Intentional self-harm hospitalisations

The following summary is based on data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) from the National Suicide and Self-Harm Monitoring System (the System). The System was established as part of the national effort to address suicide and self-harm in Australia by improving the quality, accessibility and timeliness of data on deaths by suicide and on self-harming and suicidal behaviours.

For guidance on reporting on suicide and self-harm data, please refer to the Mindframe Quick Reference Guide.

Released by AIHW on Wednesday, 28 September 2023

Intentional self-harm data are sourced from the National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD), which provides information on patients admitted to hospital after self-harm with or without the intention of dying. Self-harm and suicide can be considered distinct and separate acts although some people who self-harm are at an increased risk of suicide.1 Therefore, monitoring intentional self-harm is key to suicide prevention.

Updated data now available for 2021-22, with updates to the Intentional self-harm hospitalisations data by states and territories, age groups, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and geography pages of the National Suicide and Self-Harm Monitoring System. Key statistics and trends are described below.

National, state, gender and age groups

• There were almost 26,900 hospitalisations for intentional self-harm in Australia in 2021–22 (105 hospitalisations per 100,000 population).
• The highest rate of hospitalisation for intentional self-harm was reported in the Northern Territory (238 hospitalisations per 100,000), which is more than double the national rate.
• The majority of hospitalisations were for females (67% or over 18,000 hospitalisations) which has been a consistent finding since 2008-09.
• The rate of intentional self-harm hospitalisations was higher for females (139 per 100,000 population) than males (69 per 100,000 population).
• Young people continue to have the highest age-specific rates of self-harm hospitalisations, with young females aged 15-19 years and 20-24 years having the highest rates overall:
• The rate for females aged 15-19 years was 637 per 100,000, and 342 per 100,000 for females aged 20-24 years.
• Males aged 15-19 years and 20-24 years had the highest age-specific rates of all male age groups. However, the rate for males aged 15-19 years (153 per 100,000) was less than a quarter than for females of the same age group, and the rate for males 20-24 years (144 per 100,000) less than half that for females in the same age group.

Young people

• The age-specific hospitalisation rates for young people under 25 years are shown on the graph below.
• The rate for females aged 0–14 years increased from 41 hospitalisations per 100,000 population in 2019–20 to 72 per 100,000 in 2021–22 (76% increase).
• During 2008-09 to 2021-22, there was an overall increase in the hospitalisation rates for intentional self-harm for both males and females aged 15–19 years (see graph below). For males, the rate increased from 124 hospitalisations per 100,000 in 2008-09 to 374 per 100,000 in 2021-22 (22.6% increase). For females, the rate increased from 152 per 100,000 in 2008-09 to 637 per 100,000 in 2021-22 (70.5% increase).

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

In 2021–22, the rate of intentional self-harm hospitalisations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (326 hospitalisations per 100,000 population) was over three times that of non-Indigenous Australians (96 per 100,000 population).

• The highest rate of intentional self-harm hospitalisations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was in the 15-19-years age group (710 hospitalisations per 100,000 population), almost double that of non-Indigenous Australians (366 hospitalisations per 100,000 population).
• The rates were highest among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females aged 15-19 years (1,127 hospitalisations per 100,000 population) and 20-24 years (756 hospitalisations per 100,000).

Remoteness areas

While the majority (two-thirds) of self-harm hospitalisations were residents of Major Cities, the rate of hospitalisations tends to increase with increasing level of remoteness.

• Residents of Very Remote areas recorded a rate of 193 hospitalisations per 100,000, nearly twice that of residents of Major Cities (97 hospitalisations per 100,000).
• Between 2012-13 and 2021-22 overall rates increased in Very Remote areas by 12.2% (from 172 to 193 hospitalisations per 100,000 population) and Remote areas by 9.6% (from 146 to 160 per 100,000 population)
• Between 2012-13 and 2021-22 overall rates fell in Inner Regional areas by 17.6% (from 125 to 103 per 100,000), and Major Cities by 12.6% (from 111 to 97 per 100,000).
• The highest increase in rates occurred in young people aged 15-18 years in Outer Regional, Remote and Very remote areas.

Socioeconomic areas

From 2012–13 to 2021–22 the highest proportion of intentional self-harm hospitalisations was for people living in the lowest socioeconomic (most disadvantaged) areas. This proportion has remained relatively stable over the period, averaging around 23%.
In 2021-22, the rate for hospitalisations for intentional self-harm in the most disadvantaged areas (122 per 100,000) was 1.5 times the rate for the least disadvantaged areas (82 per 100,000 population.