Male suicide rates are at the lowest levels since records began in 1981

Male suicides in the UK are at the lowest levels since records began 37 years ago.

The number of men killing themselves has dropped to its lowest ever level, with 4,382 deaths recorded last year.

But men are still three times more likely to end their own lives than women – in 2017, 75 per cent of all suicides were among men.

The people most likely to commit suicide are men aged between 45 and 49 years old, who have a rate of 24.8 deaths per 100,000 people.

Samaritans, a charity providing support for people at risk of suicide, says increasing awareness of men’s mental health issues is driving suicides down.

The charity said it was ‘encouraging’ that rates were coming down but ‘one death by suicide is still one too many’.

A total of 5,821 people committed suicide in the UK last year – Birmingham had the highest rate, with 74 deaths, while the Isles of Scilly had the lowest and was the only local authority without a single suicide in 2017

Figures released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the total number of registered suicides in the UK dropped by 144 in a year.

While 5,965 people killed themselves in 2016, there were only 5,821 deaths last year – 4,382 of those were men.

This works out at 15.5 suicides per 100,000 men, a rate triple the 4.9 per 100,000 women.

Scotland has the highest number of suicides in the UK, with 13.9 deaths per 100,000, and England the lowest at 9.2.

Most suicides in England occurred in Birmingham 

WHICH REGIONS HAD THE HIGHEST SUICIDE RATES IN 2017? 

  1. North East (720)
  2. North West (634)
  3. Yorkshire and the Humber (568)
  4. East Midlands (510)
  5. West Midlands (500) 
  6. East of England (468)
  7. London (462) 
  8. South East (360)
  9. South West (341)
  10. Wales (248)

Source: Office for National Statistics 

Within England and Wales, Birmingham had the highest level – with 74 deaths – followed by Leeds with 71 and Cornwall with 64.

There were the fewest suicides in the Isles of Scilly, which had none, and the City of London and Boston, which had one each. 

Samaritans said efforts to reduce stigma around men’s mental health may be contributing to falling rates. 

‘It’s encouraging to see the reduction in male suicide’ 

Ruth Sutherland, Samaritans chief executive, said: ‘It’s encouraging to see the reduction in male suicide.

‘We believe that the focus of suicide prevention in recent years to tackle the higher rates in men has contributed to this.

‘Added to this, reducing stigma around men’s mental health and encouraging men to open up and ask for help when they are struggling has been beneficial.

‘But one death by suicide is still one too many.

‘Suicide is complex and it’s a problem of inequality. It affects the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in society, male and female, disproportionately.

‘So, this is an urgent public health issue, not simply a health or mental health one.’

‘Suicide really is quite a big problem’

Giving the issue a higher profile in recent years have been Princes Harry and William, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge who have spearheaded a campaign to encourage people to discuss their mental health.

When opening a centre for helping suicidal men in Liverpool in June, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge said: ‘Suicide really is a quite a big problem, and we don’t talk about it.’

ONS figures cover all deaths recorded from deliberate self-harm among people aged over 10, or deaths in which the ‘intent was undetermined’ for people aged 15 or over.

Anyone can phone Samaritans for free at any time on 116 123 or go to the charity’s website. 

