Overview

• The tally marks a tenth straight year above 2,000 deaths, equal to roughly six a day, with 78% classified as unintentional.
• Since 2001, unintentional deaths rose 305% for ages 50–59, 179% for 60–69, and 153% for 40–49, even as deaths among younger people declined.
• Opioids remain the leading driver, with stimulants overtaking benzodiazepines as the second most common group and contributing about one-third of fatalities, while alcohol and antidepressants featured in 18.4% and 16.9% of unintentional deaths.
• Harm burden is uneven, with Indigenous Australians dying at more than 3.5 times the non-Indigenous rate and men, disadvantaged communities and regional areas disproportionately affected.
• The institute urges a shift toward prevention and treatment through a national body and strategy, while governments cite PBS-listed opioid-dependence medicines, pill testing, naloxone access and expanded pharmacotherapy.