Data

Prevalence Data

Suicide is more than double the rate in the Northern Territory compared to other mainland states of Australia. Dramatic increases since the early 1990’s have still not abated.

The Northern Territory covers a million and a half square kilometres (750,000 square miles) and the population of Northern Territory is approximately 210,000. Indigenous people comprise approximately 30% of this population with almost 70,000 people, compared to 2% nationally.

The percentage of Indigenous suicide has increased from 5% of total suicide in 1991 to 50% in 2010, whereas non-Indigenous suicide has decreased from 95% of total suicide in 1991 to 50% in 2010. The most dramatic increase was in youth aged 10 – 24 where the percentage of Indigenous youth suicide increased from 10% of total youth suicide in 1991, to 80% in 2010, whereas non-Indigenous youth suicide has decreased to 20% of total youth suicide in 2010. Indigenous suicide appears to be age specific rarely occurring over the age of 50, making suicide a higher risk for Indigenous youth and young adults in the prime of their life.

The suicide incidence in relation to employment status has shown that 70 per cent of Indigenous suicide victims were unemployed in the NT from 2000-2005. Furthermore, the data suggests there is a high risk attached to being a young, married, unemployed Indigenous male in relation to completed suicide.

The suicide incidence in relation to gender and shows that 91 per cent of Indigenous suicides were male victims and 9% female victims from 2000–2005 and suggests that Indigenous men are at high risk of suicide compared to their female counterparts. The relationship has changed in the 2006–2010 data with 82% male and 18% female with half the female suicides under the age of 17 years, an emerging trend.

> Prevalence Data Research

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> Read more about CURF Data

Articles

> "Suicide (Echo) Clusters" – Are They Socially Determined, the Result of a Pre-existing Vulnerability in Indigenous Communities in the Northern Territory and How Can We Contain Cluster Suicides?

> Research into the Clustering Effect of Suicide within Indigenous communities, Northern Territory, Australia

> The Search to Identify Contagion Operating within Suicide Clusters in Indigenous Communities, Northern Territory, Australia

> Indigenous Dreaming: How Suicide in the Context of Substance Abuse has Impacted on and Shattered the Dreams and Reality of Indigenous Communities in Northern Territory, Australia