COUNTIES AND DISTRICTS IN ENGLAND AND WALES, RANKED BY THE NUMBER OF SUICIDES RECORDED IN 2017 
COUNTY/DISTRICT NUMBER OF SUICIDES IN 2017
Birmingham 74
Leeds 71
Cornwall 64
County Durham 56
Liverpool 50
Bradford 42
Brighton and Hove 42
Bristol, City of 38
Sheffield 36
Coventry 36
Swansea / Abertawe 36
Rotherham 35
Wiltshire 35
Cardiff / Caerdydd 35
Rhondda Cynon Taf / Rhondda Cynon Taf 34
Doncaster 33
Sunderland 32
Bolton 31
Salford 31
Kingston upon Hull, City of 31
Kirklees 31
Northumberland 30
Manchester 30
Wigan 30
Dudley 30
Colchester 30
Bournemouth 30
St. Helens 29
Nottingham 29
Cheshire East 28
Sefton 27
Waltham Forest 27
Shropshire 26
Sandwell 26
Solihull 26
Chelmsford 26
Barnet 26
South Gloucestershire 26
East Riding of Yorkshire 25
Wolverhampton 25
Haringey 25
Croydon 25
Portsmouth 25
Wirral 24
Newham 24
Southampton 24
Plymouth 24
Gwynedd / Gwynedd 24
Carmarthenshire / Sir Gaerfyrddin 24
North Tyneside 23
Wandsworth 23
Cheshire West and Chester 22
Hackney 22
Islington 22
Lambeth 22
Milton Keynes 22
Newcastle upon Tyne 21
Wakefield 21
Northampton 21
Stafford 21
Walsall 21
Torbay 21
Bridgend / Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr 21
Knowsley 20
York 20
Bassetlaw 20
Telford and Wrekin 20
Tendring 20
Camden 20
Tower Hamlets 20
Canterbury 20
North Somerset 20
Stockport 19
Tameside 19
Stoke-on-Trent 19
Southwark 19
Bromley 19
Enfield 19
Medway 19
Powys / Powys 19
Caerphilly / Caerffili 19
Middlesbrough 18
Oldham 18
Rochdale 18
Harrogate 18
Barnsley 18
Leicester 18
Merton 18
Redbridge 18
Cherwell 18
Pembrokeshire / Sir Benfro 18
Neath Port Talbot / Castell-nedd Port Talbot 18
Lancaster 17
Peterborough 17
Southend-on-Sea 17
Norwich 17
Lewisham 17
Bexley 17
Wealden 17
Blackpool 16
Warrington 16
Herefordshire, County of 16
Nuneaton and Bedworth 16
Brent 16
Rother 16
Flintshire / Sir y Fflint 16
Trafford 15
North East Lincolnshire 15
Westminster 15
Sutton 15
Swale 15
Sedgemoor 15
South Somerset 15
Vale of Glamorgan / Bro Morgannwg 15
West Lancashire 14
North Lincolnshire 14
Calderdale 14
East Lindsey 14
Wychavon 14
Braintree 14
Hammersmith and Fulham 14
Kensington and Chelsea 14
Havering 14
Hounslow 14
Dover 14
Poole 14
Swindon 14
Teignbridge 14
Darlington 13
Gateshead 13
Carlisle 13
Bury 13
South Holland 13
Stratford-on-Avon 13
Basildon 13
Ipswich 13
Greenwich 13
West Berkshire 13
West Oxfordshire 13
Bath and North East Somerset 13
Exeter 13
Redcar and Cleveland 12
South Tyneside 12
Blackburn with Darwen 12
Halton 12
Chorley 12
Pendle 12
South Staffordshire 12
Central Bedfordshire 12
Ealing 12
Harrow 12
Kingston upon Thames 12
Bracknell Forest 12
Isle of Wight 12
Hastings 12
New Forest 12
Shepway 12
Oxford 12
Horsham 12
North Devon 12
West Dorset 12
Stroud 12
Newport / Casnewydd 12
Harborough 11
South Kesteven 11
Bedford 11
Cambridge 11
Harlow 11
East Hertfordshire 11
North Hertfordshire 11
Breckland 11
Broadland 11
Babergh 11
Suffolk Coastal 11
Waveney 11
Barking and Dagenham 11
Hillingdon 11
Richmond upon Thames 11
Aylesbury Vale 11
Eastbourne 11
Lewes 11
Gosport 11
South Oxfordshire 11
East Devon 11
Cheltenham 11
Conwy / Conwy 11
Wrexham / Wrecsam 11
Stockton-on-Tees 10
Preston 10
Derby 10
North East Derbyshire 10
Mansfield 10
Warwick 10
Redditch 10
Wyre Forest 10
Luton 10
Hertsmere 10
Wokingham 10
South Bucks 10
Wycombe 10
Test Valley 10
Gravesham 10
Thanet 10
Arun 10
Crawley 10
Worthing 10
Barrow-in-Furness 9
Burnley 9
Hambleton 9
Scarborough 9
North Kesteven 9
Ashfield 9
Newark and Sherwood 9
East Staffordshire 9
Worcester 9
Dacorum 9
Welwyn Hatfield 9
North Norfolk 9
Windsor and Maidenhead 9
East Hampshire 9
Fareham 9
Havant 9
Rushmoor 9
Maidstone 9
Vale of White Horse 9
Epsom and Ewell 9
Guildford 9
North Dorset 9
Taunton Deane 9
Isle of Anglesey / Ynys Mn 9
Hartlepool 8
Ryedale 8
West Lindsey 8
South Northamptonshire 8
Wellingborough 8
Broxtowe 8
Gedling 8
Rushcliffe 8
Lichfield 8
Rugby 8
Bromsgrove 8
Thurrock 8
Fenland 8
South Cambridgeshire 8
Mid Suffolk 8
Basingstoke and Deane 8
Eastleigh 8
Winchester 8
Ashford 8
Dartford 8
Tonbridge and Malling 8
Tunbridge Wells 8
Waverley 8
Woking 8
Chichester 8
Forest of Dean 8
Allerdale 7
Copeland 7
Fylde 7
Hyndburn 7
South Ribble 7
Wyre 7
Erewash 7
Blaby 7
Lincoln 7
Daventry 7
East Northamptonshire 7
Newcastle-under-Lyme 7
Tamworth 7
Huntingdonshire 7
Brentwood 7
Maldon 7
Uttlesford 7
King?s Lynn and West Norfolk 7
South Norfolk 7
Elmbridge 7
Reigate and Banstead 7
Surrey Heath 7
Mid Sussex 7
South Hams 7
Torridge 7
Weymouth and Portland 7
Gloucester 7
Mendip 7
Merthyr Tydfil / Merthyr Tudful 7
Torfaen / Tor-faen 7
Monmouthshire / Sir Fynwy 7
Bolsover 6
Chesterfield 6
Derbyshire Dales 6
Kettering 6
St Albans 6
Three Rivers 6
Watford 6
Great Yarmouth 6
Slough 6
Sevenoaks 6
Mole Valley 6
Runnymede 6
Christchurch 6
Tewkesbury 6
Denbighshire / Sir Ddinbych 6
Ceredigion / Ceredigion 6
South Lakeland 5
Amber Valley 5
South Derbyshire 5
Charnwood 5
North West Leicestershire 5
Cannock Chase 5
Staffordshire Moorlands 5
North Warwickshire 5
East Cambridgeshire 5
Castle Point 5
Epping Forest 5
Broxbourne 5
Reading 5
Hart 5
West Devon 5
East Dorset 5
Cotswold 5
Blaenau Gwent / Blaenau Gwent 5
Ribble Valley 4
Rossendale 4
Craven 4
Richmondshire 4
Selby 4
Rutland 4
High Peak 4
Corby 4
Malvern Hills 4
Rochford 4
St Edmundsbury 4
Tandridge 4
Mid Devon 4
Eden 3
Hinckley and Bosworth 3
Stevenage 3
Forest Heath 3
Melton 2
Oadby and Wigston 2
Chiltern 2
Spelthorne 2
Adur 2
Purbeck 2
West Somerset 2
Boston 1
City of London 1
Isles of Scilly 0

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