As at 12 October 2026 · official data unless labelled

Deaths from suicide, alcohol and drugs

22.2 per 100,000Worse than the OECD median▲ 0.5 per 100,0002024vs OECD median 22.1 per 100,000

What the numbers are telling us

The death rate from suicide, alcohol and drugs was 22.2 per 100,000 in 2024, up 0.5 per 100,000 on the previous reading (21.7 per 100,000).

It is close to its 10-year average of 21.7 per 100,000.

Across 18 OECD countries (2024), Australia ranks 10th best of 18 on deaths of despair, above the median of 22.1 per 100,000.

Why it matters

Deaths linked to distress and addiction, a sensitive signal of social and mental health.

What it should be

There is no official target, so Australia is judged against comparable countries: lower than the OECD median is better. The OECD median is 22.1 per 100,000.

Deaths of despair: the last 15 readings

Deaths from suicide, alcohol and drugs, 2010 to 2024

Source: OECD, How's Life? Current well-being (OECD WISE).

Australia ranks 10th best of 18 OECD countries

Deaths of despair, 2024; OECD median 22.1 per 100,000

Spain12.32

Slovak Republic12.7

Netherlands14.73

Luxembourg14.9

Poland17.26

Sweden19.1

Austria21.11

Iceland21.13

United Kingdom21.94

Australia22.16

Czechia22.31

Hungary22.75

Source: OECD and World Bank cross-country series as stored.

Every figure on this page is calculated from the stored official series (OECD, How's Life? Current well-being (OECD WISE)); the summary is written from the numbers, not edited by hand.