The rate of alcohol-related deaths among men in the ACT last year was more than double the national average, new figures show.
Figures released on Wednesday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed 21 territory men died of alcoholic liver disease in 2017, at a rate of 10.8 per 100,000 people.
By comparison, the national rate of alcohol-induced deaths was 5.1 per 100,000 people, down from 6.6 in the late 1990s.
"There were 1,366 alcohol-induced deaths [nationwide] in 2017, with those deaths most commonly occurring in males aged in their early 60s and caused by alcoholic liver disease," ABS health and disability branch project manager Justine Boland said.
A total of 21 men died of alcoholic liver disease in the ACT last year, according to new figures.
Coronary heart disease was the most common cause of death in the ACT, accounting for 199 of the 1957 deaths in 2017.
There were 165 dementia-related deaths, including those resulting from Alzheimer's disease, while 123 people died after suffering a stroke.
A total of 38 territorians died from accidental falls in 2017, one more than the number killed by diabetes.
The ABS's Cause of Death study, which is published annually, also reported a significant increase in the number of death by suicides in the ACT in 2017.
The statistics revealed there was 51 deaths caused by intentional self harm, 19 more than in 2016.
A total of 14 females committed suicide, up from 8 in 2016 and the highest number recorded in the past decade.
There was a total of 160,909 deaths in Australia last year.
Ms Boland said heart disease continued to be the nation's leading cause of death, despite a recent drop in the rate and number of people killed by the condition.
"In 2017, rates of lung cancer decreased and it has moved to be the fifth leading cause of death," Ms Boland said.
"However, there was an increase in deaths due to chronic lower respiratory diseases including emphysema, which is now the fourth-leading cause of death.
"[This] highlights that smoking related illness is still a serious public health issue in Australia."
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