3303.0 - Causes of Death, Australia, 2011 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 15/03/2013   
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Contents >> Suicides >> Key Characteristics


KEY CHARACTERISTICS

There were 2,273 deaths from Intentional self-harm (suicide, (X60-X84, Y87.0)) in 2011, resulting in a ranking as the 15th leading cause of all deaths. Over three-quarters (76.0%) of people who died by suicide were male, making suicide the 10th leading cause of death for males. Deaths due to suicide occurred at a rate of 9.9 per 100,000 population in 2011.

Graph Image for SUICIDES(a), NUMBER OF DEATHS 2002-2011(b)

Annotation(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 92-95. (b) 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: 2006-2009 (final), 2010 (revised), 2011 (preliminary). See Explanatory Notes 29-33 and Technical Notes, Causes of Death Revisions, 2006 in Causes of Death, Australia, 2010 (cat. 3303.0) and Causes of Death Revisions, 2009 and 2010 in this publication.

Source(s): Causes of Death, Australia





Suicide as proportion of total deaths

While suicide accounts for a relatively small proportion (1.5%) of all deaths in Australia, it accounts for a greater proportion of deaths from all causes within specific age groups (see graph below). For example, in 2011, over one-quarter (27.8%) of all male deaths aged 15-24 years were due to suicide. Similarly for females, suicide deaths comprise a higher proportion of total deaths in younger age groups compared with older age groups.


Graph Image for SUICIDES(a) BY SELECTED AGE GROUPS 2011(b)

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 92-95. (b) Causes of death data for 2011 are preliminary and subject to a revisions process. See Explanatory Notes 29-33 and Technical Notes, Causes of Death Revisions 2006, in Causes of Death, Australia, 2010 (cat. no. 3303.0) and Causes of Death Revisions 2009 and 2010 in this publication.

Source(s): Causes of Death, Australia



Aggregated data for suicide deaths of individuals aged under 15 years is contained in Appendix 1.



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