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Suicide & self-harm monitoring

Suicide and intentional self-harm hospitalisations by Primary Health Network areas

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Suicide by Primary Health Network areas Intentional self-harm hospitalisations by Primary Health Network areas Download data tables

Suicide by Primary Health Network areas

Updates to this page are underway. For the latest mortality data, see Data downloads.

Where people live can impact on their risk of suicide and also their access to services. Reporting rates or numbers of deaths by suicide at Primary Health Network (PHN) areas allows for more localised information that may provide a better understanding of the incidence of deaths by suicide in the local community and allow clinicians, policymakers and researchers to better plan services or suicide prevention activities. 

PHNs are organisations that connect health services across a specific geographic area (PHN areas). There are 31 PHN areas that cover the whole of Australia with the boundaries defined by the Australian Government Department of Health. For further information on how the statistics reported here were calculated see Technical notes.

Suicide deaths by Primary Health Network areas, Australia, 2010 to 2023.

The line graph shows the age-standardised rates of suicide for Australia by Primary Health Network (PHN) area from 2010 to 2023. Users can choose to view age-standardised rates and numbers of deaths by suicide by selected PHN.

Suicide deaths by Primary Health Network areas, Australia, 2010 to 2023.The line graph shows the age-standardised rates of suicide for Australia by Primary Health Network (PHN) area from 2010 to 2023. Users can choose to view age-standardised rates and numbers of deaths by suicide by selected PHN.

How do suicide rates vary among PHN areas?

In 2023:

  • Age-standardised rates and numbers of deaths by suicide varied across PHN areas, ranging from 5.7 deaths per 100,000 population in Western Sydney PHN area to 22.5 in Country WA in PHN.
  • The greatest number of deaths by suicide occurred in the South Eastern Melbourne PHN (192).

Data are not published for PHN areas where there are small numbers of deaths by suicide due to privacy and confidentiality concerns or other concerns about the quality of the data (for example, age-standardised rates cannot be published for Western Queensland for most years).

Intentional self-harm hospitalisations by Primary Health Network areas

Hospitalisations data for patients with intentional self-harm injuries includes those with and without suicidal intent. For further information see the Technical notes.

The reporting of rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations by Primary Health Network (PHN) areas can provide localised information to enable PHNs to identify and investigate areas requiring more coordination of care to patients, by working directly with key primary and secondary health care providers and hospitals.

The distribution plot shows the age-specific rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations for males and females by all ages and broad age groups (0–24, 25–44, 45–64, 65 and over) for Primary Health Networks (PHNs) in 2023–24. Users can also choose to view horizontal stacked bar charts showing numbers and proportion of intentional self-harm hospitalisations for PHNs by all ages and age groups by sex. 

The distribution plot shows the age-specific rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations for males and females by all ages and broad age groups (0–24, 25–44, 45–64, 65 and over) for Primary Health Networks (PHNs) in 2023–24. Users can also choose to view horizontal stacked bar charts showing numbers and proportion of intentional self-harm hospitalisations for PHNs by all ages and age groups by sex. 

How do rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations vary across PHN areas?

The rates of hospitalisations for intentional self-harm in 2023–24 varied greatly by PHN area:

  • the Western Queensland PHN area had the highest rate (194 hospitalisations per 100,000 population), while Western Sydney PHN area had the lowest rate (35). The rate per 100,000 population for Australia was 90.
  • The highest rate of intentional self-harm hospitalisations was among females aged 25–44 in the Western Queensland PHN area (388 per 100,000 population; 35 hospitalisations). This was also followed by those aged 24 years and below, in the same PHN area (366 per 100,000 population; 38 hospitalisations).
  • Rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisation for males tended to be highest in those aged 25–44 years. The Western Queensland PHN area reported the highest rate for males in the 25–44 years age group (195 per 100,000 population; 17 hospitalisations) followed by the Northern Territory PHN (188 per 100,000 population; 81 hospitalisations).

Download data tables

Supplementary tables

  • Deaths due to suicide 2023 – National Mortality Database
  • Hospitalisations for intentional self-harm 2023–24 – National Hospital Morbidity Database

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

Please carefully consider your needs when reading the following information about suicide and self-harm. If this material raises concerns for you contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, 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 suicide each year in Australia.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) readers are advised that the National Suicide and Self-harm Monitoring System includes information about the suicide and self-harm of First Nations people.

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.

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