OVERALL TRENDS
5.1 Suicides, Number of Deaths, 1997-2006 (a)
There were 1,799 deaths from suicide registered in 2006. Over three-quarters (78%) of suicides were males.
It is important to note that the number of suicide deaths may be affected by the number of open coronial cases with insufficient information available for coding at the time of ABS processing. For further information, see Explanatory Notes 57-58 and 74-75.
Suicide as proportion of total deaths
While suicide accounts for only a relatively small number (1.3%) of all deaths in Australia, it does account for a much greater proportion of deaths from all causes within specific age groups (see graph below). For example, in 2006, more than 1 in every 5 deaths of males aged 20-25 years was due to suicide. Similarly for females, suicide deaths comprise a much higher proportion of total deaths in younger age groups compared with older age groups.
5.2 Suicides (a), by selected age groups, 2006
Quality Declaration