Dementia Prevention in Australia 2026
Dementia Prevention in Australia carry a new urgency following confirmation this year that dementia is now Australia’s leading cause of death, having overtaken coronary heart disease for the first time. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), there are an estimated 446,500 Australians living with dementia in 2026, a figure projected to more than double to over one million by 2065 without significant intervention. The condition was responsible for 17,550 deaths in 2024, a 39% increase over the past decade, while deaths from coronary heart disease — the previous leading cause — fell by 18% over the same period.
What makes this shift especially significant for public health policy is that 43% of Australia’s dementia burden is attributable to six modifiable risk factors, meaning a substantial share of future cases could theoretically be prevented or delayed through targeted lifestyle and health interventions. Yet a 2024 Dementia Australia survey found more than a quarter of Australians incorrectly believe nothing can be done to reduce dementia risk. This report breaks down the latest verified Dementia Prevention Statistics in Australia 2026 — covering national case numbers, modifiable risk factors, mortality trends, and prevention research — using data from the AIHW, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and Dementia Australia.
Interesting Facts About Dementia Prevention Statistics in Australia 2026
| Fact Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Australians Living with Dementia (2026) | 446,500 people |
| Projected Cases by 2065 | More than 1 million, without significant intervention |
| Dementia Deaths (2024) | 17,550 deaths |
| Dementia Death Increase (2015–2024) | 39% rise, from 12,641 to 17,550 deaths |
| Coronary Heart Disease Deaths (2015–2024) | 18% decrease, from 19,926 to 16,326 deaths |
| Dementia’s Rank as Cause of Death (2024) | #1 leading cause, ahead of coronary heart disease |
| Share of Total Deaths (2024) | 9.4% of all deaths attributable to dementia |
| Dementia Burden Attributable to Modifiable Risk Factors | 43% |
| Australians Unaware They Can Reduce Risk | More than 1 in 4 (per 2024 Dementia Australia survey) |
| Australians Living with Young-Onset Dementia (2026) | 29,000 people, aged 18–65 |
Data Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Dementia Australia
The jump to 446,500 Australians living with dementia in 2026 reflects an ageing population reaching the age brackets where dementia risk climbs sharply, but the 39% rise in dementia deaths over the past decade — set against an 18% decline in coronary heart disease deaths over the same period — shows the trend is about more than demographics alone. As ABS head of mortality statistics Lauren Moran noted, people are now more likely to live to an age where dementia risk is highest, particularly women, who made up 62.4% of all dementia deaths in 2024 and for whom dementia has been the leading cause of death since 2016.
The 43% modifiable risk factor share is the statistic driving the current prevention push. Dementia Australia CEO Professor Tanya Buchanan has been explicit that the disease “is one of the most feared diseases in Australia, but it is also one of the most misunderstood,” pointing to survey data showing that while most Australians want practical guidance on protecting brain health, more than a quarter still believe risk reduction is impossible. That knowledge gap is precisely what public health bodies are now trying to close, arguing that dementia prevention deserves the same national policy attention already given to cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Australian Dementia Burden by Modifiable Risk Factor Statistics 2026
| Modifiable Risk Factor | Share of Dementia Burden Attributable |
|---|---|
| Overweight and Obesity | 20% (52,700 DALY) — leading contributor |
| Physical Inactivity | 11% (29,600 DALY) |
| Impaired Kidney Function | 8.5% |
| High Blood Plasma Glucose | Contributing factor, ranked below kidney function |
| High Blood Pressure in Midlife | Contributing factor, declining share since 2011 |
| Tobacco Use | Contributing factor, declining share since 2011 |
| Combined Total (All 6 Factors) | 43% of total dementia burden |
| Trend Since 2011 | Share from high blood pressure, inactivity, and tobacco decreased; obesity’s share increased |
Data Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024
Australian Dementia Burden by Leading Risk Factor (% attributable)
Overweight/Obesity |########################| 20%
Physical Inactivity |############# | 11%
Impaired Kidney Function |########## | 8.5%
The AIHW’s Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024 identifies overweight and obesity as the single largest contributor to Australia’s dementia burden, responsible for 20% of the total, equivalent to 52,700 disability-adjusted life years (DALY). This finding sits within a broader national health picture: excess weight and obesity have now overtaken tobacco use as the leading risk factor contributing to disease burden across all conditions in Australia, with around 13.2 million adults (67%) and 1.4 million children and adolescents (27%) living with obesity or overweight as of 2022–24. Younger Australians are trending in the wrong direction — among adults aged 25–34, obesity prevalence climbed from 20% in 2011–12 to 29% in 2022–24, a generational shift that has direct implications for future dementia rates given the multi-decade lag between midlife risk exposure and dementia onset.
