October 11th 2024.
Heart disease has been the leading cause of death in Australia for almost six decades. However, recent data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics has shown that this may soon change. Ischaemic heart disease was responsible for 9.2% of all deaths in 2023, making it the top cause of death in the country. But hot on its heels is dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, which accounted for 9.1% of fatalities.
According to the head of mortality statistics at the ABS, Lauren Moran, the latest figures reveal that there is now a difference of less than 250 deaths between the two leading causes. In fact, dementia has been the leading cause of death for women since 2016, making up 12.2% of female deaths and 6.4% of male deaths in 2023. This can be attributed to the fact that women generally have longer life expectancies and therefore are more likely to live long enough to develop dementia.
In addition, dementia has also become the leading cause of death in certain regions of Australia, such as South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, and for the first time, New South Wales. This is a significant shift from previous years, where heart disease had been the top cause of death since records began in 1968. However, the mortality rate for heart disease has decreased by almost 90% in the past 50 years.
On the other hand, the mortality rate for dementia has increased by almost 850% over the same time period. This can be attributed to improvements in medical treatment and healthcare, as well as the fact that more Australians are living long enough to develop the condition. Moran explains that this trend is a result of both an ageing population and advancements in healthcare.
With the ABS predicting that dementia will soon overtake heart disease as the leading cause of death in Australia, advocates are calling for better treatment and support for those affected by the condition. According to Dementia Australia CEO Professor Tanya Buchanan, there are currently 421,000 Australians living with dementia, and this number is expected to more than double by 2054 if significant interventions are not put in place.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic, which was the third leading cause of death in 2022, fell to ninth place in 2023. Moran notes that this is due to a decrease in fatalities from the virus, with the number roughly halving to just over 5000. However, she also points out that despite this decrease, the number of virus-related deaths and overall mortality rates were still higher than in the first two years of the pandemic.
In terms of premature deaths, suicide remains the leading cause in Australia. In 2023, over 3000 people took their own lives, with three-quarters of them being men. This number is expected to increase as more coronial information becomes available. Overall, the number of deaths in Australia decreased by 4.1% in 2023, with 183,131 fatalities recorded.
For those seeking support, Lifeline and Beyond Blue are available to provide assistance. Their contact numbers are 13 11 14 and 1300 22 4636, respectively.
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