More than 17,000 Australians died of dementia last year as new report warns cases will climb to one million within four decades

Dementia has now claimed the grim title of Australia’s biggest killer, with new figures showing the disease is responsible for more deaths than any other condition.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reports dementia accounted for nearly 17,400 deaths in 2023, representing about one in 10 fatalities nationwide.

Deaths have almost doubled in the past 15 years, driven by the country’s ageing population and greater recognition of the condition as an underlying cause.

Dementia is now the leading cause of death for women and the second for men.

Almost two-thirds of the 433,000 Australians currently living with dementia are female, and the illness accounts for one in eight female deaths.

For men, the toll is closer to one in 15, with coronary heart disease remaining the b