Provisional Mortality Statistics

Deaths for 2024 will have two comparisons points - they will be compared to deaths occurring in 2023 and 2022. 

This publication does not provide official estimates of excess mortality. The ABS publishes official excess mortality estimates in the report Measuring Australia’s excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic until December 2023’.

Age-standardised death rates can be accessed via the data downloads tab in this publication. 

Counts of deaths for 2015-2023 are included in the historical data cubes of the data downloads section of this report. Customised datasets are able to be created from these data cubes. 

The ABS publishes two regular reports that provide preliminary information on mortality - Provisional Mortality Statistics and Deaths due to Selected acute respiratory infections. These reports provide information on different time periods and serve different purposes.

Provisional Mortality Statistics focus on monitoring patterns of mortality (by all-causes and specified leading causes of death) and highlight any changes potentially associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Data must be sufficiently complete to detect such changes, and as such these reports are only released once the majority of deaths that occurred in a particular period have been registered and reported.

Deaths due to COVID-19, influenza and RSV in Australia articles focus on all deaths registered and reported with these acute respiratory infections written on the death certificate up until a specified time. These articles include important information about these acute respiratory infection certified deaths, including demographic details. While it is recognised data will be incomplete, it can still indicate emerging trends or changes among these deaths. The most recent article on deaths due to these selected acute respiratory disease, that occurred and were registered up until 31 July 2024 can be accessed through the articles link in the previous publication.

For all deaths:

• In 2024, there were 91,319 deaths that occurred by 30 June and were registered by 31 August. This is 1,155 deaths (1.3%) more than in 2023, but 2,336 (2.5%) fewer than in 2022.
• 16,855 deaths occurred in June 2024. This is 737 deaths (4.6%) more than in 2023, but 327 (1.9%) fewer than in 2022.
• 14,846 of the deaths occurring in June 2024 were doctor certified and 2,009 were coroner referred.

In August 2024, the ABS received 17,484 death registrations. Of these, 17,432 deaths occurred in 2024, 40 occurred in 2023 and the remaining 12 occurred in 2022 or earlier years.

Deaths are presented by counts only. Counts of death do not account for changes in population.

The following analysis is based only on doctor certified deaths (i.e. coroner referred deaths are not included). Any changes in patterns of coroner referral could affect counts of doctor certified deaths. Some conditions have higher coroner referral rates (ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular diseases and to a lesser extent, respiratory diseases and diabetes) so counts for those conditions would be more likely to be affected by such changes.

• In June 2024 there were 643 deaths due to COVID-19 that were certified by a doctor, the highest since January 2023 (719 deaths). Deaths due to the virus were 9.4% higher in June 2024 than in June 2023 (588 deaths) but 24.6% lower than June 2022 (853 deaths). Between January and June 2024 there have been 2,245 deaths due to COVID-19 that were certified by a doctor. This is 20.3% fewer than in 2023 and 58.4% fewer than in 2022.
• As the pandemic has progressed the number of people dying 'with' COVID-19 has increased. In June 2024 there were 179 people who died with COVID-19 being identified (via death certificates) as a contributing factor to their death (ie. COVID-19 was certified on the death certificate but it was not the underlying cause of death).

• Deaths due to respiratory diseases in June 2024 were 7.9% higher than in 2023 but 5.1% lower than in 2022. Deaths due to influenza and pneumonia were 24.4% higher in June 2024 than June 2023 but 15.8% lower than June 2022.
• For the year to June 2024, respiratory disease deaths were 9.4% higher than 2023 and 9.8% higher than in 2022.  Deaths due to influenza and pneumonia in 2024 were 22.5% higher than 2023 and 19.7% higher than 2022. Deaths due to chronic lower respiratory diseases in 2024 were 6.7% higher than in 2023 and 7.4% higher than in 2022.
• Deaths due to diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes were all substantially lower in June 2024 than in June 2022.
• Deaths due to other cardiac conditions were 8.0% higher in June 2024 than in June 2023, and 3.3% higher than in June 2022.

The ABS codes an underlying cause of death (UCOD) for all deaths in the national mortality dataset. The underlying cause of death is defined as the disease, condition or external event that started the chain of events leading to death. International coding rules are applied to disease and conditions appearing on the medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) to assign the UCOD. A disease or condition must be certified on the MCCD to be coded by the ABS. If COVID-19, influenza or RSV is listed as the underlying cause of death, the death is considered to be been caused by the virus. 

The following table shows the number of deaths due to acute respiratory diseases since 2022.

• The number of deaths from COVID-19 in June 2024 (667) is the highest recorded since January 2023 (753). The number of deaths in July 2024 is likely to increase from the 471 currently recorded as further death registrations are received.
• There have been 193 deaths due to influenza in July 2024, and this number may increase further as more death registrations are received. This exceeds the 166 deaths recorded in June 2022, is comparable to the 195 and 196 deaths recorded in July and August 2019, but remains well below the 420 and 503 deaths recorded in August and September 2017.
• The number of deaths due to RSV remains high in June and July 2024.

The table below shows the number of acute-respiratory associated deaths where the person has died “with” the virus (a person has died from another cause but the viral illness contributed to death).

• There are more deaths from COVID-19 and Influenza than with these conditions. For RSV, there are substantially more people who died with RSV than from RSV.
• There have been more deaths with RSV in each month of 2024 (to June) than in the corresponding month in 2022 or 2023. 
• There have been fewer deaths with COVID-19 in each month of 2024 than in the corresponding month in 2022 or 2023. The number of deaths with COVID-19 in June 2024 (179) is the highest number since June 2023 (199).

This release previously used catalogue number 3303.0.55.004