Compiled from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Safe Work Australia, the Australian Institute of Family Studies and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Last reviewed August 2026.
The numbers on this page are confronting — and they should be. Behind every statistic is a father, a son, a partner, a mate. Australian men die by suicide at three times the rate of women, are over-represented in homelessness and workplace deaths, and face a life expectancy four years shorter than women’s. These aren’t isolated data points; they form a pattern researchers and clinicians are only beginning to properly understand. Relationship breakdown, in particular, stands out as a critical turning point — one that measurably elevates a man’s risk of suicidal thoughts, sometimes for years afterward. Understanding this reality isn’t about ignoring the challenges women face; it’s about recognising that men’s health and wellbeing deserve dedicated, informed, and compassionate support.
of all Australian suicide deaths are men. In 2024, 2,529 of the 3,307 Australians who died by suicide were men.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Causes of Death, Australia, 2024
died by suicide in Australia during 2024 — nearly one every three and a half hours.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Causes of Death, Australia, 2024
was the median age at death for men who died by suicide in 2024.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Causes of Death, Australia, 2024
divorces were granted in Australia in 2024. Relationship breakdown remains one of life’s most significant stressors, with well-documented effects on mental health, parenting and wellbeing.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2024
was the median length of marriages that ended in divorce in 2024 — the longest on record, meaning separation is increasingly affecting men later in life, often with more complex financial, parenting and housing consequences.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2024
more likely; recently separated men are up to 3.7 times more likely to attempt suicide one to two years after separation than men who haven’t separated, a risk that stays elevated (around 2.8 times) three to four years on, even after accounting for prior risk factors. In the immediate aftermath of separation, 7% of men report a suicide attempt, compared with 1% of men who haven’t recently separated.
Source: Australian Institute of Family Studies, Ten to Men — Men’s suicide risk can persist for years following relationship breakdown, 2026
Australian adults (21%, or roughly 1 in 5) have experienced violence, emotional abuse or economic abuse from a partner since the age of 15 — a reminder that partner abuse affects people of all genders.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Partner Violence, 2021–22
(around 1.5 million Australian men) have experienced violence, emotional abuse or economic abuse from a cohabiting partner since the age of 15, including 5.5% who experienced physical and/or sexual violence.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Partner Violence, 2021–22
of Australian workplace deaths in 2024 were men — 180 of the 188 workers who died from traumatic workplace injuries.
Source: Safe Work Australia, Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia, 2025
of all road deaths in Australia in 2024 were men — up from 72% a decade earlier.
Source: Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics, Road Trauma Australia, 2024
is the average life expectancy for Australian men — around 4 years less than the 85.1 years for Australian women.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Life Expectancy, 2022–2024
of Australians experiencing homelessness are men — 68,516 men on Census night in 2021.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Estimating Homelessness: Census, 2021
of Australia’s prison population is male, according to the most recent national data.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Prisoners in Australia, 2025
Statistics are drawn from the most recent published data available at time of writing and are updated periodically as new releases become available. Where a figure has been rounded or where methodologies differ between sources, the most reliable and recent version has been used. These statistics describe population-level patterns, not individual circumstances — if any of this resonates with your own experience, support is available.
