Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease was the leading cause of death in Northern Ireland during the first three months of 2026, provisional statistics show. Overall, 4,930 deaths were registered in the period, roughly in line with expected levels.

The condition was the top killer for females, while ischaemic heart disease led deaths among males. Cancer accounted for 1,259 lives lost, or 25.5% of the total, followed by circulatory diseases with 1,050 deaths (21.3%). Respiratory illnesses, excluding Covid-19, were responsible for 647 deaths, representing 13.1% of the total.

The estimated number of expected deaths for the quarter was 4,985, giving an excess deaths figure of minus 55. Death rates rose sharply with age. For those aged 65 to 74, the rate ranged from negligible to 16.26 per 1,000 people, but for 85- to 89-year-olds it climbed to 118.24 per 1,000, and for those 90 and over, 270.02.

Births continued their long-term decline, with 4,737 registered in the quarter, a small increase compared to recent periods but part of a downward trend that has persisted for over a decade. Marriages totalled 896, alongside 13 civil partnerships.