Data on Causes of Death in Australia Published by AIHW

By Petrina Smith
Monday, 16 March, 2015

Coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, cancers, dementia and Alzheimer disease and respiratory conditions are the most common causes of death in Australia for people aged over 45.
For people aged between 15 and 44, suicide is the leading cause of death.
This information is drawn from the latest data on causes of death in Australia which was published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
AIHW spokesperson Louise York said 'People who die of chronic disease often have more than one cause of death recorded on their death certificate. 'For example, coronary heart disease was listed as an associated cause of death for 50 per cent of diabetes deaths and 25 per cent of deaths due to kidney failure.'

Land transport accidents were the leading cause of death among children aged 1-14, while perinatal and congenital conditions were the leading cause among infants.
Overall, there were 147,678 deaths in Australia in 2013, two-thirds of which were in people aged over 75 years. More women died when they were aged over 75 years than men (73% and 58%, respectively).
'Life expectancy in Australia continues to be among the highest in the world, with more women outliving men,' Ms York said.
Among OECD countries in 2012, Australian men improved their ranking from 6th to 3rd, whilst Australian women remained steady at 7th.
Current life expectancy figures show that an Australian girl born in 2011-13 can expect to live to 84.3 years and an Australian boy can expect to live to the age of 80.1 years.
'Life expectancy is still lower for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with Indigenous males living, on average, 10.6 years less than their non-Indigenous counterparts. For Indigenous females, this figure is 9.5 years,' Ms York said.
Alzheimer’s Australia National President, Graeme Samuel said: “The data shows that dementia is a serious health issue that we can’t afford to neglect. Each week there are 1,800 new cases of dementia in Australia and this is expected to increase to 7,400 new cases each week by 2050. These figures reinforce the importance of prevention and research as key strategies to combat chronic diseases.
“In recent years, dementia research has shown promising results, with evidence suggesting that there are things people can do to reduce their risk of dementia.
“Simple lifestyle factors including regular exercise, following a healthy diet, remaining mentally and socially active all play a part in a person’s brain health,” he said.