Report published today shows 21 First Nations people passed by suicide in 2025
Tuesday 24 March 2026
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised this content includes information associated with deceased persons from events that have occurred in Victoria. Readers are warned that there are words and descriptions that may be culturally distressing.
The Coroners Court of Victoria has today published a report showing 21 First Nations people passed by suicide in 2025. This is a small reduction from the 25 passings reported in 2024.
The Suicides of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria, 2021–2025 report contains the first release of full-year suicide data among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2025, and contextual and demographic information including sex, location of the passing, age, and a contextual analysis of 100 passings between 2021 and 2024.
The report shows that, in Victoria for the period 2021–2025, First Nations people pass by suicide at a rate almost three times higher than the non-Indigenous population – with approximately 29.5 suicides occurring per 100,000 for First Nations people compared to 10.8 suicides per 100,000 non-Indigenous people.
Other key findings in the report include:
- In 2025, 21 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people passed by suicide compared to 25 in 2024 and 22 in 2023.
- Of the 21 passings reported in 2025, 17 were male and 4 were female.
- From 2021–2025, suicides of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males were most prevalent in those aged 25–34 (35.6%), 35–44 (24.4%) and 45–54 (18.9%).
- Between 2021–2025, the most commonly represented female cohorts were aged 18–24 (32.3%), 25–34 (32.3%) and 35–44 (12.9%).
- From 2021–2025, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicides occurred more frequently in regional areas (53.7%) than metropolitan areas (46.3%). For non-Indigenous people, 66.3% of suicides happened in Metropolitan Melbourne.
The report indicates that suicides are more prevalent in younger age groups for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people compared to the non-Indigenous population. For the period 2021–2025:
- 55.4% of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicides occurred in people aged under 35 years, compared to 29.4% of non-Indigenous suicides.
- the average age of male Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who passed by suicide was 36.3 years, compared to 47.1 years in non-Indigenous males.
- the average age of female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who passed by suicide was 30.2 years, compared to 45.7 years for non-Indigenous females.
Analysis of the 100 passings that occurred between 2021 and 2024 showed contributing stressors included mental ill health, family conflict and violence, contact with the justice system and substance use proximal to the passings.
This additional information is obtained by coroners from briefs of evidence. Evidence is still being collected for many suicides occurring in 2025 and they are not included in the contextual analysis.
Prepared by the Coroners Prevention Unit in consultation with the Yirramboi Murrup Unit (YMU), the report utilises data from the Victorian Suicide Register, a real-time database recording all suicides reported to and investigated by Victorian coroners since 1 January 2000. Information has also been included from the Aboriginal Passings Register, which captures data relating to all passings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria from 2019 to the present. Since the Aboriginal led YMU was established in 2019, the Court has enhanced identification and accuracy of information for reportable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander passings.
This is the seventh Coroners Court data report on suicides of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria – the first report was released in June 2020. The reports aim to provide accessible, accurate and culturally responsive information to assist program design in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and suicide prevention sectors.
Quotes attributable to State Coroner, Judge Liberty Sanger:
"The ongoing disparity in suicide rates between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the non-Indigenous population in Victoria is deeply concerning."
"Evidence based approaches to prevention are crucial – sharing our data and insights helps support prevention at every level, from local communities and Aboriginal-led organisations to public health authorities and government."
Quotes attributable to Jessica Gobbo (Wardandi & Bibbulmun) Manager, Yirramboi Murrup Unit (Coroners Aboriginal Engagement Unit):
"The devastating reality is that First Nations people are still affected by suicide at a significantly higher rate than the non-Indigenous population – more must be done to address the root causes and save lives."
"Prevention begins with understanding and it is crucial that the community has access to accurate information about suicide to help support targeted and culturally safe prevention initiatives."
Media contact:
0407 403 371
mediaenquiries@courts.vic.gov.au