Suicide self-harm monitoring Victoria

Data from suicide registers

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The Coroners Court of Victoria (CCOV) established the Victorian Suicide Register (VSR) in 2012 and publishes monthly data reports on suspected and confirmed deaths by suicide. VSR data are regularly reviewed, where deaths may be added or removed from the register as coronial investigations progress and are finalised. VSR data may therefore change over time.

The latest Monthly Suicide Data Report shows (CCOV 2024a):

• There was a total of 801 suspected or confirmed suicide deaths in 2023. This was higher than the number of suicide deaths in 2022(761), 2021 (679), 2020 (677) and 2019 (697).

The CCOV stated that there was an increase in the number of suicides in 2022 and 2023 compared to the period from 2019 to 2021, which was relatively stable (CCOV 2024b).

As illustrated below, the monthly frequency data show considerable variation which, according to the CCOV, usually results from random factors rather than underlying systemic issues or emerging clusters (CCOV 2022). The data therefore should be interpreted cautiously, with great care taken in drawing conclusions about any apparent short-term increase or decrease that is observed.

The “Cumulative Frequency” view in the visualisation below shows that the increase in 2022 began in the second half of the year and ‘is in contrast to the preceding four years, in which Victoria had seen a plateau in suicide numbers’ (CCOV 2023a). The number of suspected or confirmed suicides between January and July 2022 was consistent with previous years, with a monthly average of 58 deaths. However, between August and December 2022, the average monthly frequency increased to 71 deaths, which ‘might signal an emerging trend’ (CCOV 2023a). This increase in suspected and confirmed suicide deaths appeared to continue in 2023 with the monthly average of 67 deaths, higher than previous years.

The interactive data visualisation shows the number of suspected deaths by suicide in Victoria, by month, starting from January 2016 to January 2023. Viewing can be changed between frequency and cumulative frequency. An average trendline has been included.

The CCOV also reports on suicide deaths by sex and age group, and incident location (CCOV 2024a, 2024b). For 2023:

-Suicide frequencies were higher among males than females (72% male, 28% female). However, the overall number of suicides in 2023 showed a more pronounced increase in females (24 more than in 2022) compared to males (16 more than in 2022).

-Among males, the age groups of 35 to 44 years, 45 to 54 years and 25 to 34 years recorded the largest number of suicide deaths (21%, 19% and 18% of all male suicide deaths, respectively).

-Similarly, for females, the age groups of 35 to 44 years, 25 to 34 years, and 45 to 54 years experienced the greatest number of deaths (21%, 20% and 18% of all female suicide deaths, respectively).

-The highest increase in 2023 was seen in people aged the 35 to 44 years, with 168 suspected or confirmed suicide deaths compared to 129 in 2022.

-The largest percentage increase was seen in those under 18 years, with an 86% increase in 2023 from 2022 (26 deaths in 2023 compared to 14 in 2022). CCOV investigated the increase in suicide deaths among the under 18 years age group in April 2023, and released a statement noting that the deaths ‘occurred in diverse circumstances across communities in both Metropolitan Melbourne and Regional Victoria, with no clear links established to date between any of the deaths’ (CCOV 2023b).

-Consistent with previous years, suicide frequencies remain higher in Metropolitan Melbourne (65%) compared to Regional Victoria (35%).

For a detailed breakdowns of full-year frequencies of suspected and confirmed suicide deaths in Victoria by sex and age group, and incident location can be viewed on the visualisation below.

The CCOV has also published data on suicides of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people. The number of suspected deaths by suicide in 2022 for First Nations people in Victoria was 18, compared to 34 in 2021, 22 in 2020, 20 in 2019, and 14 in 2018. Of those 18 people who were suspected to have died by suicide in 2022, 13 were male. This compares to 24 in 2021, 14 in 2020, 12 in 2019 and 10 in 2018. There were 5 female suspected deaths by suicide in 2022, compared to 10 in 2021, 8 in both 2020 and 2019, and 4 in 2018 (CCOV 2023d).

Between 2018 to 2022, First Nations people made up an average of 3.1% of people who were suspected or confirmed to have died by suicide in Victoria (CCOV 2023d).

Suicide deaths among First Nation people under 35 years of age accounted for 58% of all First Nations people’s suicide deaths. Whereas suicide deaths among non-Indigenous people under 35 years accounted for 32% of all non-Indigenous suicide deaths (CCOV 2023d).