Dementia now causes one in ten Australian deaths
New statistics show asthma fatalities also reached a decade high, with women comprising the majority of victims for both conditions.
By Luka Evans ·
Dementia has surpassed the threshold of 10% for all recorded deaths in Australia for the first time.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics released data on Tuesday covering the 2025 calendar year. A total of 188,421 deaths were registered in the country during that period. Of that total, 19,019 were attributed to dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. This condition has held the position of the leading cause of death in the nation since 2024. Other primary causes listed in the report include ischaemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke, lung cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases.
Prof Tanya Buchanan, the chief executive of Dementia Australia, stated that the figures demonstrate a pressing requirement for public health intervention. She noted that an estimated 446,500 Australians currently live with dementia. Additionally, approximately 1.7 million people are involved in providing care for those individuals. Buchanan argued that funding and specific support services have not expanded at the same rate as the prevalence of the condition. She also pointed out that social stigma surrounding dementia remains a barrier for families and carers.
The statistics indicate that women account for nearly two-thirds of both dementia deaths and asthma fatalities. Asthma deaths reached 484 in 2025, an increase from 478 in the previous year. This figure represents the highest count recorded in the last ten years. Kate Miranda, the CEO of Asthma Australia, explained that poorly controlled asthma significantly increases the risk of mortality. She stated that effective treatments and clinical guidelines exist, yet many patients do not receive adequate care.
Miranda cited research indicating a decline in the proportion of adults who have well-controlled asthma. Many individuals use little or no preventer treatment. Adherence to inhaled corticosteroids has also worsened. She observed that patients with mild asthma often underestimate the severity of their condition and skip regular medical checkups. Some only take preventer medication during high pollen counts or when experiencing a cold. Miranda highlighted that newer guidelines recommend anti-inflammatory reliever therapy to address underlying inflammation. She noted that older Australians may still rely on medications from their childhood without awareness of these updated options.
Drug-induced deaths increased to 2,063 in 2025, up from 2,007 in 2024. Lauren Moran, the head of mortality statistics at the ABS, identified opioids and benzodiazepines as the most common drug classes involved. However, she reported substantial growth in deaths associated with stimulants, including methamphetamine. Suicide continued to be the leading cause of premature death for both men and women in 2025, with men accounting for nearly three-quarters of these cases.
