The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has today released its 2016 Causes of Death data - which includes annual national suicide information. The following summary has been developed by the Mindframe National Media Initiative www.mindframe-media.info

1. Suicide Data 2016
Released 27 September 2017

2. Summary
Data analysis undertaken by the
Mindframe team for this publication.
www.mindframe-media.info

3. About this summary
• This is a summary of suicide death data released by the
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on 27 September 2017 in
Catalogue 3303.0.
• This summary represents suicide rates and trends in the 2016
(preliminary) data, trends by age group over time and state
variations.
• The summary was prepared by Mindframe project staff.
• A full summary of data can be found on the Mindframe
website at www.mindframe-media.info/for-media/reporting-
suicide/facts-and-stats

4. General summary
2016
• There were 2,866 deaths due to
suicide in 2016 with an age-specific
rate of 11.8 per 100,000.
• There was an average of 7.9 deaths by
suicide in Australia each day.
• There were 2,151 male deaths at a
age-specific rate of 17.9 per 100,000.
• There were 715 female deaths at an
age-specific rate of 5.9 per 100,000.
2015
• In 2015 there were 3,027 deaths by
suicide and an age-specific rate of
12.7 per 100,000.
• An average of 8.3 deaths from suicide
per day.
• There were 2,292 male deaths at a
age-specific rate of 19.4 per 100,000.
• There were 735 female deaths at an
age specific rate of 6.1 per 100,000.

5. Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had a rate of suicide
approximately twice that of non-Indigenous Australians in 2016.
Suicide data is available for Indigenous Australians whose place of usual
residence was in either NSW, QLD, SA, WA or NT.
• In 2016, 162* (male=119; female=43) Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islanders died by suicide, at a rate of 23.8* per 100,000.
• Within these states, 1,906 non-Indigenous people in Australia died
by suicide, at a rate of 11.4 per 100,000.
*Note: The number of deaths of those who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander increased by 10 on 2015 data. However the
standardised rate has decreased due to updated estimated resident population based on the 2016 Census data.

6. Preliminary Suicide Rates 2016
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
0-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85+
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Age category
Male Preliminary
Female Preliminary

7. Preliminary rates 2015 and 2016
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
0-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85+
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Age category
Male 2016
Female 2016
Male 2015
Female 2015

8. Suicide Rates (1989-2016)
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
Suiciderates(per100,000)
Year
Preliminary Male
Revised Male
Preliminary Female
Revised Female

9. 15-19 year olds
Age-specific Suicide Rates 1989-2016
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Year
Male
Female

10. 20-24 year olds
Age-specific Suicide Rates 1989-2016
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Year
Male
Female

11. 25-29 year olds
Age-specific Suicide Rates 1989-2016
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Year
Male
Female

12. 30-34 year olds
Age-specific Suicide Rates 1989-2016
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Year
Male
Female

13. 35-39 year olds
Age-specific Suicide Rates 1989-2016
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Year
Male
Female

14. 40-44 year olds
Age-specific Suicide Rates 1989-2016
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Year
Male
Female

15. 45-49 year olds
Age-specific Suicide Rates 1989-2016
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Year
Male
Female

16. 50-54 year olds
Age-specific Suicide Rates 1989-2016
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Year
Male
Female

17. 55-59 year olds
Age-specific Suicide Rates 1989-2016
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Year
Male
Female

18. 60-64 year olds
Age-specific Suicide Rates 1989-2016
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Year
Male
Female

19. 65-69 year olds
Age-specific Suicide Rates 1989-2016
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Year
Male
Female

20. 70-74 year olds
Age-specific Suicide Rates 1989-2016
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Year
Male
Female

21. 75-79 year olds
Age-specific Suicide Rates 1989-2016
*Note – Statistics available prior to 1997 reported the eldest category as 75 plus. To include
this data for illustrative purposes, data here represents 75 or older for all data pre 1997.
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Year
Male
Female

22. 80-84 year olds
Age-specific Suicide Rates 1989-2016
*Note – Statistics available prior to 1997 reported the eldest category as 75 plus. To include
this data for illustrative purposes, data here represents 75+ for all data pre 1997.
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Year
Male
Female

23. 85+ year olds
Age-specific Suicide Rates 1989-2016
*Note – Statistics available prior to 1997 reported the eldest category as 75 plus. To include
this data for illustrative purposes, data here represents 75+ for all data pre 1997.
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
Suiciderate(per100,000)
Year
Male
Female

24. Based on the age-standardised death rate from 2016
ABS 3303.0 – Causes of Death, Australia
14.4 per 100,000
19.3 per 100,000
13.3 per 100,000
13.9 per 100,000
10.3 per 100,000
7.2 per 100,000
9.9 per 100,000
17 per 100,000

25. Age-standardised death rates by State and
Territory 2015-2016
10.6 10.6
15.7
13.4
15.3
16.3
21.0
11.4
10.3 9.9
13.9
13.3
14.4
17.0
19.3
7.2
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
NSW Vic. Qld SA WA Tas. NT ACT
Age-standardisedrate(per100,000)
State or Territory
2015
2016
QLDC TASCVICC

26. Notes about using statistics
• ABS advises that care should be taken in comparing 2016
suicide data with:
– previous years, as some data has been subject to a quality
improvement process
– pre-2006 data as this data was not subject to the revision
process.
• Due to the relatively small numbers of suicides in some states
and territories, even one or two deaths can have a significant
impact on standardised suicide rates. Thus comparisons across
Australia must be done cautiously.

27. • This is the second year that the ABS have released the preliminary
suicide data at an earlier date.
– Suicide data is now released nine months (September) after end
of year
– Before 2016, suicide data was released 15 months after end of
year.
• This release includes:
– 2015 and 2016 preliminary data
– 2014 first revision data
– 2013 final data.
• First revision of 2015 data, and final data for 2014 will be available in
early 2018.
Notes about using statistics

28. Definitions:
• Age-specific rate:
Total Deaths in Specified Age Group
Total Population in the same X 100,000
Specified Age Group
• Age-standardised rate: Represents a weighted average of the
age-specific suicide rates per 100,000 persons, where the weights are
the proportions of persons in the corresponding age groups of the
standard population. This process is to remove the effect of
differences in population age structures when comparing age-specific
rates for different periods of time, different geographic areas and/or
different population sub-groups.
Notes about using statistics

29. Mindframe
Mindframe aims to encourage responsible, accurate and
sensitive representation of mental illness and
suicide in the Australian mass media.
For more information and to view the range of
Mindframe resources, visit: www.mindframe-media.info

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