Dementia , including Alzheimer's disease, is now the leading cause of death in Australians overtaking ischaemic heart disease for the first time in new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics .

Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, accounted for over 17,500 deaths last year.

Ischemic heart diseases are now at their lowest rate in the available time series.

"The number of deaths caused by dementia has risen by 39 per cent over the last decade," ABS Head of Morality Statistics, Lauren Moran, said.

The leading cause of death in 2024 aligns with Australia's ageing population.

Over two-thirds of the deaths were among people aged over 75 years old, compared to 66.1 per cent 10 years ago and 63.3 per cent twenty years ago. 

"People are now more likely to live to a

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