Dementia Statistics for the UK: The Numbers

Around a million people in the UK are estimated to have a form of dementia, a figure projected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040, according to research commissioned by the Alzheimer's Society (Alzheimer's Society, secondary source, accessed July 2026, subject to change).

That headline estimate sits alongside official statistics that count the people formally diagnosed and the deaths recorded each year. This piece pulls together the most recent named data from the Office for National Statistics, NHS England and gov.uk, showing how many people carry a dementia diagnosis, how diagnosis rates are tracking against the national ambition, and why dementia now tops the causes of death. It connects to later-life planning through our estate planning guide, because a diagnosis often raises questions about mental capacity and care. Every figure carries its source and reference period, and figures are current as at July 2026 and subject to change.

The headline dementia numbers

Dementia is common, increasingly diagnosed, and the country's leading cause of death. In England, 510,165 patients had a recorded dementia diagnosis on 31 January 2026 (NHS England Digital, Primary Care Dementia Data, January 2026, subject to change), while dementia and Alzheimer's disease accounted for 68,273 deaths, 12.1% of all deaths, in England and Wales in 2024 (ONS, 2024, published 9 October 2025, subject to change).

Key figures at a glance

The picture combines a modelled UK-wide prevalence estimate with counted, official statistics for England and for England and Wales. The reference periods differ by row, so the figures are not all directly comparable: prevalence is an estimate, diagnoses are a live count for England, and deaths are registered figures for England and Wales.

Sources: Alzheimer's Society (secondary, accessed July 2026), NHS England Digital, Primary Care Dementia Data, January 2026, NHS England (22 July 2024) and ONS, Deaths registered in England and Wales, 2024 (published 9 October 2025). Figures as at July 2026 and subject to change.

Recorded diagnoses over time

Recorded dementia diagnoses in England have climbed to record levels. NHS England reported 487,432 people with a recorded diagnosis in June 2024, rising to 506,549 by August 2025 and 510,165 by 31 January 2026 (NHS England, 22 July 2024; NHS England, 24 August 2025; NHS England Digital, January 2026, all subject to change).

Sources: NHS England (22 July 2024), NHS England (24 August 2025) and NHS England Digital, Primary Care Dementia Data, January 2026. England only. Figures as at July 2026 and subject to change.

A related official measure counts people aged 65 and over specifically. By December 2024, the count of people aged 65 and over with a formal dementia diagnosis had increased to 483,000, and the recorded prevalence rate was 4.2% of the primary care registered population in 2024 (gov.uk, Dementia profile, March 2025 update, published 4 March 2025, subject to change).

Dementia as a leading cause of death

Dementia and Alzheimer's disease was the leading cause of death in England and Wales in 2024, with 68,273 deaths, or 12.1% of the 568,613 deaths registered that year (ONS, Deaths registered in England and Wales, 2024, published 9 October 2025, subject to change). The burden falls unevenly between the sexes, as the table shows.

Source: ONS, Deaths registered in England and Wales, 2024 (published 9 October 2025). For males, ischaemic heart disease remained the leading cause, at 36,122 deaths (12.5%). Figures as at July 2026 and subject to change.

Read together, these figures describe a condition that is widespread, increasingly identified, and the country's most common recorded cause of death. The near-two-thirds diagnosis rate in England shows real progress, yet the gap to the 66.7% ambition, and the higher undiagnosed share estimated in Wales, suggest that many people still reach later stages without a formal record (NHS England Digital, January 2026, subject to change; Alzheimer's Society, secondary source, accessed July 2026). These are observations about published data rather than predictions, and any individual situation depends on personal circumstances.

What the numbers mean for later-life planning

Because dementia can affect the ability to make decisions, its scale has practical implications for capacity planning, not only for health. A diagnosis often prompts families to think about who could manage finances and welfare if capacity is lost, and about how later-life care might be funded. This is general context, not advice for any particular person.

Many people choose to put a lasting power of attorney in place while they still have capacity to make one, so that trusted people can act if that changes. On the care side, our guide to Care Home Fees explains how the funding system works, and the page on a care needs assessment covers how a local authority evaluates support needs. Some families also look at care fees planning as part of a wider picture. It is worth being aware that deliberately giving away assets to reduce a care contribution can be challenged by a local authority under the deprivation of assets rules, so this is generally framed as planning for, and limiting the impact of, care fees rather than avoiding them. Where the stakes are high, it can be worth discussing with a qualified professional, and our estate planning guide sets out how these pieces fit together.

Sources and methodology

Every statistic on this page comes from a named source and has been checked against the current published figures. Prevalence is a modelled estimate from the Alzheimer's Society, used here as a clearly attributed secondary source; the diagnosis counts are official statistics for England; and the deaths figures are registered data for England and Wales. Reference periods differ between datasets, so figures may not be directly comparable, and nothing here has been estimated, extrapolated or rounded beyond the source.

• ONS, Deaths registered in England and Wales, 2024 (published 9 October 2025): dementia and Alzheimer's disease as the leading cause of death, total and by sex, and the share of all deaths. ons.gov.uk
• NHS England Digital, Primary Care Dementia Data, January 2026: recorded diagnoses in England (510,165 on 31 January 2026) and the diagnosis rate for those aged 65+ (66.1%). digital.nhs.uk
• NHS England news releases (22 July 2024; 24 August 2025): the 66.7% national ambition, the 65.0% June 2024 rate, and diagnosis counts of 487,432 (June 2024) and 506,549 (August 2025). england.nhs.uk (2024), england.nhs.uk (2025)
• gov.uk, Dementia profile, March 2025 update (published 4 March 2025): 483,000 people aged 65+ with a formal diagnosis by December 2024, and a 4.2% recorded prevalence rate in 2024. gov.uk
• Alzheimer's Society (secondary source, accessed July 2026): the UK-wide prevalence estimate of around one million, the 1.4 million projection for 2040, and the undiagnosed-share estimates. alzheimers.org.uk

All figures are current as at July 2026 and are subject to change. NHS diagnosis figures cover England; ONS deaths figures cover England and Wales; the Alzheimer's Society estimate is UK-wide. Scotland and Northern Ireland publish separate data.

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