Overview
- New 2024 ABS mortality figures show dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, accounted for 17,549 deaths, or 9.4% of all deaths.
- Ischaemic heart disease accounted for 8.7% of deaths and fell to its lowest recorded rate in the ABS series.
- Dementia deaths rose 39% over the past decade, with 68.2% occurring in people aged over 75.
- Women made up 62.4% of dementia deaths, and dementia has been the leading cause of death for women since 2016.
- The ABS reported widespread multimorbidity in late life, with about 80% of over‑75s listing multiple conditions; suicide led premature deaths and drug- and alcohol-induced deaths increased in 2024.