Alzheimer’s Research UK has collated and analysed national mortality data released by national statistical agencies to reveal that dementia continues to be the leading cause of death across the UK.
Dementia accounted for more than one-in-ten deaths in the UK last year, ahead of conditions like ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. 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.
In part, this rising death toll from dementia reflects the UK’s 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.
Furthermore, dementia continues to be the leading cause of death for women, 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 lives.
Government could do more
Hilary Evans-Newton, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, describes these findings as “heartbreaking.” Dementia not only tears families apart, it also places an enormous strain on society, the economy and the NHS.
However, Hilary stresses that dementia is not 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, puts this into perspective: “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 ageing 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, as was highlighted by the recent Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease conference in the USA, which featured updates on cutting-edge research.
Since Alzheimer’s Research UK was founded in 1992, it has invested more than £268m in dementia research, and last year alone it invested more than £30.8m.
