Alcohol-induced deaths are those where the underlying cause can be directly attributed to alcohol use, including acute conditions such as alcohol poisoning or chronic conditions such as alcoholic liver cirrhosis. On average, 69% of alcohol-induced deaths are certified by a doctor. These deaths are primarily caused by chronic alcohol-induced conditions. As a result, alcohol-induced deaths data is less likely to be impacted by ABS revisions than causes with a higher proportion of coroner referral such as drug-induced deaths and suicides. 

In 2023:

• There were 1,667 alcohol-induced deaths (1,182 males and 485 females).
• 90.2% of alcohol-induced deaths were caused by chronic alcohol-induced conditions.
• The alcohol-induced standardised death rate fell from 6.2 per 100,000 people in 2022 to 5.6 in 2023, the same level as in 2021. Between 2018 and 2022 the death rate increased steadily from 4.7 to 6.2.
• The alcohol-induced standardised death rate for males fell from 8.9 in 2022 to 8.1 in 2023, slightly above the level in 2020. Between 2018 and 2022 the death rate increased steadily from 7.1 to 8.9.
• The alcohol-induced standardised death rate for females fell from 3.6 in 2022 to 3.3 in 2023, but remains above the rates prior to 2022. Between 2018 and 2022 the death rate increased from 2.4 to 3.6.  

Drug-induced deaths are those which are directly attributable to drug use. They include deaths due to acute drug toxicity (e.g., overdose) and chronic drug use (e.g., drug-induced cardiac conditions).

On average, 97% of drug-induced deaths are certified by a coroner. Multiple complex factors must be considered when a death is certified as drug induced. These factors include:

• The timing between the death and toxicology testing which can influence the levels and types of drugs detected, making it difficult to determine the true level of a drug at the time of death.
• Individual tolerance levels may vary considerably depending on factors such as sex, body mass and previous drug exposure.
• Contextual factors such as preexisting natural disease and reports from informants (e.g., friends and families) regarding the circumstances of the death. 

For these reasons, it can take a significant amount of time to certify a death as drug-induced, making these deaths particularly sensitive to the revisions process. Data is presented below for 2023 only. This data is preliminary and a more complete count of deaths for drug-induced deaths is not yet available meaning that comparisons to previous years can be misleading. Time series for drug-induced deaths are included in the data downloads. Revised data for drug-induced deaths registered in 2021, 2022 and 2023 will be published in early 2025. 

In 2023:

• There were 1,635 drug-induced deaths (1,060 males and 575 females). This is expected to increase.
• The sex ratio for drug-induced deaths was 1.8 (male to female). 
• The median age at death for drug-induced deaths was 47.9 years (46.8 years for males and 50.7 years for females).
• The highest proportion of deaths for both males and females was for those aged 45-54 years.
• A higher proportion of drug-induced deaths for females are in the older age groups than for males.
• Age-standardised death rates for those who resided in greater capital cities was 5.9 deaths per 100,000 people, while the rate for people who resided outside greater capital cities was 6.2. 
• Opioids were the most common drug class identified in toxicology for drug-induced deaths.