Pharmacy practice in Australia

Abstract

The Commonwealth of Australia is one of the wealthiest countries in the Western Pacific region, with a population estimated at over 23 million in 2013.1 About 27% of the population were born overseas, predominantly in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, China, and India,2 and 3% of the population are Indigenous Australians.3 Despite the country's geographic size, Australia's population is substantially lower than that of other regions of similar size4 because of a large, unin - habitable central desert. Australia is divided into 6 states and 2 major mainland territories (Figure 1); in most respects, the 2 territories function as states.