Fatal burden
Fatal burden, known as ‘years of life lost’ (YLL), is measured against an ideal life expectancy.
Suicide and self-inflicted injuries were responsible for 144,407 years of life lost due to premature death in 2019. It is estimated to account for around 6% of the total fatal burden of disease and injury in Australia (based on 2018 ABDS data). When compared with other diseases and injuries using data from the 2018 ABDS, suicide was the third leading cause of fatal burden (second for males) and the leading cause of fatal burden for males and females aged 15–44 (AIHW forthcoming 2021a).
Total YLL for suicide equated to a crude rate of 5.7 YLL per 1,000 population in 2019 (Table S1). The average number of years of life lost per death due to suicide in 2019 was 41.8 years, which was lower than the average of 44.3 years in 2003 (Table S2). These data were similar by sex: males lost an average of 41.9 years due to dying from suicide and self‑inflicted injuries in 2019 compared with 44.4 in 2003, and females lost an average of 41.6 years in 2019 compared with 43.7 in 2003. This suggests that the average age for suicide deaths is increasing over time (as fewer years of life are lost the older one gets and the closer they are to the ideal life expectancy).
The age and sex pattern of fatal burden due to suicide reflects that for the total burden due to suicide and self-inflicted injuries; that is, 75% of fatal burden occurred in males and both the YLL number and rate were highest among those aged 25–34 (Figure 1).
Non-fatal burden
Non-fatal burden, known as ‘years lived with disability’ (or YLD), is measured using information on incidence, prevalence, duration and severity of the disease or injury. YLDs for suicide and self-inflicted injuries are primarily based on data from the NHMD and the NNAPEDCD, which are weighted for severity (AIHW forthcoming 2021b). As not all suicide attempts and cases of self-harm are reported in these 2 databases, estimates of the non-fatal burden of suicide and self-inflicted injuries reported here are likely to be underestimates.
In 2019, Australians lost 1,296 years of healthy life (YLD) due to living with the impact of suicide and self-inflicted injuries. This equated to a crude rate of 0.05 YLD per 1,000 population (Table S1). It is estimated that suicide and self-inflicted injuries accounted for 0.05% of all non-fatal burden in Australia (based on 2018 ABDS data).
Contrasting with fatal burden, 55% of non-fatal burden occurred in females (711 YLD) compared with 45% in males (585 YLD).
By age, non-fatal burden was highest in those aged 25–34 (314 YLD; 24% of YLD due to suicide and self-inflicted injuries) followed by those aged 15–24 (307 YLD; 24%) (Figure 1).
