Queensland Suicide Data

About suicide

Suicide is a far-reaching tragedy that stretches across all age groups and all walks of life. 

The Queensland Mental Health Commission acknowledges that behind each of these numbers is a person with friends and family who loved them.

Caution

Data interpretation

The data for suicide deaths may vary from month to month, particularly when examining groups or smaller regions. Caution is advised against over-interpretation of suicide trends using monthly data alone. We recognise the deep loss they have experienced, and we will continue to work on their behalf to improve the way data, evidence and evaluation is collected, used and shared to drive and improve suicide prevention in Queensland.

Effects on people bereaved by suicide

The Commission requests anyone thinking of publishing or publicising suicide statistics either in the media or by other means to consider that each suicide profoundly affects families, friends, kinship groups, colleagues, classmates and communities. The publication of suicide data may cause further harm to people bereaved by suicide.

Mindframe media guidelines

The Queensland Mental Health Commission supports the use of the Mindframe guidelines on responsible, accurate and safe suicide reporting. Please consider these guidelines when reporting on Queensland suicide data.

What is the Queensland Suicide Register?

The Queensland Suicide Register reports on suicides in Queensland. It includes data on suspected and confirmed suicides.

This report is released as part of Queensland’s effort to reduce suicide and self-harm across the state. Improving the availability and accessibility of data assists services to help identify trends, emerging areas of concern and to inform responses.

How is the data collected?

The Queensland Government has funded the monitoring of suicide deaths with a suicide register for over three decades.

In Queensland there are two systems that are used to monitor suicide deaths:

• the Queensland Suicide Register (QSR) that includes suicide data since 1990 and is used to monitor longer-term trends, and
  
• the interim Queensland Suicide Register (iQSR) that was established in 2011 to provide real-time information on suicide deaths.
  

The Queensland Suicide Register

The QSR is a longstanding surveillance system including records on all suspected suicides by Queensland residents from 1990 to 2023. Once coroners finalise their investigations, each suspected suicide is reassessed, and the details are checked and entered into the QSR. 

The QSR is based on more information that is available once a coroner finalises their investigation. This includes: 

• A toxicology report that provides information about substances the person may have consumed before death.
• A post-mortem examination that provides a detailed medical examination of a person’s body. 
• The coroner’s findings and notice of completion of the coronial investigation, which is a legal document outlining the coroner’s findings from their investigation. This form includes information about the context and circumstances of the death, such as how the person died and the place, date and medical cause of the death.

There is often a lengthy delay between the time a person dies and the time that a coroner finalises their investigation, and the QSR is used to monitor long-term trends.  

The interim Queensland Suicide Register

The data published here is based on data from the iQSR.

The iQSR is a real-time suicide monitoring system that records interim data on suspected suicides in Queensland, shortly after the death occurs. Data on suspected suicides is based on initial police reports and other information that is available to police at the time when they refer the death to the coroner.

The iQSR supports communities, frontline organisations and government agencies in detecting emerging issues and informing place-based responses to suspected suicides, including suicide postvention measures.

The iQSR is currently managed by the Commission on behalf of the Queensland Government, with support from the Coroners Court of Queensland and the Queensland Police Service.

How frequently is the interim suicide data published?

Monthly reports are published around eight weeks from the last day of the reporting month. This time allows for processing, cross-checking and updating of data, preparation of reports and approvals.

Queensland interim suicide data

Suicide in Queensland annual reports

iQSR monthly data reports

Enabling reform

An objective of the Every life suicide prevention plan (Phase Two) is to improve the way data, evidence and evaluation is collected, used and shared to drive and improve suicide prevention in Queensland.

The Suicide in Queensland Annual Report 2023 is now available.