A national survey of people living with chronic pain has found the condition robs people of their wellbeing and their hope.
The National Pain Report 2025 – Pain Takes A Nation, released by peak consumer body Chronic Pain Australia, gathers the experiences of nearly 5000 people living with the condition.
In what the peak body is calling “a devastating national crisis”, the survey found alarming diagnosis delays, a severe mental health toll, rising suicidality among young people, and a complex care system that is failing those who need it most.
Key findings include:
- An alarming rise in suicidality, especially among young people: 49 per cent of young Australians between 18-24 living with chronic pain have considered suicide, and 12 per cent have attempted it.
- Chronic pain is taking longer to diagnose: in 2025, 54 per cent of survey respondents reported waiting more than two years for a diagnosis, and 44 per cent waited over three. In 2024, 42 per cent reported waited over 3 years; and in 2023, 41 per cent.
- Complex care is not working as it should: Despite the complex nature of chronic pain, which often involves multiple pain types concurrently, access to appropriate multidisciplinary and specialist care is falling short. Only 18 per cent of respondents received a referral to multidisciplinary pain management, and 30 per cent of those referred never secured an appointment.
- National well-being is being eroded by untreated pain’s effect on relationships and mental health: The report reveals significant mental health impacts (74 per cent of respondents) and widespread sleep disturbances (87 per cent). Relationships are also strained, with 63 per cent reporting strain on family relationships and 59 per cent on friendships.
- People living with chronic pain continue to suffer from stigma: Stigma is rampant, with 74 per cent feeling ignored or dismissed, and nearly half experiencing prejudice from health professionals.
Chairperson of Chronic Pain Australia, Nicolette Ellis said the results highlight the need to make chronic pain a national health priority.
“What thousands of Australians are telling us cannot be ignored: pain is not just taking lives, it is taking our nation’s potential,” Ellis said.
But she added the report shows the way forward.
“Australians living with pain are not asking for pity. They are demanding action – timely diagnoses, tailored multidisciplinary care, mental health support that understands pain, and systems that treat them with dignity, not suspicion.”