Suicide is one of the most common causes of death among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. On average, over 100 Indigenous Australians end their lives through suicide each year, with the rate of suicide twice as high as that recorded for other Australians.

Indigenous suicide rates can vary markedly by age, gender and other factors. Our maps provide a visual insight into how the number and rate of Indigenous suicides can vary across different regions of Australia.

Suicide numbers and rates by region

The ’suicides numbers any rates by region maps’ provide a visual insight into how the number and rate of Indigenous suicides varies across different regions of Australia.

Cautions and caveats

In general, caution should be exercised when interpreting Indigenous suicide data, particularly trends over time and data for smaller geographic areas.

The maps presented on this page use data from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS). The data from the NCIS provide the best available picture of suicide in Australian states and territories, although there are difficulties in establishing conclusively the number of Indigenous suicides. This is because a significant number of suicides are classified as having an 'unknown' Indigenous origin. As a result, while the statistics presented here highlight that Indigenous suicide is a significant public health issue, they are likely to underestimate the true scale of suicide in Indigenous populations.

The under-identification of Indigenous suicide is of particular concern in Victoria and South Australia. Deaths with 'unknown' Indigenous status accounted for around 30% of suicide in Victoria and over 70% in South Australia from 2001 to 2012. The information provided in the maps for the geographic areas (postcodes) within these states may be too unreliable for general use and should be treated with extreme caution. Data for these 2 states have been included in an attempt to provide a complete picture of available suicide data across Australia.

In addition, there are challenges in estimating the size and structure of the Indigenous population. Population figures are used to calculate suicide rates and the quality of the population data has direct implications for the validity and reliability of Indigenous suicide rates. Map 2 includes rates that have been calculated using the 2006 Census of Population and Housing. The census has been used because it provides population data at a postcode level, however, it has shortcomings with regard to obtaining an accurate count of the Indigenous population, e.g. it typically under-counts the population and there is missing information on Indigenous status. These shortcomings can be significantly amplified in some regions of Australia.

Interpreting small area data

Given the data concerns outlined above, the maps on this page should be interpreted with caution. They are designed to highlight: the distribution of Indigenous suicide across Australia; areas with relatively high Indigenous suicide rates; and provide insights into potential hotspots of Indigenous suicide between 2001 and 2012.

The 3 maps provide data by postcode and should be considered collectively to obtain an adequate understanding of the problem across the country. Map 1 provides suicide numbers; Map 2 shows suicide rates; and Map 3 contains the Indigenous population size. Map 3 has been included to provide context to areas with high/low suicide numbers and rates.

Trends over time in suicide numbers

The ‘suicide trends maps’ highlight the trends over time (from 2001-03 to 2009-12) in different regions of Australia.

Cautions and caveats

In general, caution should be exercised when interpreting Indigenous suicide data, particularly trends over time and data for smaller geographic areas. Time series should be treated with caution as the numbers do not take into account population changes over time.

The maps presented on this page use data from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS). The data from the NCIS provide the best available picture of suicide in Australian states and territories, although there are difficulties in establishing conclusively the number of Indigenous suicides. This is because a significant number of suicides are classified as having an 'unknown' Indigenous origin. The suicide numbers used in these maps have, where applicable, been adjusted to account for cases with 'unknown' Indigenous status (see below for more details).

The under-identification of Indigenous suicide is of particular concern in Victoria and South Australia. Deaths with 'unknown' Indigenous status accounted for around 30% of suicide in Victoria and over 70% in South Australia from 2001 to 2012. The information provided in the maps for the geographic areas (Statistical Divisions) within these states may be too unreliable for general use and should be treated with extreme caution. Data for these 2 states have been included in an attempt to provide a complete picture of available suicide data across Australia.

Interpreting small area data

Given the data concerns outlined above, the maps on this page should be interpreted with caution. They are designed to highlight the distribution of Indigenous suicide across Australia and areas with relatively high Indigenous suicide numbers-and how these have changed in recent years.

The 4 maps show the number of Indigenous suicides in each Australian Statistical Division (region) in 3-year periods from 2001 to 2012.

Adjustments for 'unknown' Indigenous status

Cases with 'unknown' Indigenous status were apportioned to Indigenous and non-Indigenous on the basis of what is known about the ratio of Indigenous and non-Indigenous suicides in populations (at the relevant state level) where Indigenous status has been established. The available data suggest that there is not a substantial over-representation of Indigenous or non-Indigenous people in these 'unknown' Indigenous origin cases. As a result, adjusted numbers of Indigenous (and non-Indigenous) suicides have been produced on the assumption that the proportion of Indigenous suicide deaths is broadly similar in aggregations of cases with 'unknown' and known Indigenous status. The Northern Territory had no cases that were classified as of 'unknown' Indigenous origin over the period 2001-12 so adjusted rates were not necessary. For the other jurisdictions, the number of suicides with an 'unknown' Indigenous origin were apportioned to either the Indigenous or non-Indigenous totals using the ratio of those of known Indigenous status. To increase data fidelity, only data for years where the proportion of those with 'unknown' Indigenous origin was less than 50% were used to calculate the ratio-this was only applicable in South Australia (where the ratio was calculated using data for the years 2002 and 2011 only) and Victoria (using the data for 2000-2007 and 2010-2012).

Community consultation map

The ‘Trends over time in suicide number’ map illustrates extensive consultations that have taken place with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the topic of suicide. In total 1526 participants have been involved in these discussions nationally.

Please see the document Indigenous Suicide Prevention Consultations: Key Themes for more information [PDF – 16 Sep. 2015 263KB]