Statistics on Suicide in Australia
Suicide is the leading cause of death in Australia for men under 44 and women under 34.
Deaths by suicide
- The most recent Australian data (ABS, Causes of Death, 2009) reports deaths due to suicide at 2,132. That equates to 6 deaths by suicide a day, or one every four hours
- However, this is under-reported and sector estimates are that this figure could be as high as 2,500 a year
- The overall suicide rate in 2009 was 10.2 per 100,000 in Australia (ABS, Causes of Death, 2009)
- This compares to an overall suicide rate of 11.0 for USA in 2002, 11.7 for New Zealand in 2004, and 7.0 for the UK in 2004*
- The highest suicide rates in the world are 34.3 in the Russian Federation in 2004 and 27.7 in Hungry in 2003*
- Men in Australia are four times more likely to die by suicide than women
- Indigenous people are four times more likely to die by suicide than non-indigenous people
- The most recent data (ABS, Causes of Death, 2009) shows that more people die from suicide in Australia than in road related transport deaths (1,151)
- The most recent data (ABS, Causes of Death, 2009) shows that more people die from suicide in Australia than from skin cancer (1,837)
Suicide attempts
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For every completed suicide it is estimated that as many as 30 people attempt
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That’s 180 attempts per day
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That’s more than one new attempt in Australia, every 10 minutes
Thoughts of suicide (Suicidal ideation)
- It is estimated that 249 people make a suicide plan everyday
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It is estimated that as many as 1014 people think about suicide every day
We all have a role to play in suicide prevention.
For 24 hr crisis support call 13 11 14
*These are the only statistics available at the time of publishing
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If you need help call Lifeline on 13 11 14
If your life is immediate danger call the police or ambulance on 000