The 'growing' health threat now responsible for one in 10 Australian deaths

More than 19,000 people (10.1 per cent) died from dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, in 2025, according to analysis released on Tuesday as part of the Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) Causes of Death report. Dementia has been the leading cause of death for women in Australia since 2016, and in 2024 it overtook cancer and heart disease to become Australia's leading killer nationally. This is the first time dementia deaths have exceeded 10 per cent, more than double the rates reported in 2006, when dementia was the fourth-leading cause of death nationally. Dementia Australia's chief executive officer, professor Tanya Buchanan, said the new data reinforced the urgent need to raise awareness of the condition as a leading public health issue affecting Australians. "The data underlines the critical need for more recognition and funding to support people living with dementia, their families and carers," Buchanan said in a statement.