2. Recent trends in suicide rates by age group and sex

• Figure 4 : Suicide rates for selected male age groups, Australia 1979-1998.
• Figure 5 : Suicide rates for selected female age groups, Australia 1979-1998.

The recent rise in all-ages male suicide rates has been due to an increase in the rates for males aged in the third and fourth decades of life (Figure 4).

Figure 4 : Suicide rates for selected male age groups, Australia 1979-1998.

Rates for males aged 20 to 39 years continued to rise in 1998. Rates for younger males (ie 15 to 19 years) and older males (ie those aged 40 years and older) in recent years have been lower and do not show a strong trend. This contrasts with the rapid rise in rates at ages 15 to 19 years in the 1980s and the decline in rates at older ages, especially in the 1970s.

While suicide trends for males at different ages differ substantially, recent suicide rates for females show less variation with age (Figure 5).

Figure 5 : Suicide rates for selected female age groups, Australia 1979-1998.

Rates at ages 15 to 19 years and 40 years and older appear to have risen since the mid-1990s, though these trends are not large in relation to year-to-year variations.