Death rates in Australia: statistics

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2024), the age-standardised death rate in Australia is an historic low of 5.1 persons per 1,000. The average age when someone passes is 82 years old - with the average for men being a little lower than this. If you'd like to see a breakdown of specific causes of death for men and women, please click here.

Sadly, the death rates for Indigenous Australians is 1.7 times higher than the non-Indigenous population. The average age when Indigenous Australians pass away is significantly lower than for the non-Indigenous population too. You can find out more about these alarming statistics at this website.

Generally speaking, the average death rates across Australia have been dropping over the last few decades. This is mostly due to better health care and disease prevention leading to longer life expectancies.

Throughout the course of the year, the death rate varies. Sometimes the death rate drops considerably, whilst at other times it peaks. The key peak for deaths in Australia is usually the cooler months of July and August.