Suicide rate in Australia
Australia: Suicide rate was 11.76 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Suicide rate in Australia, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
In 2021, suicide rate in Australia stood at 11.76 deaths per 100,000 people.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and up 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, suicide rate in Australia peaked at 12.67 deaths per 100,000 people in 2019 and was at its lowest, 9.7 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2004.
That places Australia 55th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.71 deaths per 100,000 people | 9.7 deaths per 100,000 people | 12.01 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.5 deaths per 100,000 people | 10.36 deaths per 100,000 people | 12.67 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.82 deaths per 100,000 people | 11.76 deaths per 100,000 people | 11.87 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 52 Cook Islands 11.92 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 53 Latvia 11.92 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 54 Sweden 11.8 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 56 Guinea-Bissau 11.76 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 57 Botswana 11.71 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 58 Poland 11.54 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More health data for Australia
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 906.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 215 deaths (2100)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
- Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 178,762 (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 168,402 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 173,667 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 163,850 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 166,847 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 158,717 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is suicide rate in Australia?
- Suicide rate in Australia was 11.76 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest suicide rate recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.67 deaths per 100,000 people in 2019.
- What is the lowest suicide rate recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 2004.
- How does Australia rank for suicide rate?
- Australia ranks 55th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is suicide rate rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Suicide rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of age-standardized deaths from self-harm in both sexes, per 100,000 people.