A landmark report released ahead of World Sepsis Day, 13 September 2025, reveals that sepsis is more prevalent, deadly and costly than previously understood – prompting renewed calls to improve early detection, data quality and clinical care across the healthcare system.
Published by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission), the Sepsis Epidemiology Report analysed over 900,000 sepsis-related hospitalisations in Australian public hospitals from 2013–14 to 2022–23.
In 2022–23 alone, there were over 84,000 sepsis hospitalisations and more than 936,000 hospitalisations over the 10-year reporting period. This is significantly greater than the previous estimate of 55,000 people affected each year.
Conjoint Professor Carolyn Hullick, Chief Medical Officer of the Commission and Emergency Physician, said the findings are a call to action.
"Sepsis is a time-critical emergency. Our report shows that many Australians face not only a high risk of death, but also long recovery periods and repeat hospitalisations. We must do more to reduce the impact of sepsis on health services and improve patient outcomes and support health services in early recognition, treatment and discharge planning," Conjoint Professor Hullick said.
The report also provides important insights into a range of health and social determinant risk factors. 2022–23 figures show:
· 1 in 3 people hospitalised for sepsis also had diabetes
· 1 in 6 had renal (kidney) disease
· Sepsis hospitalisation rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were double that of non-indigenous people
· Higher risk of readmission linked to rural location and socioeconomic disadvantage.
"The link between complex chronic illness, socioeconomic disadvantage and higher rates of sepsis must shape how we deliver care. This data gives us a clearer picture of who is most at risk and how to intervene earlier," said Conjoint Professor Hullick.
This report also found a promising sign of progress, with a decline in the proportion of sepsis-related deaths occurring in emergency departments. This suggests a growing impact from sepsis clinical pathways and education.
The Commission's new report builds on work under the National Sepsis Program and supports the development of a National Sepsis Data Plan to improve consistency in coding and documentation.
The full report is now available on the Commission's website at: safetyandquality.gov.au/sepsis-report
