New Analysis Shows Dementia Still The UK’s Biggest Killer
New analysis from Alzheimer’s Research UK, has revealed that dementia continues to be the UK’s leading cause of death.
It accounted for more than one-in-ten deaths in the UK last year, ahead of conditions like ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease** – and whereas deaths from other major conditions came down from 2023-2024, the death toll from dementia continued to rise.
The charity found that in 2024, 76,894 people died from dementia in the UK, compared with 75,393 in 2023 and 74,261 in 2022.
The dementia death toll continues to rise in part because the UK has an ageing population, and age is the biggest risk factor for dementia. Unlike other major conditions, there are no treatments available on the NHS that can slow down, stop or prevent the condition. Two new treatments for early Alzheimer’s disease were licensed in the UK last year but were not approved for use on the NHS.
For women, dementia continues to be the leading cause of death, with 48,915 women around the UK losing their lives to the condition in 2024. By contrast, 27,979 men died from dementia last year. Heart disease continues to be the biggest killer for men, claiming more than 41,000 men’s lives.
Alzheimer’s Research UK’s analysis also shows that across the four nations, England had the highest dementia death rate last year at 12%, followed by Northern Ireland (11.1%), Wales (11%) and Scotland (10.6%).
Hilary Evans-Newton, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “These figures are heartbreaking. Dementia is still the biggest killer in the UK, tearing families apart and placing an enormous strain on our society, our economy and our NHS.
“But dementia isn’t inevitable. It’s caused by diseases – and science is finally giving us the tools to fight back. We now have more potential treatments, and simpler, earlier tests, than at any point in history. These breakthroughs can change lives – but only if the Government steps up. We need proper support for research, for clinical trials, and a bold plan to prepare the NHS to deliver new tests and treatments to the people who desperately need them.”
Dr Jeremy Isaacs, National Clinical Director for Dementia and Older People’s Mental Health for NHS England, said:
“These figures show that dementia remains one of the biggest public health challenges of our time.
“Around one-in-three dementia cases in England could be prevented or delayed by addressing 14 different risk factors, including high blood pressure and cholesterol, smoking, and type 2 diabetes. The NHS is committed to supporting people to improve their health through interventions like treating high blood pressure, prescribing statins, smoking cessation services, and the diabetes prevention programme.
“The NHS is diagnosing record numbers of people with dementia, and this will continue to rise due to our aging population, so it is vital that people are supported across health and social care, while new treatments are developed through clinical research – including by Alzheimer’s Research UK – for this devastating disease.”
The latest mortality figures come at a time of unprecedented global momentum in dementia research. More than 130 drugs are currently in testing for Alzheimer’s disease alone, and progress is accelerating. This week’s Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease conference in the USA featured updates on cutting-edge research.
For Claire Taylor, whose husband Bruce died in 2024 from a rare form of dementia called Primary Progressive Aphasia, progress cannot come rapidly enough.
Claire said: “Bruce was a truly remarkable person and the effect dementia had on him was horrendous. It was awful to see someone so well-respected and clever lose his understanding of language, and his changes in behaviour were so challenging for the family to deal with.
“Dementia is so hard because you lose your loved one over time, before they go. The stark news that it continues to be the leading cause of death in the UK makes it really obvious that we need to do more to support the vital scientific research that will get us to a cure, and one day put an end the devastation and death that it causes.”
