[ A note about using statistics ]   [ General ]   [ Suicide and age ]   [ Suicide and gender ]

[ Suicide by state and territory ]   [ When does suicide occur? ]   [ Attempted suicide ]   [ Groups at risk ]   [ Youth suicide ]

[ Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Populations ]   [ References ]   [ Major data sources/providers ]
 

A note about using statistics

• Caution should be exercised in reporting and interpreting suicide and self-harm information.
• The reliability of suicide statistics is affected by a number of factors including under-reporting, differences in reporting methods across Australia, and delays in the processing of possible suicides by coroners.
• Due to the relatively small numbers of suicides in some States and Territories, even one or two deaths can have a significant impact on suicide rates.  Thus comparisons across Australia must be done cautiously.
• Data on suicides can be reported in different ways, including: as the number of people who died by suicide; as an age-standardised suicide rate such as 7 per 100 000 people (which allows for the comparison of groups with different age structures and sizes); and as a percentage of deaths from all causes which were due to suicide.
• The comparison of international suicide statistics can be very difficult due to differences in procedures in reporting and classifying deaths, definitions, time periods, and the level of undercounting.

Back to Top

General ^{1 1b}

• Suicide is a prominent public health concern in Australia. Between 1997 and 2005, more than 2000 people died by suicide each year.
• Rates of suicide vary from year to year. In 2007, 1881 people died from suicide in Australia, a rate of 9.0 per 100 000. This represented 1.4% of all deaths registered in that year.
• Since at least the 1920s, more males than females die by suicide each year. In 2007, 1454 males (13.9 per 100 000) and 427 females (4.0 per 100 000 died by suicide. Thus, in 2007, males were almost 4 times more likely than females to die by suicide.
• An examination of Australian suicide rates over the past 40 years suggests a peak in 1963 (17.5 per 100 000), with rates declined to 11.3 per 100 000 in 1984. After that, suicide rates climbed back up and in 1997 they reached the level of 14.6 per 100 000. Suicide rates have tended to decline since that time with 8.6 Australians per 100 000 dying by suicide in 2006.
• Between 1998and 2007, the suicide rate fell by 37%, with this rate of change different for males (35%) and females (30%).
• The age-standardised suicide rate for total males (13.9 per 100 000) in 2007 was slightly higher than 2006 but lower than in any year in over a decade 1995-2005).
• The age-standardised suicide rate for total females (4.0 per 100 000) in 2007 was slightly higher than 2006 but also lower than in any year in over a decade (1995-2005).
• Despite these decreases, suicide remains a major external cause of death, accounting for more deaths than transport accidents between 1995 and 2007.
• Suicide used to be rare among traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people but has become more common in recent years, with the 2007 data suggesting that deaths by suicide account for a much higher proportion of all deaths among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than other Australians.
• First generation migrants in Australia show similar suicide rates to those in their country of origin.
• People in any form of custody have a suicide rate three times higher than the general population.

Back to Top

Suicide and age

• From 1990 until 1997, 20 to 24 year old men were consistently the most likely of all age groups to die by suicide, with the numbers reaching 42.8 per 100 000 in 1997.
• In recent years, the highest rates have been observed for males aged 30 to 34 years. However, in 2007, 163 men in this age group (22.3 per 100 000) died by suicide, whereas in the 45 to 49 years age group 145 (19.2 per 100 000) and in the 35  to 39 years age group 181 (23.3 per 100 000) men died by suicide.
• From 1990 onwards, there has not been any one age group of females that has consistently had a higher rate of suicide than other age groups. In 2007, women at highest risk of dying by suicide were spread across a range of age groups. In the age groups 70 to 74 (13, 3.9 per 100 000), 35 to 39 (37, 4.7 per 100 000), 50 to 54 (42, 6.0 per 100 000) and 55 to 59 (37, 5.8 per 100 000) women died by suicide.
• The largest drop in suicide rates between 1998 and 2007 is observed for 20 to 24 year olds, with a fall of 55% in suicide rates for this group. This is followed closely by those aged 15 to 19 years, for which the suicide rate fell by 43%.
• In contrast, the smallest reduction in rates between 1998 and 2007 is seen for those aged 45 to 49 years, with a reduction of 20%.
• Child suicide (under age 15 years) is a rare event in Australia.

