Australia: share of population who have experienced self-harm behaviors during their lifetime by age and sex 2021

In the 2021 financial year, close to one quarter of young females aged 16-34 living in Australia had experienced self-harm behaviors during their lifetime. Overall, females were more likely to have experienced self-harm behaviors during their lifetime than males.

Share of population who have experienced self-harm behaviors during their lifetime in Australia as of financial year 2021, by age and sex

Characteristic	Males	Females
16-34	12.4%	24.7%
35-64	3.8%	6.6%
65-85	0.7%	1.1%
All ages	6.2%	11.4%

Loading statistic...

Download

Source

Show detailed source information?

Already a member?

Source

Use Ask Statista Research Service

Release date

July 2022

More information

Region

Australia

Survey time period

December 5, 2020 to July 31, 2021

Number of respondents

5,554 households

Age group

16-85 years

Method of interview

Face-to-face interview

Supplementary notes

Self-harm refers to a person intentionally causing pain or damage to their own body. This behaviour may be motivated as a way of expressing or controlling distressing feelings or thoughts. Self-harm and suicide are distinct and separate acts although some people who self-harm are at an increased risk of suicide.

A person may have had more than one mental disorder.

Study included all usual residents in Australia living in private dwellings in both urban and rural areas in all states and territories, except very remote parts of Australia and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The exclusion of residents in special dwellings (e.g., hotels, boarding houses, and institutions) and homeless people means the results are likely to underestimate the prevalence of mental health disorders in the Australian population.

Citation formats