A new study has found 292 serving and former defence personnel took their own lives between 2001 and 2014, with the rate for ex-servicemen 13 per cent higher than for men across the Australian community,
However, the suicide rate for male full-time and reserve force personnel was half the rate of the broader community.
Veterans Affairs Minister Dan Tehan said this was the first accurate and robust data produced on the incidence of suicide among the serving, reserve and ex-service populations.
The study was commissioned by the government and conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to assess the true extent of suicide among serving and former defence personnel.
Defence has good data on suicide by serving personnel.
But there's little reliable data on suicide by former defence personnel, though anecdotal reports suggest the rate is high.
One media report earlier this year said 41 serving personnel had taken their own lives so far in 2016, the same number as died in a decade in Afghanistan.
Mr Tehan said this study only included deaths officially recorded as suicide, which were then compared with defence personnel records.
Ex-service personnel were defined as anyone with one day or more of service.
"One suicide is one too many and the government is committed to addressing suicide in our community," he told parliament.
The AIHW found there were 84 suicides by full-time personnel, 60 by reservists and 142 among ex-service personnel. Of the 292 suicides, 20 were female.
Most - 58 per cent - were of people aged 18-34, with 42 per cent - 122 deaths - of those aged over 35.
AIHW said compared with all Australian men, the suicide rate was 53 per cent lower among men serving full-time and 46 per cent lower among men in the reserve population.
"The rate of suicide was 13 per cent higher among ex-serving men compared with all Australian men, after adjusting for age," it said.
Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James said the study was a great start as this was a serious problem which needed to be tackled.
"We still have the big problem that people who leave the ADF healthy and get sick later on and don't get taken on by DVA (Department of Veterans Affairs) still fall through the cracks and it's pretty hard to stop that happening," he told AAP.
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
