2020 suicide rate down on 2019 figures, ABS report finds

Covid-19 has not led to a rise in suicide in Australia. In fact, there were fewer in 2020 than the year before.

Australia’s suicide rate fell during the Covid-19 pandemic. Picture: Supplied

Australia’s suicide rate has fallen by more than 6 per cent during the Covid-19 pandemic, new Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows.

There were 3139 deaths due to suicide last year, down from 3318 in 2019, the latest ABS cause of death report reveals. It was the lowest annual suicide rate for women since 2013 and the lowest for men since 2016.

Of those deaths, 99 people who died by suicide had Covid-19 mentioned in either a police, pathology or coronial finding report.

“For people who died by suicide and had the Covid-19 pandemic mentioned as a risk factor, it did not appear as an isolated risk,” the ABS Causes of Death report says, adding that those 99 deaths had an average of five risk factors.

More common factors were depression, substance use and abuse and spousal relationship issues, with more than 90 per cent of those who died by suicide having at least one of these risks.

Suicide was the 15th leading overall cause of death in 2020, compared to 13th in 2019, the ABS data reveals. However, it continues to rank as the leading cause of death for people aged between 15 and 44. More than a third of deaths in people aged 15 to 24 are due to suicide.

Suicide Prevention Australia chief executive Nieves Murray said the new data was good news considering calls to crisis lines were at record levels during the pandemic.

“During a very challenging 2020, additional investments in suicide prevention services and major protective supports such as JobKeeper and JobSeeker have helped those who have needed it most,” Ms Murray said. “The good news is people are seeking help, and it’s important this continues in the months and years ahead.”

Outgoing Black Dog Institute director and chief scientist Helen Christensen said it was pleasing governments had focused on suicide prevention during the pandemic. “But our suicide rate remains higher than comparable countries and we need to keep investing in it,” she said.

Males continued to account for three in four suicides in Australia, with Men’s Health Forum chief executive Glenn Poole saying they need more specific help.

“Our research consistently finds up to four in five clients of government-funded suicide prevention services are women,” Mr Poole said. “We want to see significant funding allocated to suicide prevention programs and services that are specifically targeted at men.”

The ABS data reveals all jurisdictions except the Northern Territory and the ACT had decreases in the number of suicides between 2019 and 2020.

Those living in the NT had the highest suicide rate at 20.4 per 100,000 people. Males aged over 85 and females aged 45-49 had the highest age-specific suicide rates.

In 2020, there were 223 Indigenous people who died by suicide across Australia, with a median aged of 31.3 years.

If you or someone you know may be at risk of suicide, call Lifeline (13 11 14) or Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), or see a doctor