CANBERRA, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Veterans of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) are significantly more likely to die by suicide than the general population, a report has found.

Government agency the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on Tuesday published its sixth annual report on deaths by suicide among current, reserve and former members of the ADF, revealing that 1,677 people who served in the armed forces took their own lives between 1997 and 2021.

The report found that men and women who were active members of the ADF were less likely to commit suicide than the general population but that ex-ADF personnel were significantly more likely to do so.

According to the report, the suicide rate among female veterans between 1997 and 2021 was 107 percent higher than that of the entire female population of Australia.