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In 2016, 2,866 people died from intentional self-harm (X60-X84, Y87.0) in Australia. To understand how the number of deaths due to suicide has changed in Australia over time, standardised death rates are used, as they enable the comparison of death rates between populations with different age structures. In 2016, the standardised death rate was 11.7 deaths per 100,000 people (see graph below). This compares with a rate of 10.6 suicide deaths per 100,000 people in 2007. Deaths from intentional self-harm occur among males at a rate three times greater than that for females. In 2016, the standardised death rate for males was 17.8 deaths per 100,000 people, while for females it was 5.8 deaths per 100,000 people. Footnote(s): (a) Standardised death rates. Deaths per 100,000 of estimated mid-year population. See Glossary for further information. (b) Includes ICD-10 codes X60-X84 and Y87.0. Care needs to be taken in interpreting figures relating to suicide. See Explanatory Notes 88-96. (c) All causes of death data from 2006 onward are subject to a revisions process - once data for a reference year are 'final', they are no longer revised. Affected data in this table are: 2007-2013 (final), 2014 (revised), 2015-2016 (preliminary). See Explanatory Notes 55-58. See also Causes of Death Revisions, 2012 and 2013 (Technical Note) in Causes of Death, Australia, 2014 (cat. no. 3303.0). (d) The age-standardised death rates for 2012-2015 presented in this table have been recalculated using 2016-census-based population estimates. As a result, these rates may differ from those previously published. (e) Deaths registered on Norfolk Island from 1 July 2016 are included in this publication for the first time, see Explanatory Notes 12-15. Suicide deaths by states and territories The standardised death rate for suicide in 2016 was 11.7 deaths per 100,000 persons. This was the third highest rate recorded in the past 10 years. Table 3.1 shows the standardised death rates for each state and territory over the ten years to 2016. All states and territories except Tasmania reported a decrease in suicide rate from 2015 to 2016. Similarly, all states and territories except Tasmania saw a decrease in the number of suicide deaths from 2015 to 2016, with Queensland recording the greatest decrease (from 746 to 674 deaths). (Please see data cube 11 on intentional-self harm in this publication for further information on suicide deaths by jurisdiction, including counts of suicide deaths.) New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland are the most populous states and collectively accounted for 73.4% of all suicide deaths in Australia in 2016. Suicide as a proportion of total deaths While intentional self-harm accounts for a relatively small proportion (1.8%) of all deaths in Australia, it accounts for a higher proportion of deaths among younger people. In 2016, suicide accounted for over one-third of deaths (35.4%) among people 15-24 years of age, and over a quarter of deaths (28.6%) among those 25-34 years of age. For those people 35-44 years of age, 16.0% of deaths were due to intentional self-harm. The proportion of deaths due to suicide decreases in older age groups, as the likelihood of dying from natural causes of death increases. Age distribution of deaths due to intentional self-harm In 2016, suicide was the leading cause of death among all people 15-44 years of age, and the second leading cause of death among those 45-54 years of age. The median age at death for suicide was 43.3 years. This compares to a median age of 81.9 years for all deaths. The graph below shows the proportion of all suicide deaths that occurred within each 5 year age group. While the number of suicide deaths differs significantly for males and females, the age distribution of these deaths is very similar. The highest proportion of suicide deaths of males occurs among those aged 30-34 years. For females, the highest proportion of suicide deaths occurs in those aged 50-54 years, which is also the age group at which the sex difference in proportion of suicide deaths is most apparent. For both males and females the proportion of deaths due to suicide decreases among those aged 55 years or more.
Footnote(s): (a) Includes ICD-10 codes X60-X84 and Y87.0. Care needs to be taken in interpreting figures relating to suicide. See Explanatory Notes 88-96. (b) Causes of death data for 2016 are preliminary and subject to a revisions process. See Explanatory Notes 55-58. (c) Deaths registered on Norfolk Island from 1 July 2016 are included in this publication for the first time, see Explanatory Notes 12-15. Age-specific death rates for intentional self-harm
Footnote(s): (a) Standardised death rates. Deaths per 100,000 of estimated mid-year population. See Glossary for further information. (b) Includes ICD-10 codes X60-X84 and Y87.0. Care needs to be taken in interpreting figures relating to suicide. See Explanatory Notes 88-96. (c) All causes of death data from 2006 onward are subject to a revisions process. See Explanatory Notes 55-58. (d) Deaths registered on Norfolk Island from 1 July 2016 are included in this publication for the first time, see Explanatory Notes 12-15.
Excluding males aged 85 years and over, the age-specific deaths rates were the highest in males 30-34 and 40-44 years of age. Suicide accounted for 33.2% of all male deaths among those 30-34 years of age and 17.0% of all male deaths among those 40-44 years of age. The age-specific suicide rate for males was lowest among those 15-19 years of age (13.4 deaths per 100,000 males), yet suicide accounted for 35.7% of all deaths in that age group.
Suicide deaths of children
Crisis helplines Lifeline: 13 11 14 Suicide Call Back Service - 1300 659 467 Kids Helpline (for young people aged 5 to 25 years): 1800 55 1800 Document Selection These documents will be presented in a new window.
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