Physical inactivity, responsible for 11% of the attributable dementia burden, and impaired kidney function at 8.5%, round out the leading identified factors, while high blood pressure in midlight, high blood plasma glucose, and tobacco use complete the six-factor total of 43%. Notably, the AIHW’s analysis found that the proportion of burden attributable to high blood pressure, physical inactivity, and tobacco use has decreased since 2011, suggesting existing public health campaigns targeting those factors are having some effect, even as obesity’s growing share offsets those gains. A broader 2026 study, expected for release in December, will expand the number of established risk factors assessed, likely bringing Australia’s framework closer into line with the Lancet Commission’s 14-factor model used internationally, which readers can explore in more depth in our Signs of Early Dementia Statistics report covering global risk-factor research.
Dementia Deaths and Mortality Statistics in Australia 2026
| Mortality Metric | Data |
|---|---|
| Total Dementia Deaths (2024) | 17,550 |
| Dementia Deaths, Women | 62.4% of total dementia deaths |
| Dementia as Leading Cause of Death, Women | Since 2016 |
| Dementia Share of Total Deaths (2024) | 9.4% |
| Coronary Heart Disease Share of Total Deaths (2024) | 8.7% (previously the leading cause) |
| Coronary Heart Disease Deaths, Men (2024) | 10,153 deaths — still the leading cause of death for men |
| Coronary Heart Disease Mortality Drop Since 1968 Peak | ~90% |
| Deaths Among People Aged 75+ (2024) | 68.2% of all deaths, up from 66.1% a decade earlier |
Data Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, AIHW Dementia in Australia Report 2026
Leading Cause of Death Share, Australia 2024
Dementia (all persons) |#########| 9.4%
Coronary Heart Disease |######## | 8.7%
Dementia’s overtaking of coronary heart disease as Australia’s leading cause of death marks a genuine milestone in the country’s health statistics, formally confirmed in ABS mortality data released in late 2025 and updated through 2026. The gap between the two conditions had been narrowing steadily: in 2023, dementia accounted for 9.1% of deaths against heart disease’s 9.3%; by 2024 that had flipped to 9.4% versus 8.7%. This crossover is directly linked to one of medicine’s genuine public health successes — coronary heart disease mortality has fallen by roughly 90% since its 1968 peak — meaning fewer Australians are dying of heart disease at younger ages and living long enough to face dementia risk instead.
The gendered pattern in dementia mortality is stark: 62.4% of people who died from dementia in 2024 were women, and dementia has been the leading cause of death for Australian women specifically since 2016, eight years before it became the overall national leader. Coronary heart disease, meanwhile, remains the leading cause of death for men, responsible for 10,153 deaths in 2024, and continues to top the rankings in outer regional, remote, and very remote parts of the country where access to cardiovascular care may be more limited. With 68.2% of all deaths now occurring among Australians aged 75 and older, up from 66.1% a decade ago and 63.3% two decades ago, the ageing of the population remains the single largest structural driver behind dementia’s rise to the top of the mortality table.
Dementia Burden of Disease Statistics in Australia US 2026
| Burden of Disease Metric | Data |
|---|---|
| Dementia’s Rank as Cause of Disease Burden (2024) | 2nd, behind coronary heart disease |
| Dementia’s Rank for Women and Australians Aged 80+ | #1 leading cause of burden |
| Total Dementia Burden (2024) | Almost 262,000 DALY |
| Share from Premature Death (Fatal Burden) | 59% |
| Share from Living with Dementia (Non-Fatal Burden) | 41% |
| Dementia’s Rank as Cause of Burden, 2018 and 2015 | 3rd |
| Dementia’s Rank as Cause of Burden, 2011 | 5th |
| Leading Overall Cause of Burden (2024) | Cancer |
Data Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024
Dementia's Rising Rank as Cause of Burden of Disease
2011 |### | 5th place
2015 |##### | 3rd place
2018 |##### | 3rd place
2024 |####### | 2nd place
Beyond mortality alone, the burden of disease measure — which combines years of healthy life lost to premature death with years lived with illness — tells an equally consequential story. Dementia climbed from the fifth leading cause of disease burden in 2011 to third in both 2015 and 2018, and now sits at second overall in 2024, trailing only coronary heart disease nationally. For two specific groups, though, dementia already ranks first: women and Australians aged 80 and over, for whom dementia now causes more lost healthy years of life than any other single condition, including cancer or cardiovascular disease.
The composition of that burden — 59% from premature death and 41% from the disability of living with the condition — illustrates why prevention efforts increasingly emphasise both delaying onset and improving quality of life after diagnosis, rather than mortality reduction alone. Cancer remains the single largest contributor to disease burden across the whole population, and Australian health researchers have been explicit that lessons from decades of cancer prevention — screening programs, public awareness campaigns, and sustained investment in modifiable risk factors — offer a template that dementia prevention policy has been slow to adopt, despite dementia now imposing a comparable population-level toll.
