Causes of Death, Australia

Latest release

Statistics on the number of deaths, by sex, selected age groups, and cause of death classified to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)

Reference period
2024
Release date and time
14/11/2025 11:30am AEDT

Key statistics

  • Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease is now Australia’s leading cause of death.
  • Ischaemic heart diseases are at their lowest rate in the available time series.
  • There were 187,268 registered deaths in 2024, an increase of 4,137 since 2023.

New publication structure for Causes of Death, 2024

This publication contains statistics for Australia on causes of death. It includes discussion on leading causes for different areas and population groups.

To improve accessibility and readability, from 2024 the publication structure is updated to include topics in separate release items. Some items previously included in this publication have been released under new topics, including:

The Causes of death 2024 methodology and data cubes are still linked with this main publication. Prior to 2024, statistics on all topics were published on the Causes of Death, Australia topic page.

Crisis support services, 24 hours, 7 days

Some of these statistics may cause distress. Services you can contact are detailed in blue boxes throughout this publication and in the Crisis support services section at the end of the publication.

The ABS uses, and supports the use of, the Mindframe guidelines on responsible, accurate and safe reporting on suicide, mental ill-health and alcohol and other drugs. The ABS recommends referring to these guidelines when reporting on statistics in this report.

Australia's leading causes of death

There were 187,268 deaths registered in Australia in 2024, an increase of 4,137 deaths from 2023. When adjusted for age-structure and population size, the age-standardised mortality rate decreased to 507.8 deaths per 100,000 people, from 513.0 the previous year. Identifying and comparing leading causes of death in populations is useful for tracking changes in patterns of mortality and identifying emerging trends. For more information related to the tabulation of leading causes, refer to the Data Processing – Methods for cause of death analysis section of the methodology.

In 2024:

  • The leading cause of death was dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, accounting for 9.4% of deaths.
  • Ischaemic heart diseases were the second leading cause of death and accounted for 8.7% of deaths.
  • The gap between these two causes of death has been narrowing over time. 2024 is the first year where dementia caused over 1,000 more deaths than ischaemic heart diseases. In 2023, the two conditions were close in number, with ischaemic heart diseases accounting for 9.3% of total deaths and dementia 9.1%.
  • It is the lowest mortality rate recorded for ischaemic heart diseases since it's peak in 1968.
  • Chronic lower respiratory diseases were the 3rd leading cause of death for the first time since 1996. During this time they have fluctuated between being the 4th and 5th leading cause of death.
  • Cerebrovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms of trachea, bronchus and lung (lung cancer) rounded out the top five leading causes.
  • COVID-19 was the 12th leading cause of death in 2024, after ranking 9th in 2023 and 3rd in 2022.
  • Suicide was the 16th leading cause of death. People who died by suicide had a median age at death of 46.0 years.
  • The top 5 leading causes accounted for just under one-third (32.7%) of all registered deaths.

Between 2015 and 2024:

  • The number of deaths due to dementia, including Alzheimer's disease increased by 38.8%.
  • The number of deaths due to ischaemic heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases decreased by 18.3% and 15.9%, respectively.
  • The number of deaths from accidental falls increased by 58.3% over the period. Accidental falls were the 8th leading cause of death in 2024, compared to the 11th a decade ago. They were the highest ranked external cause of death. Accidental falls have a high median age at death at 87.8 years. Common complications from falls leading to death include hip fractures, immobility and pneumonia. In 2024, 'X59.0 Exposure to unspecified factor causing fracture' was added to Accidental falls. See the Methods for cause of death analysis in the Data Processing section of the methodology.

For dementia information and support please contact the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500.

Top 20 leading causes of death, Australia – selected years – 2015, 2019, 2023, 2024 (a)(b)(c)(d)(e)
Cause of death and ICD-10 code20152019202320242024
no.Rankno.Rankno.Rankno.RankMedian age (years)
Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (F01, F03, G30)12,641215,154216,689217,549188.7
Ischaemic heart diseases (I20-I25)19,926118,001117,055116,275283.0
Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J47)8,02558,39358,38859,229380.2
Cerebrovascular diseases (I60-I69)10,87139,86039,37539,147485.1
Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung (C33, C34)8,47848,75448,98549,119575.2
Diabetes (E10-E14)4,69574,97875,96665,965681.7
Malignant neoplasm of colon, sigmoid, rectum and anus (C18-C21, C26.0)5,55365,38865,49275,387778.0
Accidental falls including fractures (W00-W19, X59.0)3,271113,92594,949105,179887.8
Malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue (C81-C96)4,42384,77885,12585,163979.4
Diseases of the urinary system (N00-N39)3,450103,715114,539114,8101087.0
Heart failure and complications and ill-defined heart disease (I50-I51)3,56093,521134,049124,2571188.7
COVID-19 (U07.1-U07.2, U10.9)nananana5,00694,0251286.8
Malignant neoplasm of pancreas (C25)2,770163,184163,732133,8731376.0
Malignant neoplasm of prostate (C61)3,201123,603123,726143,8351483.3
Influenza and pneumonia (J09-J18)3,071143,856102,906173,6651588.0
Intentional self-harm [suicide] (X60-X84, Y87.0)3,100133,377143,300153,3071646.0
Malignant neoplasms of breast (C50)2,968153,255153,248163,2031774.7
Hypertensive diseases (I10-I15)2,309182,177192,695192,8621887.6
Cardiac arrhythmias (I47-I49)2,346172,396172,722182,6731989.1
Parkinson's disease (G20)1,714232,101202,455212,5992083.7
All causes159,170na166,561na183,131na187,268na82.0

