Dementia Tops Death List, Asthma Claims Record

Dementia has claimed more than one in ten lives in Australia for the first time, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday. The agency registered 188,421 deaths in 2025, with 19,019 attributed to dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. This marks the third consecutive year the condition has served as the nation’s leading cause of death, a shift that began in 2024. Other top causes included ischaemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, lung cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases.

The figures reveal a sharp rise in deaths linked to asthma, reaching a decade-high count. In 2025, 484 Australians died from the condition, up from 478 the previous year. Women accounted for nearly two-thirds of these fatalities, mirroring the demographic split seen in dementia deaths where women also comprised almost two-thirds of the total. The data also showed that drug-induced deaths rose to 2,063 from 2,007 in 2024, with opioids and benzodiazepines remaining the most common substances involved. Lauren Moran, the ABS head of mortality statistics, noted a substantial increase in deaths involving stimulants, particularly methamphetamine.

Prof Tanya Buchanan, chief executive of Dementia Australia, described the findings as an urgent public health issue. She stated that the data underscores the need for greater recognition and funding for people living with dementia, their families, and carers. Buchanan highlighted that an estimated 446,500 Australians currently live with the condition, while another 1.7 million are involved in their care. She argued that investment in specific services and prevention has not kept pace with the growing impact of the disease, adding that stigma continues to surround it.

Kate Miranda, CEO of Asthma Australia, pointed to preventable factors behind the rising death toll. She explained that poorly controlled asthma increases risk, yet many individuals do not receive adequate care. Miranda noted that research shows the proportion of adults with well-controlled asthma is falling, with many using little or no preventer treatment. Adherence among those using inhaled corticosteroids is worsening, and too many people rely solely on reliever medications for symptoms. She emphasized that relievers do not treat the underlying inflammation, a gap she said is often ignored by patients with mild cases who skip regular checkups.

Miranda urged a shift toward anti-inflammatory reliever therapy, a treatment that addresses both symptoms and inflammation. She observed that many older Australians still use childhood medications without realizing guidelines have changed. Suicide remained the leading cause of premature death for both men and women in 2025, with men accounting for almost three-quarters of these deaths.

The statistics paint a picture of a health system grappling with chronic conditions that require consistent, long-term management. The rise in dementia deaths coincides with a plateau in funding, while asthma fatalities suggest a gap between available clinical guidelines and patient behavior. The data confirms that while effective treatments exist, the application of those treatments remains inconsistent across the population.