Incidence of suicide among serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force personnel 2001–2015: in brief summary report
Publication
Release Date:
Topic: Veterans
Citation
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2017) Incidence of suicide among serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force personnel 2001–2015: in brief summary report, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 24 June 2026.
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This in-brief report summarises results on the incidence of suicide among serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel using 15 years of data and identifies characteristics that may be associated with risk of suicide. In 2001–2015 there were 325 certified suicide deaths among people with at least 1 day of ADF service since 2001. Of these deaths 166 occurred in the ex-serving population. Ex-serving men aged 18–24 were at particular risk – 2 times more likely to die from suicide than Australian men of the same age. Service characteristics that may be associated with the higher rate of suicide in ex-serving men included: involuntary discharge – particularly medical discharge, short length of service (<1 year) and rank other than a commissioned officer.
- ISBN: 978-1-76054-148-4
- Cat. no: PHE 213
- Pages: 58
Findings from this report:
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325 certified suicide deaths in 2001–2015 of people with at least 1 day of Australian Defence Force service from 2001
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Men serving full time or in the reserve had age-adjusted suicide rates 53% and 49% lower than all Australian men
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The suicide rate in 2002–2015 was 14% higher among ex-serving men than all Australian men, after adjusting for age
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High suicide risk was associated with younger age, involuntary discharge, short length of service, and non-officer rank