In 2018, there were 158,500 deaths in Australia (82,300 males; 76,200 females). These deaths had a wide range of causes but some were more common than others.
Leading causes of death is a useful measure of population health. It is of most value when making comparisons over time or between population groups. Changes in the pattern of causes of death can result from changes in behaviours, exposures to disease or injury, and social and environmental circumstances, as well as from data coding practices.
About deaths data
Causes of death are documented on death certificates by medical practitioners or coroners, and coded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics using the World Health Organization International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD).
The ICD allows diseases that cause death to be grouped in a way that is meaningful for monitoring population health. The AIHW uses the disease groups recommended by the World Health Organization (Becker et al. 2006), with minor modifications to suit the Australian context.
Leading causes of death presented in this snapshot are based on the ‘underlying cause of death’, which is the disease or injury that began the train of events leading to death.
Most deaths, however, result from more than one contributing disease or condition. Analyses using ‘associated causes of death’ may offer insight into the disease processes occurring at the end of life or, for injury causes of death, the nature of the injury.
In 2018, the leading cause of death for males was coronary heart disease, accounting for 10,300 (13%) deaths. Dementia including Alzheimer’s disease was the leading cause of death for females, accounting for 9,000 (12%) deaths, closely followed by coronary heart disease (7,300; 10% of deaths). Cerebrovascular disease (which includes stroke), lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) make up the top 5 leading underlying causes of death in Australia for males and females of all ages combined (Figure 1).
Males account for more deaths due to coronary heart disease, lung cancer and COPD. Females account for the majority of deaths due to cerebrovascular disease and dementia including Alzheimer’s disease.