na not applicable

  1. Causes of death data for recent years is preliminary and subject to a revisions process. This table includes final data for 2015 and 2019, preliminary revised data for 2023 and preliminary data for 2024.
  2. Causes listed are based on the WHO recommended tabulation of leading causes. In 2024, 'X59.0 Exposure to unspecified factor causing fracture' was added to Accidental falls. See the Methods for cause of death analysis in the Data Processing section of the methodology.
  3. Chapter XVIII: Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R99) is not included in analysis, due to the unspecified nature of these causes. These deaths are also likely to be heavily affected by the revisions process.
  4. Data is by date of registration.
  5. Refer to the methodology for more information.
     

Age-standardised death rates

Years of potential life lost

Leading causes of death by sex - Males

Leading causes of death by sex - Females

Leading causes of death by state of usual residence

Leading causes of death by remoteness

Leading causes of death - historical trends

Overview of key all-cause mortality indicators (sex and age)

All-cause mortality by sex

To show the mortality pattern over the last decade, age-standardised death rates (SDRs) are presented below for males, females and persons. More information about deaths for Australia, states and territories, and sub-state regions, is available in Deaths, Australia.

In 2024:

  • There were 187,268 deaths registered with an age-standardised death rate of 507.8 deaths per 100,000 people.
  • The age-standardised death rate decreased by 1.0% from 2023, after a decrease of 6.3% between 2022 and 2023. The rate in 2024 is similar to that experienced in 2021 (507.2 deaths per 100,000 people). Mortality rates were at historical lows in 2020 and 2021.
  • 52.6% of deaths were male (98,467) and 47.4% were female (88,801).
  • Age-standardised death rates decreased for both males (1.0%) and females (1.1%).
  1. Age-standardised death rate. Death rate per 100,000 estimated resident population as at 30 June as standardised to reflect the population age structure of a standard year.
  2. Data is by date of registration.
  3. Refer to the methodology for more information.

All-cause mortality by age

Causes of death for an ageing population

In 2024, 68.2% of deaths occurred in people aged 75 years and over. This was an increase compared with ten years ago (2015) and twenty years ago (2005) when 66.1% and 63.3% of deaths occurred in this age group respectively. 

This reflects the ageing population in Australia. In 2024, the estimated resident population of people aged 75 years and older has increased by 40% from 2015 and 75.0% from 2005.

As the population ages, patterns of mortality are changing. While the leading causes of death for those aged over 75 years closely resemble the leading causes for the population overall, some diseases present differently across this cohort. Mortality in this age group has become more complex – for example, as medical interventions improve, people may live longer with multiple chronic conditions. Around 80% of people aged over 75 years, had more than one disease or condition listed on their death certificate as contributing to or causing death. The leading causes of death for males and females aged over 75 years in 2024 are presented below. Further analysis on dementia, ischaemic heart diseases and accidental falls is also presented.

Males 75 years and over

Females 75 years and over

Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (F01, F03, G30)

Ischaemic heart diseases (I20-I25)

Accidental falls (W00-W19, X59.0)

Leading causes of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Support services, 24 hours, 7 days

For further information see Crisis support services.

Changes to derivation of Indigenous status for deaths in ABS mortality datasets

The ABS has recently introduced a number of enhancements to the derivation of Indigenous status. This has led to an increased number of deaths of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous people and a corresponding decrease in the number of deaths where the Indigenous status is unknown or not stated. These changes have introduced a break in time series in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander death statistics in New South Wales (from 2022) and Victoria (from 2023) with a corresponding effect on national data. Caution should be used when interpreting time series data.

For more information on this change and the impacts refer to Technical Note: The impact of using two sources for deriving the Indigenous status of deaths in NSW in 2022 and Technical Note: The impact of using multiple sources for deriving the Indigenous status of deaths in 2023 – changes for Victoria and coroner referred deaths.

