Dementia Statistics Australia: Scale, Growth & Where People Live (2026 Data)
An estimated 425,000 Australians were living with dementia in 2024 (about 266,000 women and 159,000 men), and the number is projected to more than double to nearly 1.1 million by 2065 (AIHW, Dementia in Australia). About two in three people with dementia live in the community rather than residential aged care.
Last updated: June 2026
Overview: how many Australians have dementia?
An estimated 425,000 Australians were living with dementia in 2024, equivalent to about 16 people per 1,000 across the whole population (AIHW, Dementia in Australia, 2024). Of those, roughly 266,000 were women and 159,000 were men, so women account for about 63% of people living with dementia, largely because they live longer and dementia risk rises steeply with age. Dementia is overwhelmingly a condition of later life: prevalence climbs from about 84 people per 1,000 aged 65 and over to 292 per 1,000 among those aged 85 and over (AIHW, 2024). Because Australia's population is ageing, the count is projected to grow substantially, from just under 425,000 in 2024 to nearly 1.1 million by 2065 (AIHW / National Centre for Monitoring Dementia). The single most important fact for families is where people with dementia actually live: about two in three (66%) live in the community, not in residential aged care (AIHW, 2022). This page sets out the verified figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and other primary sources, and what they mean for safety at home.
Key statistics
These headline figures come from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's Dementia in Australia report, the national authority on dementia monitoring, with the wandering and missing-person figures drawn from Dementia Australia and a peer-reviewed Australasian study. Every number below is attributed to its named source and year.
Australian dementia by the numbers
This flagship table brings together the verified national dementia figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in one place. Each row is a single primary-source statistic with its reference year, so the table can be read as a compact, citable snapshot of dementia in Australia. The prevalence rates are age-specific (84 per 1,000 at 65+ and 292 per 1,000 at 85+), while the 16-per-1,000 figure is the crude rate across the entire population, including children and younger adults, which is why it is much lower.
Dementia in Australia: the verified figures
| Metric | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australians living with dementia | 425,000 | 2024 | AIHW, Dementia in Australia |
| Women living with dementia | ~266,000 | 2024 | AIHW, Dementia in Australia |
| Men living with dementia | ~159,000 | 2024 | AIHW, Dementia in Australia |
| Whole-population rate | 16 per 1,000 | 2024 | AIHW, Dementia in Australia |
| Prevalence at 65+ | 84 per 1,000 | 2024 | AIHW, Dementia in Australia |
| Prevalence at 85+ | 292 per 1,000 | 2024 | AIHW, Dementia in Australia |
| Projection by 2065 | ~1.1 million | 2065 | AIHW / National Centre for Monitoring Dementia |
| Live in the community | 66% | 2022 | AIHW, Dementia in Australia |
| Permanent residential residents with dementia | 54% | 2022 | AIHW, Dementia in Australia |
Sex counts (~266,000 women, ~159,000 men) sum to 425,000, the AIHW 2024 estimate. The 16-per-1,000 figure is the crude rate across the whole population; the 84- and 292-per-1,000 figures are age-specific prevalence rates for people aged 65+ and 85+ respectively (AIHW, Dementia in Australia).
Dementia rises steeply with age
Dementia is strongly age-related, and the rate accelerates in the oldest age bands. Among Australians aged 65 and over, an estimated 84 people per 1,000 were living with dementia in 2024; among those aged 85 and over, the rate was 292 per 1,000, roughly three and a half times higher (AIHW, Dementia in Australia, 2024). In other words, close to three in ten of the very oldest Australians are living with dementia. This age gradient matters because Australia's 85-and-over population is the fastest-growing age group, which is the main driver behind the projected near-doubling of total dementia cases. It also means the people most likely to have dementia are the same people most likely to live alone: 35% of Australians aged 85 and over live in a lone-person household (ABS Census 2021, via the Australian Institute of Family Studies).
Dementia prevalence by age band (Australia, 2024)
| Age band | Prevalence (per 1,000) | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| All ages (crude rate) | 16 | 2024 | AIHW, Dementia in Australia |
| 65 and over | 84 | 2024 | AIHW, Dementia in Australia |
| 85 and over | 292 | 2024 | AIHW, Dementia in Australia |
The 85+ rate (292 per 1,000) is about 3.5 times the 65+ rate (84 per 1,000), based on AIHW's own age-specific estimates. The crude all-ages rate is far lower because it includes the much larger younger population (AIHW, Dementia in Australia, 2024).
Where do people with dementia live?
