Dementia Support Line
Research
Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer
The number of people whose deaths were due to dementia has been steadily increasing year on year. The latest data shows that dementia was recorded as the leading cause of death in the UK.
We’re using the latest available statistics to raise awareness of the scale of dementia as one of the most urgent health and social care issues of our time.
Annual death statistics for England and Wales, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in 2024, showed that dementia was the leading cause of death in the UK.
Why is this statistic important?
Our research shows, while people may be concerned about dementia as a health condition, not enough are aware of the scale of the problem, or how likely it is to directly affect them.
This is despite its high prevalence.
Around one million people are currently living with dementia in the UK, with millions more caring for loved ones affected by the condition.
It also challenges the widespread misconception that dementia is just a natural, inevitable part of ageing, rather than being a terminal disease.
This statistic will help us make dementia the priority it needs to be and, with your support, end the devastation it causes.
What are the other leading causes of death in the UK?
In 2024, the top five causes of death were:
- Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (11.8% of all deaths)
- Ischaemic heart disease (9.6% of all deaths)
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases (5.5% of all deaths)
- Cerebrovascular disease (5.2% of all deaths)
- Lung-based cancers (5.0% of all deaths).
How is cause of death determined?
The cause of death is defined by the World Health Organisation as the disease that ultimately led to death.
Dementia will be recorded as the leading cause of death when it has directly contributed to the chain of events resulting in death, for example by causing increased frailty or a weakened immune system that led to a fatal fall or infection.
This means the data is reflective of people dying from dementia, not simply people dying with dementia.
Why is dementia the leading cause of death in the UK?
- Greater awareness and understanding of dementia means more people are now receiving a diagnosis. Alzheimer's Society has long campaigned to increase the number of people with dementia receiving a diagnosis so they can gain access to vital treatments and support services.
- Due to medical advances, more people than ever are surviving heart disease, strokes and many cancers.
- Age is the biggest risk factor for dementia, so as more people live longer, the number of people developing dementia is increasing.
Dementia is a terminal condition and more research is needed to find treatments that can slow or stop the diseases that cause dementia.
Support our work
We’re working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives. Support our work by campaigning, taking part in our research or getting involved in our latest appeal.
We collated official data on primary causes of death from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for 2024 (the latest year data is available for all four nations).
The data uses leading cause of deaths groupings developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and adopted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
ONS: Leading causes of death registered in England and Wales: 2024
Under this approach, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is treated as a single group whilst conditions like cancer are separated by disease type such as lung cancer, breast cancer, or pancreatic cancer. This helps to provide policymakers with enough detail to generate appropriate health policies and interventions.