In a wake-up call for public health, recent data shows dementia striking Australians under 65 with increasing ferocity, poised for a 40% escalation by 2054. This trend, detailed in Thursday’s release from Canberra, redefines the illness’s profile.
Over 446,500 people currently live with dementia, up sharply from 433,300 in 2025. Early-onset cases claim 29,000 in the 18-65 bracket, expected to swell to 41,000, while 1,500 children face childhood variants.
Dementia topped death charts in 2024 at 9.4%, a historic shift. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare anticipates over one million sufferers by 2065, doubling today’s toll.
Dementia Australia chief Tanya Buchanan demands a robust national framework for brain wellness, enhanced care, and support across ages. “Our leadership in research is unmatched, yet our systems need strengthening,” she noted.
Priorities include awareness campaigns, nationwide service expansion, and caregiver upskilling. Dementia manifests as a collection of symptoms from brain-damaging diseases, eroding memory, reasoning, and behavior, with consciousness typically intact but personalities transformed.
As younger cohorts bear the brunt, Australia must mobilize resources swiftly—through prevention, research acceleration, and equitable care—to avert a looming epidemic.