Number of suicides in Australia
Australia: Number of suicides was 3,394 deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising
Number of suicides in Australia, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, number of suicides in Australia stood at 3,394 deaths.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 31.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of suicides in Australia peaked at 3,545 deaths in 2019 and was at its lowest, 2,149 deaths, in 2004.
That places Australia 29th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Number of suicides in Australia, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2,439 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 2,509 deaths | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 2,367 deaths | -5.7% |
| 2003 | 2,182 deaths | -7.8% |
| 2004 | 2,149 deaths | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 2,354 deaths | +9.5% |
| 2006 | 2,295 deaths | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 2,395 deaths | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 2,572 deaths | +7.4% |
| 2009 | 2,522 deaths | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 2,672 deaths | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 2,587 deaths | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 2,764 deaths | +6.9% |
| 2013 | 2,756 deaths | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 3,074 deaths | +11.5% |
| 2015 | 3,251 deaths | +5.8% |
| 2016 | 3,026 deaths | -6.9% |
| 2017 | 3,418 deaths | +12.9% |
| 2018 | 3,346 deaths | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 3,545 deaths | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 3,348 deaths | -5.6% |
| 2021 | 3,394 deaths | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2,378 deaths | 2,149 deaths | 2,572 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,044 deaths | 2,587 deaths | 3,545 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,371 deaths | 3,348 deaths | 3,394 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More health data for Australia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.9072 % change on previous year (2090)
- 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)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.0265 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, annual growth rate 5.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per capita 0.0202 units per person (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 25,277 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, per capita 0.0009 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of suicides in Australia?
- Number of suicides in Australia was 3,394 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of suicides recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 3,545 deaths in 2019.
- What is the lowest number of suicides recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,149 deaths in 2004.
- How does Australia rank for number of suicides?
- Australia ranks 29th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is number of suicides rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.2%. 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 Number of suicides. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths from self-harm in both sexes.