Dementia has overtaken heart disease as the leading cause of death across Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

There were more than 17,500 deaths from dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, in 2024 — making it the cause of 9.4 per cent of deaths nationwide.

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For those aged 75 years and over, dementia was responsible for 95 per cent of deaths.

ABS head of mortality statistics Lauren Mohan said the num

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