Facts and figures

Almost 70,000 Kiwis are living with dementia today.

Almost 170,000 Kiwis are likely to be living with dementia by 2050

Four out of five New Zealanders know or have known someone living with dementia.

Dementia impacts more women than men – around 30% higher

The total cost of dementia to Aotearoa is now around $2.5b and will reach around $5.9b by 2050

Residential care currently accounts for around half of the economic cost of dementia borne by government ($1.21b).

Dementia numbers are increasing at a faster rate among Māori, Pasifika and Asian populations than those of European New Zealanders.

Care partners provide over 1 million hours of unpaid care every week.

Every three seconds, someone in the world develops dementia.

There are over 50 million people worldwide living with dementia in 2020.

This number will almost double every 20 years, reaching 82 million in 2030 and 152 million in 2050.

Much of the increase will be in developing countries. Already 60% of people with dementia live in low and middle income countries, but by 2050 this will rise to 71%.

The fastest growth in the elderly population is taking place in China, India, and their south Asian and western Pacific neighbours.

Source: Alzheimer’s Disease International