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Intentional self-harm hospitalisations among young people

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

The data presented here are for children and young people aged between 0 and 24, grouped into 3 age ranges: 14 and below, 15–19 and 20–24 years. For children, especially those aged under 10, it is difficult to determine whether a self-inflicted injury was done with intent to self-harm.

Intentional self-harm hospitalisations in young people, 2008–09 to 2020–21.

The line graph shows age-specific rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations for young people aged 14 and below, 15–19 and 20–24 from 2008–09 to 2020–21. Users can also choose to view age-specific rate, numbers and proportion of hospitalisations for intentional self-harm by sex for each age group. Between 2008–09 and 2020–21, rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations were highest for young people aged 15–19 ranging from 245.6 per 100,000 population in 2008–09 to 430.2 in 2020–21.

Young people have the highest rates of hospitalisation for intentional self-harm

In 2020–21:

  • the age-specific hospitalisation rate due to intentional self-harm was lowest for children aged 14 and below (39 per 100,000 population)
  • the rate for young people aged 15–19 was 430 hospitalisations per 100,000 population, while the rate for those aged 20–24 was lower (263)
  • the rate for females aged 0–14 increased from 41 hospitalisations per 100,000 population in 2019–20 to 70 in 2020–21 
  • the age and sex-specific rate was highest for females aged 15–19 (698 hospitalisations per 100,000 population), followed by females aged 20–24 (363)
  • rates for young males were lower across all ages. The lowest rate was for males aged under 14 was 9 hospitalisations per 100,000 population followed by 166 and 173 for males aged 20–24 and 15–19, respectively.

Rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations for girls and young females are rising

From 2008–09 to 2020–21:

  • there has been a greater then 3-fold increase to the rate of intentional self-harm hospitalisations in females aged 14 and below (from 19 hospitalisations per 100,000 population to 70)
  • the rate of intentional self-harm hospitalisations in females aged 15–19 has risen from 374 hospitalisations per 100,000 population to 698, and the rate for females aged 20-24 has increased from 295 to 363
  • rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations for males have also increased over this period but not to the same extent as those of females; the greatest increase was in the 15–19 age group (from 124 hospitalisations per 100,000 population to 173).
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