Summary
In 2025, melanoma of the skin (melanoma) and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) were estimated to be among the top 20 causes of cancer deaths in Australia. But we still do not know enough about which groups face the highest skin cancer death rates.
To fill this gap, the AIHW linked deaths and Census data from the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) to compare death rates for melanoma and NMSC across priority populations. This report includes new analysis by ancestry, disability status, education, and occupation.
Between Census night 2016 (09 August) and 31 December 2022, about 7,900 people had died from melanoma and 3,800 had died from NMSC.
New insights revealed that death rates for both melanoma and NMSC were higher for:
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Males
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People born in Oceania and Antarctica
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People with disability
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People living in low socioeconomic areas
Death rates also increased with age.
Melanoma death rates were higher for non-Indigenous Australians and people living in regional areas, while death rates from NMSC were higher for people living in remote areas.
These findings will help shape a Roadmap for a National Targeted Skin Cancer Screening Program (‘the Roadmap’) by identifying potential at-risk populations and identify future data and information needs.