Dementia Overtakes Heart Disease as Australia’s Leading Killer

CANBERRA — For the first time on record, dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, has surpassed heart disease to become Australia’s leading cause of death, signaling a major turning point in the nation’s mortality profile.

New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for 2024 reveals that 17,549 Australians died from dementia-related conditions last year, accounting for 9.4% of all deaths. Ischaemic heart disease fell to the second spot, causing 16,275 deaths (8.7%).

ABS head of mortality statistics, Lauren Moran, attributed the milestone primarily to the nation’s increasing life expectancy and the success of medical interventions against cardiovascular disease.

“People are now more likely to live to an age where they have a higher risk of developing dementia,” Moran explained.

The statistics highlight a significant gender disparity:

• 62.4% of people who died from dementia were women.
• Dementia has been the leading cause of death for Australian women since 2016.
• The median age of death for those with dementia was 88.7 years.

In contrast, coronary heart disease remains the leading cause of death for men and for those living in outer regional and remote parts of Australia.

The change in ranking underscores the growing burden of degenerative brain diseases on families and the national healthcare system. While improved medical care has drastically reduced the mortality rate for heart disease over the past half-century, the rise in dementia deaths—which have surged by 39% over the last decade—underscores the urgent need for continued research into prevention, treatment, and support for the nation’s rapidly aging population.