Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
In 2016–2018, there were around 2,000 deaths from CVD among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, a crude rate of 93 deaths per 100,000 population.
After adjusting for differences in the age structure of the populations, the rate of death from CVD was 1.7 times as high among Indigenous Australians compared with non-Indigenous Australians. The difference between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians was higher among females (1.8 times higher among Indigenous Australians) than males (1.6 times higher among Indigenous Australians).
Coronary heart disease
In 2018, coronary heart disease (CHD) was the underlying cause in around 17,500 deaths (11% of all deaths and 42% of CVD deaths). Forty two percent of CHD deaths (7,300) resulted from a heart attack, also known as acute myocardial infarction.
Trends over time
The number and rate of CHD deaths have declined substantially between 1981 and 2018.
- The number of CHD deaths declined by 44% (from around 31,400 to 17,500).
- CHD death rates declined by around 80%—falling from 412 to 75 per 100,000 population for males and 208 to 38 per 100,000 population for females (Figure 5).