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19 June 2025 |
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Alive And Kicking. Latest Industry Stats Show Positive Trends for Private Healthcare

All publicity is good publicity, as the saying goes. However, with private healthcare frequently under the media spotlight, questions have emerged about how the sector is really performing behind the headlines.

Now, with the latest industry figures out from the Australian Bureau of Statistics1, let’s run the stethoscope over private healthcare and take a look at its vital signs.

Sign #1 | Private Healthcare Remains One of the Most Profitable Sectors

The ABS numbers show overall pre-tax operating profits across selected industries were down by $60.0bn (8.6%) in 2023-24. But Private Healthcare and Social Assistance bucked the trend, delivering modest growth of around 1% to $37.4bn.

The sector recorded a healthy 15.7% EBITDA margin – sixth-highest among 19 industry categories – rising two spots from the previous year. While slightly below pre-COVID levels, margins have remained largely stable since 2014.

And if we further exclude Social Assistance (aged care and childcare) and focus on Hospitals (psychiatric and non-psychiatric), Medical and Other Health Care Services (pathology, allied health, general and specialist services and other healthcare services), this margin increases to 25.3%, lifting it to third just behind Mining and Real Estate Services. The overall takeaway? Private healthcare remains one of the more profitable sectors in the Australian economy.

Sign #2 | More Health Professionals are Working in the Sector

Employment increased by 7.8% over the year, with 130,000 new roles created in healthcare and social assistance. At the end of June 2024, a total of 1,797,000 Australians were employed in the sector.

There are signs health professionals are starting to gravitate towards allied health facilities. Over the past two years, employment growth in medical and other health services (5%) outpaced private hospitals (3.3%).

Sign #3 | Private Hospitals are Recovering and Repositioning for the Future

Looking at the sector as a whole, we can see margins improving from the lows experienced in 2021-22, following a difficult COVID period that saw elective surgeries grind to a halt, driven primarily by a flattening of expenses.

Sales and service income increased 7.5% and industry value added (IVA) grew 10.4% to $152.0bn, showing strong underlying activity. (IVA represents the total value of goods and services produced by an industry, minus production costs).

And despite rising input costs, overall pre-tax earnings in terms of EBITDA for the sector increased by 2.4%. So, the latest ABS industry statistics paint a picture of a healthcare sector that’s holding steady while others go backwards. Cost pressures do exist but they are supporting long-term value. Rising employment signals a sector responding to demand pressure and operators investing in future operating capacity.

Live Long and Prosper?

Let’s pull back and take a more long-term perspective. A number of demographic and fiscal megatrends are shaping the healthcare of the future2.

We’re Living Longer…

Australia’s age structure has changed significantly over the past 40 years, with the proportion of people aged 65 and over doubling – reflecting an ageing population.

The old-age dependency ratio, which compares the number of people aged 65 and over to those aged 15 to 64, rose from 15.3 in 1983–84 to 26.3 in 2022–23. This upward trend is expected to drive increased demand for services such as healthcare and medical services.

…But We’re Getting Sicker….

Around two-thirds (65.8%) of Australian adults were overweight or obese in the most recent Australia-wide health survey – an increase from 62.8% in 2011–122. One in 20 (or 1.3 million) of us had heart, stroke or vascular disease in 2022, an increase of 4.1% since 20013. And overall, more than 8 in 10 Australians have at least one long-term health condition, with almost half of us reporting a chronic condition4.

…So The Government Is Spending More to Keep Us Well

Over the last 20 years, health expenditure has increased from $91.0bn to $252.5bn, an average growth rate of 4.0% p.a., compared to average annual inflation of 2.4% over the same period. During 2022-23, spending on health by all state and federal governments amounted to $178.7bn5, which accounted for 17.1%6 of total tax expenses and 23.7%7 of tax revenue.

Capitalising on Demand

These trends are driving demand, with increased surgery efficiency leading to a higher proportion of same-day procedures and shorter hospital stays.

  • Around 2 in 3 (63%) admissions were same-day hospitalisations and 37% involved an overnight stay in 2023-24. Most private hospital patients (an all-time high of 74%) stay less than 24 hours8.
  • The number of non-admitted patient care service events increased from 34.9 to 40.9 million between 2014–15 and 2023–24.
  • Private mental health hospitalisations increased by 22% between 2013-14 and 2022-23. In 2022–23, spending on mental health-related services in Australia reached $13.2bn9– a 44% increase from $9.1bn in 2016–1710.
  • Overall private hospitalisations increased to represent 41.2% of the market in 2022-23, up from 40.3% pre-COVID (2018-19). Around 70% of elective surgeries take place in private facilities8.

At Real Asset Management (RAM), we recognise that healthcare real estate, like any investment, involves risk. We manage this through a disciplined and multi-layered approach focused on stability and long-term performance.

Our portfolio is diversified across a broad range of healthcare operators, helping to minimise tenant concentration risk and ensure steady income. We prioritise resilient sectors such as elective surgery, rehabilitation and mental health, which continue to experience strong and consistent demand.

Our long-term, inflation-linked leases clearly define tenant responsibilities for maintenance and capital works. This structure helps deliver predictable cash flows while reducing our exposure to rising property costs.

We also take a proactive approach to tenant management. By closely monitoring tenant financial health and engaging early when pressures arise, we are able to act swiftly and maintain stability across the portfolio. Together, these measures position RAM to deliver reliable returns while navigating changing market dynamics. Backed by strong healthcare demand drivers, we remain confident in the long-term outlook for the sector and our role in it.

[1] Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Industry, 2023-24
[2] Australian Bureau of Statistics, National Health Survey, Waist Circumference and BMI, 2023-24
[3] Australian Bureau of Statistics, National Health Survey, Heart, Stroke and Vascular Disease, 2023-24
[4] Australian Bureau of Statistics, National Health Survey, Health Conditions Prevalence, 2023-24
[5] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Health expenditure Australia 2022-23
[6] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Health expenditure Australia 2022-23
[7] Australian Bureau of Statistics, Taxation Revenue, Australia, 2023-24
[8]  Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care, Private Hospital Sector Financial Health Check – Summary, October 2024
[9] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Expenditure on mental health services, 25 Feb 2025
[10] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Media Release, 22 Mar 2019