Dementia Leading Cause of Death for Australians: Research

The number of Australians living with dementia could exceed 1 million by 2065 unless there is significant intervention, a new government report says.

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Dementia is now the leading cause of death for Australians with numbers set to reach 1 million by 2065.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) found dementia accounted for almost 17,400 deaths (or 9.5 percent of all deaths) in 2023, was the leading cause for women, and the second leading cause for men, after coronary heart disease.

The number increased from 8,500 in 2009, although the AIHW says some of this could be due to a range of factors, including greater awareness of dementia and changes in death certificate coding practices.

The latest update also revealed that 43 percent of the dementia burden could be attributed to six risk factors: being overweight or obese, physical inactivity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure in midlife, smoking, and impaired kidney function.

The exact number of people with dementia in Australia is currently unknown. Estimates vary because there is no single authoritative data source for its prevalence in Australia, and different approaches are used to generate estimates.

However, last year the AIHW estimated that there were 425,000 Australians living with dementia, equivalent to 16 people per 1,000.

The rate rises quickly with age, from less than one person per 1,000 among those aged 30 to 59, to 210 per 1,000 people aged 85 to 89. Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of those with dementia are women, and approximately 7 percent of all people with dementia are under the age of 65.

Dementia Australia CEO Tanya Buchanan said the report, released in the lead-up to Dementia Action Week (15 to 21 September), reveals the enormous impact the issue has on Australian families.

“These figures highlight just how many families are impacted by dementia across Australia. Most of us know someone who is or has been impacted by dementia,” she said.

Deaths due to dementia in Australia: number, crude rate, by sex, 2009–2023. Courtesy of AIHW

“People affected by dementia often tell us that friends and family drift away after a diagnosis because they are unsure of how to interact. That’s why the theme for this year’s Dementia Action Week is ‘Nobody can do it alone.’ We are challenging Australians to reconnect with someone impacted by dementia to help combat the high levels of social isolation many experience.”

Lil Mirtl, who lives with dementia and is an advocate with the organisation, said the report highlighted how important it was to act to provide support for people living with dementia.

“We don’t have time to feel uncomfortable or awkward about these conversations about dementia—we need to have them now,” she said.

“We have to pull together as a community to do this. We can’t do it alone as individuals, the government can’t do it alone, we need to all act together.”

Buchanan said dementia’s elevation to the country’s leading cause of death means “it is more pressing than ever that the federal government commit to funding a national conversation on dementia to raise awareness and promote brain health at all ages.

“By taking a comprehensive approach ... we can reduce the impact of dementia in the future. With aged care across the country already under pressure, and the number of people living with dementia expected to exceed 1 million by 2065, we simply cannot afford to wait.”

The AIHW says a range of factors are known to contribute to the risk of developing dementia and may affect the progression of symptoms.

Some risk factors can’t be changed, such as age, genetics and family history. However, there are health behaviours that can increase or decrease the risk, including high levels of education, physical activity, social engagement, and cognitive activity (such as through education or mentally stimulating work).

The Dementia Awareness Survey, conducted by the AIHW in mid-2023 showed that, although Australians generally know little about dementia, the majority of people were doing something that would decrease their risk anyway, such as being physically (77 percent), cognitively (77 percent) or socially active (70 percent).

In addition to the factors outlined in the AIHW report, research has also shown that excessive alcohol consumption, air pollution, head injury, untreated hearing and/or vision loss, depression, and diabetes can contribute to increased risk (Livingston 2024).

Dementia Australia has a range of resources and information to support Australians to reconnect with someone impacted by dementia on its website.