The table below provides a comparison of trends in suicide between 1997 (the most recent peak) and 2007.
 

* Rates are standardised by age and expressed as the number of deaths per 100 000 of the estimated population. Source: ABS (2009) catalogue number 3303.0.
# Includes deaths by suicide of those aged under 15 years of age not stated.

Back to Top

Suicide and gender

• Suicide is much more common among males than females in every State and Territory of Australia. This is in line with trends in other Western countries.
• In contrast, more females than males intentionally harm themselves^1c.
• The ratio of male to female suicides rose from 2:1 in the 1960s to over 4:1 in the 1990s. Throughout the early 2000s, the ratio of male to female suicides has been somewhat below 4:1, and stood at 3.5:1 in 2007.
• More than half (56%) of male suicide deaths in 2007 were by hanging, followed by 19% due to poisoning (including drugs, gases, etc.). In contrast, hanging accounted for similar percentage (43% and 40% respectively) of female suicide deaths.
• The ratio of deaths by suicide to the total number of deaths from all causes differs greatly among age groups^1d.In 2007, suicide represented:
  • 19.5% of all deaths for males aged 15 to19 years and 16.4% of all female deaths in the same age group;
  • 20.5% of all male deaths and 15% of all female deaths for 20 to 24 year olds;
  • 21.7% of all male deaths and 14.3% of female deaths for 25 to 29 year olds;
  • 22.9% all male deaths and 11.1% of female deaths for 30 to 34 year olds;
  • 18.6% of all male deaths and 7.5% of all female deaths for 35 to 39 year olds;
  • 12 of all male deaths and 6.6% of all female deaths for 40 to 44 year olds;
  • 8% of all male deaths and 3.8% of all female deaths for 45 to 49 year olds;
  • 5.1% of all male deaths and 2.8% of all female deaths for 50 to 54 year olds;
  • 2.9% of all male deaths and 1.8% of all female deaths for 55 to 59 year olds;
  • 2% of all male deaths and 1% of all female deaths for 60 to 64 year olds and;
  • less than 1% of all male and female deaths for those aged 65 years and over.
• Suicide rates for men born outside Australia are slightly lower than for Australian born men, whereas corresponding rates for women are very similar.

Back to Top

Suicide by State and Territory

• Combining suicide data over a 5-year period provides a more reliable picture of differences across the States and Territories due to the relatively small number of suicides in some States and Territories in any one year. 
• In recent years (2003-2007) the Northern Territory and Tasmania have had the highest rates of suicide, followed by South Australia.  In contrast, New South Wales and Victoria had the lowest rates of suicide and the Australia Capital Territory and Queensland had fluctuating rates.

Back to Top

When does suicide occur?

• Sometimes people may take their own life after signalling their suicidal intentions to others, including loved ones and/or strangers. In other cases, there may be no warning.
• Incarceration is a risk factor for suicide. People in any form of custody have a suicide rate three times higher than the general population.
• People experiencing a mental disorder, such as major depression, or a psychotic disorder, are at increased risk of suicide. Psychological autopsy studies show consistently that up to 90% of people who suicide may have been experiencing a mental disorder at the time of their death.
• People are at higher risk of suicide while in hospital for treatment of a mental disorder and in the weeks following discharge from mental health in-patient hospital care.

Back to Top

Attempted suicide

• According to hospitals' data, females are more likely to deliberately injure themselves than are males. In the 2003-2004 financial year, 62% of those who were hospitalised due to self-harm were female.
• For both males and females, the highest rate of deliberate self-harm occurs for those aged in their teens to middle age. In 2003-2004, 75% of those who were hospitalised due to self-harm were aged between 15 and 44 years and the highest rates were for females aged 15 to 19 years.
• In 2003-2004, there were 24,087 episodes of hospital care due to self-harm, which equates to a rate of 115.4 per 100,000.  However, not all people who are hospitalised due to self harm may have intended to die by suicide.
• Rates of hospitalised self-harm were much lower among both older men and women than other age groups in 2003-2004. However, the average length of stay in hospital due to self-harm was highest amng older age groups.

