Leading causes of death
Chronic diseases such as heart disease, dementia and cancers are leading causes of death among people aged 45 and over.
Most of the 147,098 deaths occurred among people aged 75 years or over (66%). More women died when they were aged 75 and over (74%) than men (59%).
In general, women outlived men: the average age at death for men was 78.6, compared with 84.6 for women.
The findings are a result of a new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report which shows that leading causes of death vary substantially at different ages.
The AIHW Deaths snapshot presents the latest data on deaths in Australia including information on age at death, trends over time, causes of death and life expectancy.
Coronary heart disease was the most common underlying cause of death in Australia for people aged 45 and over, followed by stroke, cancers, dementia and Alzheimer disease, and respiratory conditions in 2011.
External causes, such as transport accidents and suicide, are the leading causes of death among people aged one to 44.
Transport accidents were the leading cause of death for people aged one to 24 and suicide was the leading cause among people aged 25 to 44. Among infants, maternal, perinatal and congenital conditions were responsible for the most deaths (76%).
The snapshot shows there were 147,098 deaths registered in Australia in 2012. There has been a long and continuing decline in death rates in Australia, falling by 70% for males and 75% for females since 1907.
