In 2023–24, 82.6% of Australians aged 15 and over saw a GP at least once — up slightly from 82.3% the year before. Who's seeing a GP varies a lot by age and sex, and a growing share say cost is the reason they didn't.
GP visit rates rise steadily with age — from 70.8% of 15–24 year olds up to 96.9% of 75–84 year olds — then ease slightly for the 85-and-over group.
Share of people who said cost was the reason they delayed or didn't see a GP.
Delaying or not seeing a GP because of cost rose from 7.0% (2022–23) to 8.8% (2023–24). The same pattern shows up more sharply for after-hours GPs, where the cost barrier rose from 4.4% to 6.4%. The ABS report doesn't break either figure down by state, region or bulk-billing rate.
19.7% of people had a telehealth consultation with a GP in 2023–24 (the ABS report doesn't give a prior-year figure for GP telehealth specifically). Telehealth for any health reason fell to 23.6%, down from 27.7% the year before, continuing the drop-off from pandemic-era peaks.