Lifeline Booklet 2021

Suicide in Australia

The risk of suicide is significant for many, and our challenge as a society is to work toward an Australia free of suicide. But what do we know about suicide statistics in Australia? We know that between 8-10 Australians die by suicide each day with more than 100 suicide attempts made daily. 11

Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death for males and the 23rd leading cause for females 12 with more females making a suicide attempt but more males completing suicide. 13 The highest proportion of suicide deaths occur among young and middle aged people, while the proportion decreases in progressively older age cohorts. More than half of all suicide deaths in 2018 (54.8%) occurred between the ages 30 and 59. 14

The latest data available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show that Australia’s suicide rate is at 12.7 deaths per 100,000 people – an average of six men and two women a day (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017).

11 Thompson, Samara & Lamont-Mills, Andrea. (2017). Poster: Eliciting and Responding to Suicide Ideation: A Collective Case Study. 12 https://www.lifeinmindaustralia.com.au/about-suicide/suicide-data/suicide-facts-and- stats 13 https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/67603/WHO_MNH_MBD_00.4.pdf 14 https://www. lifeinmindaustralia.com.au/about-suicide/suicide-data/suicide-facts-and-stats

14 Lifeline Northern Beaches