--- title: "Leading Causes of Death: Males vs Females | Australia Wide First Aid" description: "In 2019 there were 88,346 male deaths and 80,955 female deaths in Australia. What are the leading causes of death among them?" canonical: "https://www.australiawidefirstaid.com/resources/leading-causes-of-death-males-females" --- # Leading Causes of Death: Males vs Females [Resources](https://www.australiawidefirstaid.com/resources) › [Health Statistics](https://www.australiawidefirstaid.com/resources?genre=health-statistics) Health Statistics In 2019 there were 88,346 male deaths and 80,955 female deaths in Australia. What are the leading causes of death among them? ## What is the leading cause of death among men and women in Australia? Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death among males in Australia, while *dementia, including Alzheimer's disease*, is the leading cause of death among females. In 2019: - *Coronary heart disease* was the top-ranked cause of death among males accounting for 10,822 deaths (12.2% of all male deaths) compared to 7,422 among females (9.2% of all female deaths). - Males accounted for 59.3% of all *coronary heart disease* deaths at a rate of 76.0 per 100,000 compared to a female death rate of 37.7 per 100,000. - The top-ranked cause of death among females was *dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease* accounting for 9,592 deaths (11.8% of all female deaths) compared to 5,424 deaths among males (6.1% of all male deaths). - Females accounted for 63.9% of all *dementia*deaths at a rate of 46.1 per 100,000 compared to a death rate of 38.1 per 100,000 among males. ## Other leading causes of death ### Prostate cancer and breast cancer - *Prostate cancer* accounted for 3,611 deaths (4.1% of all male deaths) - *Breast cancer* accounted for 3,230 deaths (4% of all female deaths) - Both ranked as the 6th leading cause of death among males and females respectively. - The death rate for *prostate cancer* is slightly higher among males than *breast cancer* is for females at 25.2 per 100,000 and 20.0 per 100,00 respectively. - The median age at death for *breast cancer* is significantly lower (72.3 years) than *prostate cancer* (82.4 years). - Women accounted for 41.9% more *cerebrovascular disease* deaths (such as due to *stroke*) than men. ### Suicides - *Suicide*was the 10th leading cause of death among males. - Male *suicides*accounted for 75% (2,502) of all suicidedeaths at a rate of 19.8 males per 100,000. Female suicidesaccounted for 25 % (816) of all suicidedeaths, with a significantly lower death rate of 6.3 females per 100,000. - The median age at death due to *suicide*was 43.9 years for a male and 44.0 years for females. ## Related resources - [Leading Causes of Death in Australia - Statistics](https://www.australiawidefirstaid.com.au/resources/leading-causes-of-death) - [Life Expectancy Statistics - Australia](https://www.australiawidefirstaid.com.au/resources/life-expectancy-australia) ## Sources - [ABS](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/causes-death-australia/latest-release): *Causes of Death, Australia* (release: 2020) ## Similar articles - [Shark Attacks Australia 2022](https://www.australiawidefirstaid.com/resources/shark-attacks-australia-2022): Home to some of the world's most dangerous shark species, Australia is one of the deadliest countries when it comes to human/shark incidents. In this article, we explore the number and outcome of shark/human incidents that occurred in Australia in 2022, to date. - [Leading Causes of Death in Australia 2021](https://www.australiawidefirstaid.com/resources/leading-causes-of-death-australia-2021): Five diseases accounted for more than one-third of all deaths registered in Australia in 2021. And though our overall mortality rate remains low, Dementia is narrowing the gap to become one of Australia's deadliest diseases. - [Leading Causes of Death in Australia: 2019 vs 2020](https://www.australiawidefirstaid.com/resources/leading-causes-of-death): Health statistics are an invaluable tool for measuring the health of Australians and targeting prevention and treatment resources accordingly. In this article, we compare Australia's mortality rating from 2019 to 2020. ## Learn this hands-on Reading is a start — a nationally accredited course makes it stick. [Find a course and check live session availability](https://www.australiawidefirstaid.com/#find-course). --- **Australia Wide First Aid** · RTO 31961 - Phone: (07) 3437 7500 - Email: info@australiawidefirstaid.com.au - Hours: Mon – Fri 7am – 7pm (AEST)