Across Australia in 2024, there were 5,603 deaths registered of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (3,134 males and 2,469 females). The table below presents numbers of deaths, crude death rates and age-standardised mortality rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in each jurisdiction in 2024. Age-standardised rates enable the comparison of populations with different age structures and size.


Deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, all jurisdictions, 2024 (a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)
 No.Crude rate(b)SDR(c)
Persons 
 NSW1,904531.7942.4
 Vic467557.6999.1
 Qld1,466500.8945.0
 SA310567.51,076.6
 WA704555.21,003.4
 Tas190npnp
 NT529676.21,244.5
 ACT31npnp
 Australia(a)5,603538.8974.9
Males 
 NSW1,074597.61,073.6
 Vic285674.01,229.0
 Qld807552.81,062.1
 SA167607.91,191.2
 WA389600.91,090.7
 Tas107npnp
 NT283728.11,515.8
 ACT22npnp
 Australia(a)3,134600.51,111.0
Females   
 NSW830465.3821.4
 Vic182438.9786.5
 Qld659449.0837.9
 SA143526.6977.5
 WA315507.5913.4
 Tas83npnp
 NT246624.91053.1
 ACT9npnp
 Australia(a)2,469476.6850.4

np not for publication

  1. Australia total includes Other Territories.
  2. Crude death rate. Death rate per 100,000 estimated resident population as at 30 June.
  3. Age-standardised death rate (SDR). Death rate per 100,000 estimated resident population as at 30 June as standardised to reflect the population age structure of a standard year.
  4. SDRs enable the comparison of death rates between populations with different age structures by relating them to a standard population. The current standard population is all persons in the Australian population at 30 June 2001.
  5. Rates by Indigenous status use population estimates and projections based on the 2021 Census.
  6. Data is by date of registration.
  7. Deaths registered from 2022 onwards are influenced by the use of additional sources of information for deriving Indigenous status. Refer to the methodology for more information.
  8. Causes of death data for recent years is preliminary and subject to a revisions process. This table includes preliminary data for 2024.
  9. Refer to the methodology for more information.

Deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by five jurisdictions: NSW, Qld, SA, WA and NT

Leading causes of death by sex

Leading causes of death by median age

Leading causes of death by remoteness

Intentional self-harm (suicide) deaths in Australia

From 2024, Causes of Death Australia has been updated to include some topics in separate release items. For data on intentional self-harm (suicide) in Australia in 2024, refer to Intentional self-harm (suicide) deaths, 2024.

Crisis support services

Crisis support services, available 24 hours, 7 days
OrganisationAboutTelephone numberWebsite
LifelineProvides access to crisis support and suicide prevention services.13 11 14lifeline.org.au
Suicide Call Back ServiceProvides immediate telephone counselling and support in a crisis.1300 659 467suicidecallbackservice.org.au
Beyond BlueSupporting people affected by anxiety, depression and suicide.1300 224 636beyondblue.org.au
MensLine AustraliaTelephone and online support, information and referral service for men with concerns about family and relationships, mental health, anger management, family violence (using and experiencing), substance abuse and wellbeing. The service is available from anywhere in Australia and is staffed by professional counsellors, experienced in men's issues.1300 789 978mensline.org.au
Kids HelplineTelephone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25.1800 551 800kidshelpline.com.au
ReachOutOnline mental health service for under-25s and their parents. au.reachout.com
National Alcohol and Other Drugs HotlineHotline for anyone affected by alcohol or other drugs. Support includes counselling, advice and referral to local services.1800 250 015 
Family Drug SupportHelp for individuals and families dealing with drug and alcohol use. Also provide support groups, education programs, counselling and bereavement services for families.1300 368 186fds.org.au
1800RESPECTNational domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support service.1800 737 7321800respect.org.au
13YARNAboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line for people feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty coping.13 92 7613yarn.org.au
StandBy - Support After SuicideAustralia's leading suicide postvention program dedicated to assisting people and communities bereaved or impacted by suicide, including individuals, families, friends, witnesses, first responders and service providers.1300 727 247standbysupport.com.au

Data downloads

Notes - Data cube changes and additions

Causes of death, Australia, 2024 data cubes

Data files

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 3303.0

Methodology

Scope

All deaths that occurred and were registered in Australia, including deaths of persons whose place of usual residence was overseas.

Geography

Usual residence data is coded to the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS).

Source

Death registrations from the state and territory Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages (RBDMs). For deaths certified by a coroner, information is supplemented from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS).

Collection method

Administrative data from:

  • Death registration statements via funeral directors with family or acquaintances.
  • Medical Certificates of Cause of Death for doctor certified deaths and various coronial reports for coroner certified deaths.

Concepts, sources and methods

Cause of death information is coded to the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). 

The underlying concepts and methods used are available in the methodology.

History of changes

Not applicable to this release.

View full methodology
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