Heart disease is the leading cause of death among Australians, followed by dementia-related deaths, according to the latest government data.

Released Thursday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the nation’s mortality numbers for 2023 shows that, although heart disease remains the number one killer, dementia is a close second with less than 250 deaths separating the two.  

As the stats show: heart disease was the cause of 9.2% of deaths, while dementia accounted for 9.1% of deaths during the period.

“We’ve seen a drop in heart disease mortality and a rise in dementia deaths over time associated with both improvements in medical treatment and healthcare, and an ageing population,” the bureau’s Lauren Moran said. “This is changing our leading causes of death.”

Indeed, dementia is shown to be the leading cause of death in SA, the ACT and, for the first time, NSW.

Dementia has been the leading cause of death among Australian women since 2016. As the ABS figures show, in 2023, dementia accounted for 12.2% of female deaths compared to 6.4% of male deaths.

Longevity appears to be the underlying factor with women more likely to live to an age when they have an increased risk of developing dementia.

In response to the ABS data, Dementia Australia CEO Professor Tanya Buchanan said the statistics reinforce the urgent need for a government-led public health approach to reducing – or preventing – the risk of developing dementia.

“This call is backed by the 2024 update of the Lancet Commission on the prevention, treatment, and care of dementia, which reports that almost half of dementia cases worldwide could be prevented or delayed,” Buchanan said.

There are around 421,000 Australians currently living with dementia. Without a significant intervention, this number is expected to increase to more than 812,500 by 2054.

“As dementia edges closer to becoming the leading cause of death of Australians, it is crucial that we act now to focus on the brain health of the nation as well as provide more targeted, effective support to those impacted by dementia,” Buchanan said. “Taking this dual approach will ensure we are working towards reducing the impact of dementia in the future.”

Elsewhere, the ABS report – Causes of Death, Australia, 2023 – shows Australia’s death rates declined slightly in 2023 – 5.13 deaths per 1,000 people, compared to 5.48 in 2022.

Alcohol-related deaths accounted for 1,667 mortalities in 2023, a rate of 5.6 per 100,000 people (down from 6.2 in 2022).

Suicide rates stood at a rate of 12.1 per 1,000 people (a total of 3,214). By far – three-quarters – men accounted for the majority of deaths by suicide.   

Across Australia in 2023, there were 5,256 deaths registered of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – 2,890 males and 2,366 females. As with the general population, heart disease was the leading cause of death among First Nations people (553 deaths). Diabetes was the leading cause of death for females.

The median age at death for First Nations people was 63.7 years. The median age of death for Australians overall was 82 years.

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