Back to Top

Groups at risk of suicide
 

• People with a previous history of attempted suicide are at greatest risk of suicide.
• Mental disorders such as major depression and psychotic illness are associated with a much increased risk of suicide especially after discharge from hospital or when treatment has been reduced.
• People with alcohol or drug abuse problems have a higher risk of dying by suicide than the general population.
• Males are around four times more likely to die by suicide than females.
• Young Aboriginal males and Torres Strait Islander males are more likely to die by suicide than are other young Australians.
• People who are incarcerated - both Indigenous and non-Indigenous - are more likely to die by suicide than are other Australians.

Back to Top

Youth suicide

• In 2007, 69 males aged 15 to 19 years and 118 males aged 20 to 24 years died by suicide. In the same year, 27 females aged 15 to 19 years died by suicide, as did 31 females aged 20 to 24 years.
• Considering all causes of death, suicide accounted for 19.5% of deaths among 15 to 19 year old males and 21% of deaths among 20 to 24 year old males in 2007. The corresponding percentages for females in both of these age groups is 16.4 and 15% respectively.
• During the mid 1980s, suicide rates for 15 to 19 year old males rose rapidly and peaked at 21.0 per 100 000 in 1988. Over the following decade, rates fluctuated around 17 to 19 per 100 000 for this group and stood at 18.4 per 100 000 in 1997.
• Since 1997, suicide rates among 15 to 19 year old males have decreased fairly consistently and in 2007, the rate was 9.3 per 100 000 - this is the third lowest rate seen for this group for at least 20 years.
• In contrast, for 15 to 19 year old females, the suicide rate has been relatively stable over the past 20 years at around three to five suicide deaths per 100 000. In 2007, 3.9 per 100 000 15 to 19 year old females had died by suicide.
• Similar to that seen for their younger counterparts, rates for 20 to 24 year old males also fell substantially between 1997 and 2007. In 1997, the suicide rate for this group was 42.8 per 100 000 compared with 15.5 per 100 000 in 2007.
• Although the change is not nearly as dramatic, there was also a decrease in suicide rates for women aged 20 to 24 years between 1997 and 2007, with rates at 9.0 and 4.2 per 100 000 respectively. 

Back to Top

Suicide among Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders

• Suicide used to be rare among traditional Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders but has become more common in recent years.
• Due to both the relatively small numbers and low coverage in some areas of Australia, the ABS only publishes data on suicide deaths among Aboriginal people for New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. In 2007, there were 89 registered deaths by suicide of Aboriginal people in the five States and Territories considered.
• The percentage of all deaths attributable to suicide is much higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (3.7% in 2007) than Non-Indigenous Australians (1.3% in 2007) in the specified States and Territories.
• Suicide is more concentrated in the earlier adult years for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians than for the general Australian population with data indicating the highest rates for both males and females being in the 15 to 24 year age group.
• As for other Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males are more likely to die by suicide than are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females. Using combined data for 1998 to 2002, 6.7% of all male deaths were due to suicide compared with 1.9% of all deaths by females.
• A retrospective study of suicide in the NT 1981-2002 showed a significant increase in male Indigenous suicide deaths since 1997³.
• Rates of suicide vary between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and over time.

Back to Top

Major data sources and/or providers of statistial information on suicide

Data analysis and research reports

Australian Bureau of Statistics
www.abs.gov.au
1300 135 070

Health Department contacts for state based data

References

1 Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2007). Suicides, Australia: 1995 to 2005. ABS catalogue number 3309.0.
1b Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2000). Suicides, 1921 to 1998. ABS catalogue number 3309.0.
1c Steenkamp, M. & Harrison, J. (2000). Suicide and hospitalised self-harm in Australia. Canberra, ACT: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
1d Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009). Causes of Death, Australia, 2007. ABS catalogue number 3303.0.
2 Zubrick, S. et al. (1995). Western Australian Child Health Survey: Developing health and well-being in the nineties. Perth, WA: Institute for Child Health Research.
3 Measey, M. L., Li, S.Q., Parker, R., & Wang, Z. (2006). Suicide in the Northern Territory, 1981-2002. MJA, 185, 315-319.

Back to Top