Share of people with dementia who have a diagnosis, aged 65 and over

Deaths from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease per 100,000 people (age-standardised)

What it means: GP records show how many older people have a dementia diagnosis; this is compared with an estimate of how many have dementia, to show the share diagnosed. A diagnosis gives access to treatment and support. The NHS has aimed for at least two thirds since 2013; the rate fell during Covid and has been recovering. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are the leading cause of death in England; the death rate rose through the 2000s and 2010s partly because doctors record dementia on death certificates more often than they used to. Status compares the diagnosis rate with the year before: half a point or more counts.

Source: OHID dementia profile, indicators 92949 and 93967 (from NHS England primary care dementia data and ONS death registrations).