Contrary to a common assumption, most Australians living with dementia are not in residential aged care. About two in three (66%) live in the community, in their own homes or with family, rather than in residential aged care (AIHW, Dementia in Australia, 2022). At the same time, dementia is the single most common condition inside residential aged care: 54% of permanent residential aged care residents have dementia (AIHW, 2022). These two facts sit together: residential care is where dementia is most concentrated, but it houses only a minority of all people with the condition. The large community-dwelling majority is the group for whom day-to-day safety at home, and the question of who would notice if something went wrong, is most relevant, because they do not have the around-the-clock staffing that residential care provides.
Wandering and going missing: the response-gap risk
One of the specific safety risks associated with dementia is wandering, where a person leaves a familiar place and becomes lost or disoriented. Dementia Australia describes wandering as a behaviour that around 60% of people with dementia will display on at least one occasion, with some doing so repeatedly (Dementia Australia). That share is a non-government (Tier-3) estimate and is presented here as context rather than a definitive national rate, but it points to a real and recurring risk. A peer-reviewed Australasian study gives a sense of the stakes when someone does go missing. Reviewing 130 dementia-related missing-person media reports from 2011 to 2015 (average age 75), the study found that 62% of people went missing on foot and 66% were last seen at home; of those eventually found, 60% were well, 20% were injured, and 20% were deceased (Australasian Journal on Ageing, PubMed 29787630). These are study-level findings from a media-report sample (a Tier-2 source), not a national register, so they should be read as indicative rather than population-representative. The pattern they show, however, is consistent: most incidents begin at home, and the difference between a good outcome and a tragic one often comes down to how quickly someone is missed.
Dementia-related missing-person outcomes (Australasian study, 2011-2015)
| Finding | Value | Tier / Source |
|---|---|---|
| Reports reviewed (avg age 75) | 130 | Tier 2 — Australasian Journal on Ageing (PubMed 29787630) |
| Went missing on foot | 62% | Tier 2 — Australasian Journal on Ageing (PubMed 29787630) |
| Last seen at home | 66% | Tier 2 — Australasian Journal on Ageing (PubMed 29787630) |
| Of those found: well | 60% | Tier 2 — Australasian Journal on Ageing (PubMed 29787630) |
| Of those found: injured | 20% | Tier 2 — Australasian Journal on Ageing (PubMed 29787630) |
| Of those found: deceased | 20% | Tier 2 — Australasian Journal on Ageing (PubMed 29787630) |
Tier-2 peer-reviewed study of media reports (a sample, not a national register); figures are indicative of the risk pattern, not a population rate. The ~60% wandering figure (Dementia Australia) is a Tier-3 non-government estimate and is not headlined as a national rate.
The trend is sharply upward
Dementia is set to become far more common in Australia as the population ages. AIHW projects the number of Australians living with dementia will more than double, from just under 425,000 in 2024 to nearly 1.1 million by 2065 (AIHW / National Centre for Monitoring Dementia). That growth is driven by the same demographic shift behind the rest of Australia's ageing story: an estimated 4.2 million Australians were aged 65 and over in 2020, about 16% of the population, projected to reach 21-23% by 2066 (AIHW, Older Australians). Because dementia prevalence is so concentrated in the oldest age bands, where rates reach 292 per 1,000 at 85 and over, even a modest rise in the number of very old Australians translates into a large rise in total dementia cases. The practical implication is that the community-dwelling group, already two in three of all people with dementia today, will grow in absolute terms, increasing the number of families managing dementia care at home.
Why the discovery gap matters for dementia
For most conditions, living alone mainly changes who would notice a fall or sudden illness. Dementia adds a second dimension, because the person affected may not recognise a problem, may not call for help, and may leave home and become disoriented. The verified figures frame the concern precisely: most people with dementia live in the community (66%, AIHW 2022), the oldest Australians who are most affected are also the most likely to live alone (35% of those 85+ live alone, ABS Census 2021 via AIFS), and when something goes wrong, response is not instant. Australian ambulance data shows the median time for a first-responding ambulance to reach a code 1 emergency ranged from 10.3 minutes in WA to 16.3 minutes in NT, with the 90th-percentile time stretching from 17.8 minutes in the ACT to 47.9 minutes in the NT (Productivity Commission, Report on Government Services 2026). The variable a family can actually influence is not response time, but how quickly a missed routine is noticed in the first place.
Why a daily check-in helps
Most people living with dementia in Australia, around two in three, live in the community rather than in residential aged care (AIHW, 2022), and many live alone or are alone for parts of the day. For their families, the hardest question is rarely the medical one; it is the simple one of whether someone would notice promptly if something were wrong. A daily check-in is a low-burden safety layer that answers exactly that: one tap confirms all is well, and a missed check-in quietly notifies a chosen family member or friend, so a potential days-long discovery gap becomes same-day awareness. It is free to start, with no monthly monitoring fee and no hardware to install, so families can add a quiet reassurance layer without changing the daily routine of the person they care about. ImAlive does not track location or detect falls; it is deliberately simple, privacy-first, and built around the one thing that matters most, that someone notices if something is wrong.
