Background: Life-course socioeconomic factors may have a role in dementia aetiology but there is a current paucity of studies. Meta-analyses of individual participant data would considerably strengthen this evidence base.
Aims: To examine the association between socioeconomic status in early life and adulthood with later dementia death.
Method: Individual participant meta-analysis of 11 prospective cohort studies (1994-2004, n = 86 508).
Results: Leaving full-time education at an earlier age was associated with an increased risk of dementia death in women (fully adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for age ≤14 v. age ≥16: HR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.23-2.53) but not men. Occupational social class was not statistically significantly associated with dementia death in men or women.
Conclusions: Lower educational attainment in women was associated with an increased risk of dementia-related death independently of common risk behaviours and comorbidities.