Suicide Facts: 2004–2005 data
Date of publication: 28 November 2006
Summary
Key Points
Suicide deaths in 2004
- A total of 486 people died by suicide in 2004, compared with 517 in 2003.
- The average rate of suicide for 2002–2004 was 13.1 deaths per 100,000 population. This is a 3.0% decrease from the rate for 2001–2003 and a decrease of 19.6% from that in 1996–1998.
- Males continue to have a higher suicide rate than females. In 2002–2004 there were 3.1 male suicides to every female suicide, which was unchanged from 2001–2003.
- The average rate of suicide for Māori was 17.1 deaths per 100,000 population in 2002–2004. This is a 13.2% increase from 2001–2003 (15.1 per 100,000 population), but a 17.9% decrease from 1996–1998.
- In 2002–2004 the average suicide rates for Māori males and females were 26.9 and 7.9 deaths per 100,000 population respectively, and for non-Māori males and females, the rates were 18.4 and 5.9 deaths per 100,000 population respectively.
- The disparity between the average suicide rates of Māori and non-Māori males in 2002–2004 is the widest it has been in the previous eight years.
- Among females, those aged 15–19 years had the highest suicide rates.
- Among males, those aged over 85 years had the highest suicide rate.
Hospitalisation for intentional self-harm in 2005
- There were 4,933 hospitalisations for intentional self-harm in 2005, amounting to a rate of 152.7 per 100,000 population. This was virtually identical to the rate in 2004 (152.5 per 100,000).
- Females continue to have a higher hospitalisation rate than males. The sex ratio was 2.0 female hospitalisations to every male hospitalisation.
- The Māori hospitalisation rate for intentional self-harm was nearly one and a half times the non-Māori rate.
- The hospitalisation rate for Māori males was over 1.75 times the rate for non-Māori males.
- Among females, those aged 15–19 years had the highest hospitalisation rate.
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Publishing information
Date of publication: 28 November 2006
ISBN numbers: ISBN 0-478-30088-3 (Book), ISBN 0-478-30089-1 (Website)
HP number: 4326
Citation: Ministry of Health. 2006. Suicide Facts: 2004–2005 data. Wellington: Ministry of Health.
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