Voluntary Assisted Dying or VAD applications have increased 40 percent in 2025-25, accounting for up to three percent of all deaths in Australia.
The typical VAD applicant is in their 70s, has terminal cancer, and is receiving palliative care – slightly more men choose VAD than women.
The 2026 State of VAD report compiled by Go Gentle Australia using publicly available data from each state’s VAD oversight body – shows a growing number of terminally ill people are choosing to end their lives.
There have been 14,000 applications for VAD since 2019, with more than 7,000 deaths using a VAD substance in Australia.
The largest growth in VAD activity has been in Tasmania, followed by Western Australia, South Australia, and Queensland.
VAD now accounts for up to three percent of all deaths nationally, including around five percent of cancer deaths, and one-in-three motor neuron disease deaths.
Go Gentle Australia CEO Dr Linda Swan said the increased public demand for VAD services raised concerns about workforce capacity and long-term sustainability.
“We must ensure the system is properly resourced to support patients and clinicians,” Dr Swan said.
Go Gentle Australia is a national charity that was founded in 2016 by broadcaster Andrew Denton to promote and enable choice at the end of life.
Mr Denton said outdated Federal laws, including restrictions on the use of telehealth, hindered care and caused unnecessary distress.
“It is unreasonable and cruel to require dying people, especially those living in regional areas, to travel long distances for in-person appointments at every step of the process, particularly when safe and effective alternatives exist,” Mr Denton said.
Dr Swan said one of the biggest challenges was the ongoing stigma and limited public awareness of VAD, with just one in three people aware that VAD was now legal.
“People can only benefit from the VAD choice if they know it exists,” Dr Swan said.
To read the report, click here.
