Overview

• The AIHW reports dementia accounted for about 17,400 deaths in 2023, the leading cause overall, topping causes for women and ranking second for men.
• An estimated 425,000 Australians were living with dementia in 2024, with prevalence rising steeply in very old age to about 210 per 1,000 among people 85 to 89.
• Prevalence is projected to reach roughly 1.1 million by 2065 as the population grows older, with the AIHW cautioning that long‑range estimates and cause‑of‑death rankings differ from ABS methods.
• Direct health and aged‑care spending attributable to dementia was nearly $3.7 billion in 2020–21, alongside at least 102,000 unpaid primary carers and a wider informal care network estimated at 1.7 million people.
• Experts highlight modifiable risks such as hearing loss, midlife hypertension, inactivity, obesity, smoking and social isolation, and warn diagnosis and care capacity would need to expand substantially.