Increase in deaths reflects ageing population

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Released
26/09/2025
Source
Deaths, Australia, 2024
Release date and time
26/09/2025 11:30am AEST

Registered deaths in Australia rose 2.3 per cent in 2024, according to data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The number of deaths registered grew to 187,268 in 2024, up by 4,137 deaths. 

Beidar Cho, ABS head of demography, said: ‘The 2.3 per cent rise in death registrations in 2024 reflects our ageing population, with 68 per cent of all deaths occurring in people aged 75 years and over. This is higher than it was 10 years ago.’

In 2014, 66 per cent of all deaths occurred in people aged 75 and over.

‘A similar trend can be seen in the proportion of deaths that occurred in people aged 90 and over. This age group accounted for 24 per cent of all deaths in 2024 and 2023. This is up from 21 per cent in 2014,’ Ms Cho said.

The median age at death was 79.6 years for males (no change from the previous year) and 84.7 years for females (up 0.1 years since 2023).

The standardised death rate was 5.078 deaths per 1,000 standard population in 2024. This is down from 5.471 in 2014. 

‘The fall in standardised death rates over the last 10 years reflects continued improvements in health outcomes for Australians, who are living longer,' Ms Cho said.

More detailed information will be released in Causes of death, Australia, 2024 on Friday 14 November.

Media notes

  • Standardised death rates account for differences in the age structure of populations by calculating death rates using a standard population (the population as it was in 2001). This allows comparisons.
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