The most recent ABS data shows 3,307 Australians lost their life to suicide in 2024, a rate of 11.8 per 100,000 once population changes are accounted for.
An annual total is hard to hold in your head. Nine a day is not. That works out at roughly one life every two hours and forty minutes.
Who it reaches
It was the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 44. The median age at loss was 46, well below the average of 82 across all causes, which points to a disproportionate loss of years still ahead.
The impact reaches far beyond those directly affected. Over seven million Australian adults are close to someone who has experienced suicide or a suicide attempt.
Patterns that hold
- Men are around three times more likely than women to lose their life to suicide, accounting for over three-quarters of cases.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are affected at roughly twice the rate of non-Indigenous Australians, and at a notably younger age.
- Rates are markedly higher in regional and remote Australia than in the capital cities.
- Around 80% of those who died had at least one recorded risk factor, most often psychosocial, such as relationship breakdown, a mood disorder or a previous experience of self-harm.
Sources: ABS Causes of Death, Australia (2024); Suicide Prevention Australia.