Sources
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare — Dementia in Australia: Summary (2024)
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare — Dementia in Australia: Prevalence of dementia (2024)
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare — Dementia in Australia: Community-based aged care (2022)
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare — Older Australians: Demographic profile (2020)
- Dementia Australia — Wandering (mood and behaviour changes)
- Australasian Journal on Ageing — Dementia-related missing persons (peer-reviewed; PubMed 29787630)
- Australian Institute of Family Studies — Demographics of living alone (ABS Census 2021)
- Productivity Commission — Report on Government Services 2026: Ambulance services
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people in Australia have dementia?
An estimated 425,000 Australians were living with dementia in 2024, equivalent to about 16 people per 1,000 across the whole population (AIHW, Dementia in Australia, 2024).
How many men and women in Australia have dementia?
Of the roughly 425,000 Australians living with dementia in 2024, about 266,000 were women and 159,000 were men (AIHW, Dementia in Australia, 2024). Women account for the larger share mainly because they live longer and dementia risk rises sharply with age.
What is the dementia rate by age in Australia?
Dementia prevalence rises steeply with age, from about 84 people per 1,000 aged 65 and over to 292 per 1,000 among those aged 85 and over (AIHW, Dementia in Australia, 2024) — roughly three and a half times higher in the oldest band.
How many Australians will have dementia in the future?
The number of Australians living with dementia is projected to more than double, from just under 425,000 in 2024 to nearly 1.1 million by 2065 (AIHW / National Centre for Monitoring Dementia), driven by the ageing of the population.
Do most people with dementia live in aged care?
No. About two in three (66%) people with dementia in Australia live in the community rather than in residential aged care (AIHW, Dementia in Australia, 2022).
What share of aged care residents have dementia?
About 54% of permanent residential aged care residents in Australia have dementia (AIHW, Dementia in Australia, 2022), making it the most common condition among residents even though most people with dementia live in the community.
Why is the whole-population dementia rate so much lower than the rate for older people?
The whole-population rate of about 16 per 1,000 (AIHW, 2024) includes children and younger adults, who rarely have dementia. The age-specific rates are far higher: 84 per 1,000 at 65+ and 292 per 1,000 at 85+ (AIHW, 2024).
How common is wandering in dementia?
Dementia Australia estimates that around 60% of people with dementia will wander on at least one occasion, with some doing so repeatedly. This is a non-government (Tier-3) estimate offered as context rather than a definitive national rate (Dementia Australia).
What happens when a person with dementia goes missing?
In a peer-reviewed Australasian study of 130 dementia-related missing-person reports (2011-2015, average age 75), 62% went missing on foot and 66% were last seen at home; of those found, 60% were well, 20% injured and 20% deceased (Australasian Journal on Ageing, PubMed 29787630). These are indicative study findings from a media-report sample, not a national register.
Are people with dementia more likely to live alone?
Dementia is most common among the oldest Australians, who are also the most likely to live alone: 35% of people aged 85 and over live in a lone-person household (ABS Census 2021, via the Australian Institute of Family Studies). This overlap is part of why home safety matters for this group.
Why is dementia becoming more common in Australia?
Because the population is ageing. An estimated 4.2 million Australians were aged 65 and over in 2020 (about 16% of the population), projected to reach 21-23% by 2066 (AIHW, Older Australians). Since dementia is concentrated in the oldest age bands, total cases are projected to reach nearly 1.1 million by 2065 (AIHW).
How quickly does an ambulance reach an emergency in Australia?
The median time for a first-responding ambulance to reach a code 1 emergency ranged from 10.3 minutes in WA to 16.3 minutes in NT, and the 90th-percentile time from 17.8 minutes in the ACT to 47.9 minutes in the NT (Productivity Commission, Report on Government Services 2026). The factor families can influence is how quickly a problem is noticed in the first place.
Does a daily check-in track location or detect falls?
No. ImAlive is deliberately simple and privacy-first: it does not track location and does not claim fall detection. It works on a daily check-in — one tap confirms all is well, and a missed check-in quietly notifies a chosen contact.
How much does a daily check-in app cost in Australia?
ImAlive is free to start, with no monthly monitoring fee and no hardware to buy. Optional one-time paid tiers add extra features. For most families caring for someone with dementia at home, the free daily check-in is a low-burden safety layer.
Why does a daily check-in help families managing dementia at home?
Because most people with dementia live in the community (66%, AIHW 2022) without around-the-clock staffing, the key question is whether someone would notice promptly if something went wrong. A daily check-in turns a potential days-long discovery gap into same-day awareness, with no hardware required.
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