The majority of these deaths were unintentional overdoses in middle aged males and more than 70 per cent were related to the use of pharmaceutical opioids such as codeine, oxycodone, morphine, fentanyl, tramadol, pethidine and tapentadol.“Of these deaths, the most common were accidental overdoses among middle-aged males,” ABS director of health and vital statistics James Eynstone-Hinkins said.
This trend can also be seen in Australia, where the rate of opioid-linked deaths fell to a per capita rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people, lower than in 2016 when Australia recorded its highest number of drug-induced deaths since the 1990s. Heart disease remained the leading cause of death in 2018, although this decreased by 22.4 per cent since 2009.
Stroke, lung cancer and lower respiratory diseases were the next most common causes of death. In total the top five made up one-third of all registered deaths.Lung cancer was the leading disease, while prostate cancer was ranked sixth for males, killing 3264 men; and breast cancer was sixth for females, killing 2999 women.