Serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members who have served since 1985: suicide monitoring 1997 to 2020

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Last updated: 16 Nov 2022

Topic: Veterans

Media release

AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2022) Serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members who have served since 1985: suicide monitoring 1997 to 2020, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 24 June 2026, doi:10.25816/pg08-5a76.

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Acronyms

ABS	Australian Bureau of Statistics
ADF	Australian Defence Force
AIHW	Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
CI	Confidence Interval
DSD	Defence Suicide Database
DVA	Department of Veterans’ Affairs
HR	Hazard Ratio
ICD	International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems
NCIS	National Coronial Information System
NDI	National Death Index
NMD	National Mortality Database
PMKeyS	Personnel Management Key Solution
SMR	Standardised Mortality Ratio

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Caution: Some readers may find parts of this content confronting or distressing.

Please carefully consider your needs when reading the following information about suicide. This report contains information on numbers and rates of death by suicide for serving and ex-serving members of the ADF. This report may be distressing to some readers.

If this material raises concerns for you, support is available. Please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, or Defence All-hours Support Line on 1800 628 036, or Open Arms - Veterans and Families Counselling, available free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or see other ways you can seek help.

The information included here places an emphasis on data, and as such, can appear to depersonalise the pain and loss behind the statistics. The AIHW acknowledges the individuals, families and communities affected by ADF member and veteran suicide each year in Australia.

The AIHW supports the use of the Mindframe guidelines on responsible, accurate and safe suicide and self-harm reporting. Please consider these guidelines when reporting on statistics on the monitoring of suicide and self-harm.

Serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members who have served since 1985: suicide monitoring 1997 to 2020

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