Dementia deaths mark grim milestone in latest figures

Dementia is causing more than one in 10 deaths in Australia, prompting urgent calls for more resources to tackle the disease.

Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, became Australia’s leading cause of death in 2024, overtaking coronary heart disease.

But the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed it killed more than 19,000 Australians last year – around 1500 more than in 2024.

“This is the first time dementia has accounted for more than 10 per cent of all deaths in Australia,” the bureau’s head of mortality statistics Lauren Moran said.

She said rate of the deaths from the disease had almost doubled since 2006, when it was the fourth leading cause.

Women were more likely to die from dementia than men, with the disease the leading cause of deaths for women since 2016.

In the latest figures, women made up 61 per cent of dementia deaths.

Dementia Australia chief executive Tanya Buchanan said there was a critical need for more recognition and funding to support people with dementia, as well as their families and carers.

“Despite the growing impact of dementia, investment in specific services, supports and prevention have not kept the same pace, and the stigma that surrounds dementia continues,” Professor Buchanan said.

“This needs to change.”

There were an estimated 446,500 Australians currently living with the disease, with a further 1.7 million people involved in their care, Prof Buchanan said.

“Without significant intervention, this is expected to increase to more than one million by 2065,” she said.

The other leading causes of death in 2025 were coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular diseases including strokes, lung cancer and chronic respiratory diseases.

The rates of drug-induced deaths also increased slightly with stimulants – including methamphetamine – causing 275 more deaths than the previous year.

“While opioids and benzodiazepines continue to be the most common drug classes involved in these deaths, there has been substantial growth in deaths involving stimulants,” Ms Moran said.

Suicide continued to be the leading cause of premature deaths in 2025, accounting more than 3000.

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