East Asia Region (18 million), the European Region (14 million) and the Region of the Americas (5 million).
  • The virus is transmitted through contact with the blood or other body fluids of a person living with hepatitis B, mother-to-child or person-to-person in early childhood.
  • Hepatitis B can be prevented by a safe and effective vaccine.
Source: World Health Organisation, 2022

Hepatitis B in Australia (2022)

  • At the end of 2021, there were an estimated 200,385 people living with chronic hepatitis (CHB) in Australia.
  • 145,281 (73%) of the estimated number of people living with CHB in Australia had been diagnosed, and of those, an estimated 52,789 (26%) were receiving clinical care.
  • In 2021, an estimated 25,410 (13%) of people living with CHB were receiving antiviral therapy (treatment) in Australia.
Source: Kirby Institute, 2022

Hepatitis B in culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Australia

  • An estimated 140,317 (76%) of people living with CHB in Australia were born overseas in 2021, with the most common region of Northeast Asia (45,994) and Southeast Asia (45,215) accounting for a significant proportion. Smaller proportions were born Sub-Saharan Africa (8,541), and other regions.
Source: Kirby Institute, 2022

Hepatitis B in NSW (2021)

  • An estimated 72,058 people in NSW were living with CHB in 2021, representing 0.89% of the population.
  • 55,907 (77.6%) of people living with CHB have been diagnosed with 16,151 (22.4%) still undiagnosed.
  • 10,884 (15.1%) of the total living with CHB in 2021 took up treatment.

Source: Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project National Report 2021 (published in 2023)