Australia’s recorded suicide rate is the highest it has been for 10 years. The rate of suicide is about 50% higher in rural areas than in major cities. In NSW, more than 74% of the population live in major cities, and has increased by 1.6% year on year from 2014 to 2015, while the population of remote and very remote NSW areas has decreased, at -0.7% and -1.1% respectively.
The most populous states of NSW, Victoria and Queensland collectively accounted for 73.2% of Australian suicides in 2015. It is the 13th leading cause of death in Australia.