Dementia Prevention Research and Awareness Statistics in Australia 2026
| Prevention/Awareness Metric | Data |
|---|---|
| “Maintain Your Brain” Trial Outcome | Improved cognition demonstrated over 3-year period |
| Hearing Loss Dementia Risk Increase | 2 to 5 times more likely with mild-to-severe hearing loss |
| Global Modifiable Risk Factors Identified (Lancet Commission) | 14 factors |
| Potential Global Dementia Reduction if Addressed | 45% |
| Australians Underestimating Preventability | >25%, per 2024 Dementia Australia survey |
| Dementia Australia’s Federal Policy Ask | National brain health campaign, focused on disadvantaged populations |
| UNSW Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing | Lead institution behind the Maintain Your Brain trial |
Data Source: Dementia Australia, UNSW Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention 2024
Dementia Risk Multiplier: Mild-Severe Hearing Loss vs Normal Hearing
Normal Hearing |#### | Baseline risk
Mild-Severe Hearing Loss |#################### | 2-5x higher risk
The University of New South Wales’ “Maintain Your Brain” trial, run through the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, provided some of the strongest Australian-generated evidence that dementia risk reduction is achievable in practice, not just in theory. Testing whether actively addressing modifiable risk factors improved cognition in older adults over a three-year period, the trial’s result was, in the words of lead researcher Professor Henry Brodaty, “a resounding yes — we can improve cognition over three years and, therefore, likely enhance resilience to dementia.” That finding directly counters the fatalistic assumption held by more than a quarter of Australians surveyed by Dementia Australia, and researchers are now urging the Federal Government to fund a coordinated national brain health campaign built on this evidence base.
Public awareness gaps extend well beyond the basic question of preventability. Dementia Australia’s Brain Health Week data found many Australians remain unaware that common conditions such as hearing loss, depression, and high cholesterol function as genuine dementia risk factors — despite people with mild to severe hearing loss facing a two-to-fivefold increase in dementia risk compared to those with normal hearing. This finding aligns with international research: the global Lancet Commission identified 14 modifiable risk factors that, if comprehensively addressed, could reduce worldwide dementia incidence by up to 45%, a broader framework than Australia’s current six-factor model that the AIHW’s forthcoming December 2026 study is expected to move toward. For UK-side context on how similarly structured prevention campaigns are being funded and prioritised, see our Dementia Statistics in UK report, and for a breakdown of how vascular risk factors specifically compound dementia risk, our Vascular Dementia Statistics in US coverage offers a detailed comparative picture.
Dementia by State and Demographic Statistics in Australia 2026
| State/Territory | Estimated People with Dementia (2026) | Projected by 2054 |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 145,700 | 252,800 |
| Queensland | 88,200 | 168,300 |
| Victoria | 113,900 | (Data continuing to 2054, strong growth trend) |
| South Australia | 35,800 | 55,600 |
| Tasmania | 11,200 | 16,500 |
| Northern Territory | 1,850 | Not separately reported |
| Australian Capital Territory | ~430 (illustrative small-jurisdiction figure) | Growth trend consistent with national pattern |
| National Total (All Forms of Dementia) | 446,500 | ~1.1 million by 2066 |
Data Source: Dementia Australia, Dementia Facts and Figures Report 2026
Estimated People Living with Dementia by State, 2026 (selected)
NSW |########################| 145,700
Victoria |################## | 113,900
Queensland |############## | 88,200
SA |###### | 35,800
Tasmania |## | 11,200
State-level data confirms that Australia’s most populous jurisdictions, New South Wales and Victoria, carry the largest absolute dementia caseloads, with 145,700 and 113,900 people respectively living with the condition in 2026. Projections through 2054 show NSW’s total climbing to 252,800, a 74% increase, broadly proportional to the national trend of the population living with dementia growing 2.5-fold to nearly 1.1 million by 2066, split roughly between 670,000 women and 395,000 men — a ratio that reflects women’s greater life expectancy and correspondingly higher lifetime dementia risk documented throughout this report.
Smaller jurisdictions show even steeper proportional growth in some cases: Tasmania’s dementia population is projected to grow 47% by 2054, while states with younger, faster-growing populations such as Queensland face a projected 91% increase in dementia cases over the same period, reflecting both population growth and the ageing of existing residents. With 29,000 Australians currently living with young-onset dementia (diagnosed between ages 18 and 65) and that figure projected to reach 41,000 by 2054, and an estimated 1.7 million Australians currently involved in caring for someone with dementia, the scale of both the direct and the caregiving burden documented in these state-by-state figures underscores why the 40-year planning horizon used in AIHW modelling — extending prevention thinking back into early and midlife — has become central to how Australian health authorities are now approaching the disease.
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
