Dementia is now the leading cause of death in Australia, overtaking ischaemic heart diseases.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, accounted for over 17,500 deaths in 2024.
ABS Head of Mortality Statistics Lauren Moran said the number of deaths caused by dementia had risen by 39 percent over the past decade.
She said the leading causes of death in 2024 aligned with Australia’s ageing population.
“Over two-thirds (68.2 percent) of deaths are people aged over 75 years, compared to 66.1 percent 10 years ago and 63.3 percent 20 years ago.
“People are now more likely to live to an age where they have a higher risk of developing dementia.”
Ms Moran said this was especially true for women who have longer life expectancies.
She said the data showed that 62.4 percent of people who died from dementia were women.
“We’ve also seen that dementia has been the leading cause of death for women since 2016.”
Ms Moran said the gap between dementia and ischaemic heart disease had been narrowing over time.
She said dementia accounted for 9.1 percent of total deaths while heart disease accounted for 9.3 percent in 2023.
“In 2024, dementia accounted for 9.4 percent of total deaths, and ischaemic heart diseases 8.7 percent.”
Ms Moran said mortality rates due to coronary heart diseases have dropped by nearly 90 percent since they peaked in 1968.
“However, coronary heart disease remains the leading cause of death for men, causing 10,153 deaths in 2024.
“It was also the leading cause of death for people living in outer regional, remote, and very remote Australia.”
Ms Moran said coronary heart disease was the second leading cause of premature death, after suicide.
