Dementia set to become leading cause of death

Although ischaemic heart disease was still the leading cause of death in Australia in 2023, it was closely followed by dementia-related deaths, with fewer than 250 deaths separating the two, new Australian Bureau of Statistics data show. Heart diseases were the cause of 9.2% of deaths, while dementia accounted for 9.1% of deaths in 2023. Dementia was the leading cause of death in South Australia, the ACT and, for the first time, New South Wales, and has been the leading cause of death in women since 2016. Read more at: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/causes-death-australia/2023.