More than 19,000 people died from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease last year across the country, as the condition accounted for more than 10 percent of all deaths in Australia for the first time, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, cementing the condition as the nation’s leading cause of death in 2025.
That total represents a rise from 2006, when the condition accounted for just 5 percent of all deaths and sat as the fourth-leading killer nationwide across the country.
Dementia Australia Demands Greater Funding as Toll Rises
There are an estimated 446,500 Australians living with dementia, while another 1.7 million people provide care for them. In total, 188,421 deaths were registered across the nation in 2025.
The data underlines the critical need for more recognition and funding to support people living with dementia, their families and carers.
Professor Tanya Buchanan, Dementia Australia Chief Executive Officer
Professor Buchanan noted that investment in specific services, supports, and prevention strategies has failed to keep pace with the impact of the disease. She also pointed out that the stigma that surrounds dementia continues
and declared that this needs to change.
Without intervention, the number of affected individuals is expected to surpass one million by 2065.
Liz Allen, a demographer at the Australian National University, described the country as an aged society rather than merely an aging one, pointing out that Australians are living longer, healthier lives, which naturally leads to causes of death that are dominated by conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Gender Disparities and the Gap with Heart Disease
Women accounted for 61.1 percent of all deaths attributed to dementia in 2025, totaling 11,628 female deaths. For female Australians, dementia has remained the leading cause of death for a decade, with total fatalities running nearly twice as high as those from ischaemic heart diseases, which caused 5,965 deaths among women as the second leading cause.
| Leading Cause of Death (2025) | Proportion of All Deaths |
|---|---|
| Dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease) | More than 10 percent (19,019 deaths) |
| Ischaemic heart diseases | About 8 percent |
| Cerebrovascular diseases, lung cancer, and chronic lower respiratory diseases | Represented a combined total of more than 30 percent across the top five causes |
Ischaemic heart diseases dropped to their lowest recorded level since 1968. The Australian Bureau of Statistics noted that just 2,791 deaths separated the nation’s top two causes of death in 2025, a gap that continues to widen as heart disease mortality declines and dementia climbs.
Australia Mortality Rates Return to Pre-Pandemic Patterns
Overall, Australia’s mortality rates declined in 2025, bringing the national trajectory back to pre-pandemic patterns after disruptions caused by COVID-19. Lauren Moran, the head of mortality statistics at the Australian Bureau of Statistics, explained that an aging population means total death counts will likely rise over time even as age-standardized death rates fall relative to population size. Last year, the age-standardized death rate for males dropped to a record low of 581.3 deaths per 100,000 people, while the rate for females reached the second lowest on record at 418.4 deaths per 100,000 people.
Asthma deaths reached decade-high levels with 484 fatalities recorded, up from 478 deaths in 2024. Kate Miranda, Chief Executive Officer of Asthma Australia, pointed out that individuals with mild cases often dismiss the condition by thinking it is merely asthma, leading them to skip regular checkups and avoid discussing medications with their general practitioners. Drug-induced deaths also edged upward to 2,063 from 2,007 deaths in 2024, driven by an increase in stimulant-related fatalities, including methamphetamine, alongside opioids and benzodiazepines. Suicide remained the leading cause of premature death for both men and women, with 3,283 total deaths recorded at a rate of 11.9 deaths per 100,000 people. Men accounted for nearly three-quarters of those suicide deaths, though male suicide fell to its lowest level.
For anyone affected by these issues, confidential support is available. Individuals can contact the National Dementia Helpline 24/7 at 1800 100 500 or by visiting dementia.org.au, reach Lifeline at 13 11 14, or connect with Beyond Blue at 1300 224 636.
