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While death is a topic that many of us tend to avoid, the likely causes of death vary from region to region across Australia. Thanks to recent data compiled by the Australian Insititute of Health and Welfare, the national statistics indicate that roughly 40 per cent of deaths in Australia are because of 6 main causes:

The top 20 causes of death in Australia, 2012-16 (in Thousands)

Heart attack 90K
Dementia 59K
Stroke 53K
Lung Cancer 41K
Lung Disease 33K
Diabetes 22K

The graph above indicates the numbers over the last 5 years that are attributable to each cause.

Of this information, one thing does stand out, Heart attacks are by far the biggest cause of death Australia wide, and are the number one killer in almost every local government area in the country.

Using the interactive chart below, you can find out the main causes of death in your specific region.

Data: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Graph produced by theage.com.