Male suicide rate in UK highest for two decades, new data shows

New figures show the suicide rate for men in England and Wales in 2019 was the highest for two decades Picture: Jane Barlow/PA

The suicide rate for men in England and Wales in 2019 was the highest for two decades, official figures show.

New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), published on Tuesday, found there were 5,691 suicides registered in England and Wales in 2019, with an age-standardised rate of 11 deaths per 100,000 population.

The ONS said men accounted for around three-quarters of suicide deaths registered in 2019 – 4,303 compared with 1,388 women.

The England and Wales male suicide rate of 16.9 deaths per 100,000 was the highest since 2000 but remained in the line with the 2018 rate, it added.

The rate for women was 5.3 deaths per 100,000, the highest since 2004.

Men aged 45 to 49 had the highest age-specific suicide rate at 25.5 deaths per 100,000 males, while the highest rate among women was for 50 to 54-year-olds, at 7.4 deaths per 100,000.

The ONS said the rate for 10- to 24-year-old females had also increased “significantly” from 1.6 deaths per 100,000 (81 deaths) in 2012 to its highest level at 3.1 deaths per 100,000 females (159 deaths) in that age group in 2019.

Among men in England, the area with the highest rate in 2019 was Yorkshire and the Humber at 20.6 per 100,000, followed by the South West at 19.4. London recorded the lowest rate with 11.8.

The area with the highest female suicide rate in England was also Yorkshire and the Humber at 7.3 per 100,000, while the North East had the lowest rate among women at 4.1.

The male suicide rate in the South East increased “significantly” from 13.5 per 100,000 (526 deaths) in 2018 to 16.8 per 100,000 (657 deaths) in 2019, the ONS said.

The ONS said that higher rates of suicide among middle-aged men might be because of economic hardship, isolation and alcoholism, and men in this category may be less likely to seek help.

It added: “Generally, higher rates of suicide among middle-aged men in recent years might be because this group is more likely to be affected by economic adversity, alcoholism and isolation.

“It could also be that this group is less inclined to seek help.”

Provisional data, also published by the ONS, showed that there were 6.9 suicide deaths per 100,000 people in England between April and June this year – during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.

This was the equivalent of 845 registered deaths, the ONS added.

But the ONS said the low number of suicide deaths registered during this period was probably due to inquests being delayed because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

It added: “The lower number of deaths registered caused by suicide in quarter two of 2020 should be interpreted with caution; this likely reflects delays to inquests because of the impact of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic on the coroner’s service.

“All deaths caused by suicide in England are investigated by coroners.

“Given the length of time it takes to hold an inquest (around five months), we do not currently know the total number of suicides that occurred during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.”