Performance indicator 8: Mortality from breast cancer
Summary
- In 2023, there were 3,215 deaths from breast cancer in women in Australia, which is a mortality rate of 24.0 deaths per 100,000 women.
- In 2023, there were 1,446 deaths from breast cancer in women aged 50–74 in Australia, which is a mortality rate of 39.0 deaths per 100,000 women
- Breast cancer mortality in women aged 50–74 was highest for those living in Remote areas and lowest for those in Major cities.
- Breast cancer mortality in women aged 50–74 increased with increasing socioeconomic disadvantage.
Definition
The number of deaths from breast cancer in women aged 50–74 per 100,000 estimated resident female population in a calendar year.
Rationale
Mortality data provide contextual information on the number of deaths from breast cancer in the population. This is an indicator of BreastScreen Australia’s performance against its aim to reduce mortality from breast cancer through organised screening.
Guide to interpretation
Mortality data include both mortality from screen-detected breast cancers (detected through BreastScreen Australia) and mortality from breast cancers detected outside BreastScreen Australia.
Mortality from breast cancer data are reported per 100,000 females in the population.
Mortality from breast cancer by state and territory, remoteness area, socioeconomic area, and Indigenous status is reported over a 5-year (instead of a 12-month) period.
The National Mortality Database (NMD) is the source of breast cancer mortality data.
The most recent data for mortality from breast cancer are deaths in 2023 and estimates to 2025.
Results
In 2023, the latest year of national data available in the AIHW National Mortality Database, there were 3,215 deaths from breast cancer in women of all ages in Australia, which is 24.0 deaths per 100,000 women in the population (17.7 deaths per 100,000 women after adjusting for age to allow comparison over time or across population groups).
Of these 3,215 deaths, 1,446 (45.0%) occurred in women aged 50–74 (the target age group for BreastScreen Australia), which is equivalent to 39.0 deaths per 100,000 women aged 50–74 (37.0 deaths per 100,000 women aged 50–74 after adjusting for age to allow comparison over time or across population groups).
Box 8.1: Estimated mortality to 2025
Mortality data are estimated to the current year of reporting, based on 2014–2023 mortality data (note that actual mortality data for 2024–2025 may differ from estimated data for these years due to current and ongoing program or practice changes).
In 2025, it is estimated that there will be 3,313 deaths from breast cancer in Australian women, equivalent to 17.5 deaths per 100,000 women when age standardised.
Of these 3,313 deaths, it is estimated that 1,403 will occur in women aged 50–74, equivalent to 35.3 deaths per 100,000 women when age-standardised.
Mortality by age
In 2023, breast cancer mortality increased with age, from 7.8 deaths per 100,000 women aged 40–44 to 59.7 per 100,000 women aged 70–74 (Figure 8.1)
Figure 8.1: Mortality from breast cancer in women, by age group, 2023
This line chart shows breast cancer mortality increased with age, from 7.8 deaths women aged 40–44 to 84.0 for women aged 75–79.
| Age group (years) | Mortality rate (per 100,000) women |
|---|---|
| 40–44 | 7.8 |
| 45–49 | 12 |
| 50–54 | 20.1 |
| 55–59 | 33.9 |
| 60–64 | 38 |
| 65–69 | 51.4 |
| 70–74 | 59.7 |
Crude rate is the number of deaths of breast cancer expressed per 100,000 women.
Source: AIHW National Mortality Database. Data for this figure are available in Table A 8.1.
Mortality by state and territory
In 2019–2023, mortality from breast cancer for women aged 50–74 varied between 35.5 and 39.8 deaths per 100,000 women. Note that data for the least-populated jurisdictions are subject to variation due to smaller numbers, even with 5 years of combined data.
Mortality by remoteness area
In 2019–2023, breast cancer mortality for women aged 50–74 varies across remoteness areas.
After adjusting for age, breast cancer mortality in women aged 50–74 was highest for those living in Remote areas at 40.9 deaths per 100,000 women and lowest for those living in Major cities at 31.4 deaths per 100,000 women (Figure 8.2).
Mortality by socioeconomic area
In 2019–2023, breast cancer mortality for women aged 50–74 increased as socioeconomic disadvantage increased.
After adjusting for age, breast cancer mortality in women aged 50–74 was lowest for women residing in least disadvantaged socioeconomic areas at 31.0 and 31.8 deaths per 100,000 women; thereafter, it increased with increasing socioeconomic disadvantage and was highest for women residing in most disadvantaged socioeconomic areas at 37.6 deaths per 100,000 women (Figure 8.2).
Figure 8.2: Mortality from breast cancer in women aged 50–74, by remoteness area and socioeconomic area, 2019–2023
These side-by-side vertical bar charts show mortality was lowest for women in Major cities and for women in least disadvantaged socioeconomic areas.
Mortality trends
Breast cancer mortality rates have fallen over time, with this decrease evident after the introduction of BreastScreen Australia in 1991. The age standardised mortality rate from breast cancer in women aged 50–74 fell from 74 deaths per 100,000 in 1991 to 37 deaths per 100,000 in 2023 (Figure 8.3).
The fall in breast cancer mortality in women aged 50–74 has been attributed in part to the early detection of breast cancer through BreastScreen Australia, along with advances in the management and treatment of breast cancer (BreastScreen Australia EAC 2009).
Figure 8.3: Mortality of breast cancer in women aged 50–74, 1982 to 2023
This combined bar/line chart shows a decrease in mortality over time from 71 in 1982 to 37 in 2023.
