Deaths in Australia

Trends by sex

There has been a long and continuing decline in death rates in Australia. Between 1907 and 2022, the overall crude mortality rate decreased by 32% (35% for males and 28% for females) (Table S5.1).

When accounting for changes in population age structure over this period, the age-standardised death rate for males fell by 71% (from 2,234 deaths to 647 deaths per 100,000) and by 75% for females (from 1,844 deaths to 461 deaths per 100,000) (Figure 5.1).

Death rates have historically been higher for males than for females; however, the gap has been closing over time. The difference between male and female age-standardised death rates was largest in 1968, when the rate difference was 642 deaths per 100,000 population.

The large reduction in rate difference between male and females since 1968 has largely been driven by the reduction in deaths due to cardiovascular diseases. This was influenced by several factors, including:

• improvements in surgical techniques, hospital care, diagnosis and pharmaceuticals
• modifications to lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet and high blood pressure.

However, from 2021 to 2022, the difference between male and female age-standardised death rates saw the largest increase in a decade. The rate difference increased from 170 deaths per 100,000 in 2021 to 186 deaths per 100,000 in 2022. This may be in part due to the higher rates of COVID-19 deaths in males, and the greater increase in total number of deaths for males than females in 2022.

Source: AIHW National Mortality Database; Table S5.1.

Trends by cause of death since the early 1900s

The overall decline in deaths over the last century (see Figure 5.1) is associated with a range of factors:

• In the first half of the last century factors such as control of infectious disease and better hygiene and nutrition.
• The later years were associated with improvements in road safety measures, falls in smoking rates, and improvements in prevention, detection and treatment of disease such as cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases.
• Large decreases in deaths rates since the early 1900s have also been driven by the decline of infant and child deaths.

See more in Australia’s health 2022: data insights on Changing patterns of mortality in Australia since 1900.

Infectious diseases were the leading cause of death in the first decade of last century, followed by cardiovascular diseases and respiratory diseases (Figure 5.2). In 1919, mortality due to respiratory diseases increased sharply due to the Spanish influenza pandemic. As infectious diseases declined, there was increased mortality from cardiovascular diseases and cancers from the 1920s and 1930s. In recent years, crude mortality rates from cancer have surpassed those from cardiovascular diseases.

When accounting for differences in the population age structure over time, cardiovascular diseases have consistently been a leading cause of death for Australians over the last century, but age-standardised death rates have been steadily declining (Figure 5.2). Deaths from cardiovascular diseases peaked in 1968 at 830 deaths per 100,000 population (age-standardised rate) and continued their historic decline in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but have since increased. In 2021, after adjusting for age, there were 123 deaths per 100,000 due to cardiovascular disease (a 2.3% increase from 2020), and in 2022 there were 125 deaths per 100,000 population (a 2.1% increase from 2021). For more information on the impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular disease, see Heart, stroke and vascular disease: Australian facts report.

Cancer (all neoplasm) deaths, after adjusting for differences in age structure, peaked in 1985 (217 deaths per 100,000 population) and have gradually declined to 152 deaths per 100,000 in 2022. Age-standardised rates of deaths due to respiratory diseases, infectious diseases (excluding COVID-19) and injury and poisoning declined over the last century.

Figure 5.2: Crude and age-standardised death rates in Australia, by broad cause of death, 1907–2022

Trends by cause of death in the past decade

With the exception of the emergence of COVID-19, over the last decade the 10 leading causes of death for males and females have generally been the same, albeit with different rankings (Figure 5.3).

For males, over the last decade:

• Coronary heart disease was the leading cause of death in both 2012 and 2022, accounting for 15% of deaths in 2012 and 11% in 2022.
• Dementia including Alzheimer’s disease had the largest change, rising from forth to second place.
• The rankings for all cancers within the top 10 causes of death (lung, prostate and colorectal) decreased between 2012 and 2022.
• Heart failure and other complications moved out of the leading 10 causes of death.

For females, over the last decade:

• Coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease fell in rank from 2012 to 2022.
• Dementia including Alzheimer’s disease increased from second to first place, accounting for 9.6% of deaths in 2012 and 12% of deaths in 2022.
• All cancers within the top 10 causes of death (lung, breast and colorectal) decreased in rank between 2012 and 2022.
• Influenza and pneumonia moved out of the leading 10 causes of death.

In 2022, COVID-19 was one of the leading causes of death for both males and females. For more information, see COVID-19 deaths.

Figure 5.3: Change in disease ranking and the proportion of all deaths for the leading 10 underlying causes of death in Australia, by sex, between 2012 and 2022

Coronary heart disease (CHD) was the leading cause of death across all years. While CHD continues to be the leading cause of death, the percentage of deaths due to CHD has decreased overall (from 14% of deaths in 2012 to 10% of deaths in 2022). By comparison, the percentage of deaths due to dementia has increased (from 7% of all deaths in 2012 to 9% of all deaths in 2022).

CHD mortality declined from 2012 to 2020 – the first year of the pandemic – and remained stable in 2021, the age-standardised death rate increased by 4.3% in 2022. This increase should be interpreted in the context of higher overall mortality in 2022, with two-thirds of excess deaths being associated with COVID-19 (ABS 2023). Chronic cardiac conditions (including coronary heart disease) were the most common pre-existing diseases among those who died from the virus. People with pre-existing chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) are also at higher risk of cardiac complications from COVID-19 and more severe outcomes. 

In contrast, death rates for dementia have been increasing. Between 2012 and 2022, the age-standardised death rate increased overall for dementia including Alzheimer’s disease by 25%. For more information about dementia, see Dementia in Australia.

Figure 5.4: Age-standardised death rates in Australia, selected leading causes of death, 2012–2022