Data from the Queensland Suicide Register for the period 1994 to 2006 indicate that the difference is somewhat
smaller, with the Indigenous suicide rate in Queensland being 70% higher than the non-Indigenous rate
(De Leo et al. 2011).
The ABS data showed that almost 4 in 5 (79%) of the Indigenous people who died by suicide were male
(ABS 2012). Indigenous suicide rates (per 100,000) for young males aged 15–19 (43.4) and 20–24 (74.7) were
4.4 and 3.9 times the corresponding rates for non-Indigenous males. Suicide rates (per 100,000) for Indigenous
females aged 15–19 (18.7) and 20–24 years (21.8) were 5.9 and 5.4 times the corresponding rates for
non-Indigenous females (ABS 2012).
From 25 years of age, the difference between Indigenous and non-Indigenous suicide rates decreases
progressively with increasing age. Indigenous people aged 45 and older have similar suicide rates to
non-Indigenous people (ABS 2012).
Trends in Indigenous suicide rates cannot be accurately estimated (ABS 2012), however available data indicate
that the Indigenous suicide rate is unlikely to have declined significantly from 2001 to 2010. In contrast the
non-Indigenous suicide rate has decreased significantly over this period (AIHW 2013a).
Because of variations in the quality of Indigenous identification data by geographical classification, Indigenous
suicide rates in major cities cannot be reliably compared with rates in regional and remote areas (AIHW 2013b).
Between July 2006 and June 2008, Indigenous people were hospitalised for injuries related to intentional
self-harm (including suicidal behaviour) at 2.3 times the rate for other people. The rate for Indigenous males
was 2.7 times the rate for other males and for Indigenous females the rate was 2.0 times that for other females
(AIHW 2011).
Available statistics in relation to Indigenous deaths by suicide and hospitalisations for intentional self-harm are
summarised in Table 1.