Latest findings
In 2020, there were 161,300 deaths registered in Australia
In 2020, the leading cause of death for males was coronary heart disease (12%)
In 2020, the leading cause of death for females was dementia including Alzheimer’s disease (12%)
Average health service costs in the last year of life were highest for people who died from bowel cancer
Health service use and associated costs varied by whether older people used residential aged care in their last year
Average health service costs in the last year of life increased with age until, at age 70, they began to fall