Suicides

Suicides
Small decrease in 2009


Suicide rates by sex, United Kingdom, 1991-2009


Between 1991 and 2009 the number of suicides in people aged 15 years and over in the UK gradually decreased. Despite a sharp increase of 538 from 1997 to 1998, figures continued to fall until 2007. Suicides increased in 2008 to 5,706 but fell by 31 in 2009 to 5,675.

There are more suicides among men than women. Male suicide rates peaked at 21.1 per 100,000 in 1992 and 1998 and then continually declined to 16.8 per 100,000 in 2007. The rate increased in 2008 to 17.7 per 100,000 and remained similar in 2009 at 17.5 per 100,000.

Suicide rates for women have been consistently much lower than rates for men and have shown a steady downward trend. The rate was highest in 1991 and 1992 at 6.7 per 100,000 and was lowest in 2007 at 5.0 per 100,000. In 2008 the rate increased to 5.4 per 100,000 and was similar in 2009 at 5.2 per 100,000.




Suicide rates by sex and age-group, United Kingdom, 1991-2009

In the early 1990s the highest suicide rates in the UK were among men aged 75 years and over. Rates for this age group have since decreased, falling from 25.1 per 100,000 in 1991 to 13.6 per 100,000 in 2009, now the lowest rate across the three male age bands. Since 1997 the highest rates have been in men aged 15–44, peaking in 1998 at 24.0 per 100,000 and then steadily decreasing to 17.6 per 100,000 in 2007. The rate for this age group increased to 18.6 per 100,000 in 2008 but decreased to 18.0 per 100,000 in 2009. Suicide rates among men aged 45–74 have fluctuated less throughout the period. In 2009 the rate for this group was 17.4 per 100,000.

Women aged 75 years and over show a similar trend to men in the same age group. The highest rate for this group over the period was 9.4 per 100,000 in 1993. The rate in 2009 halved to 4.7 per 100,000. Since 2005 the highest suicide rates among women have been in those aged 45–74. In 2009 the rate for this group was 5.8 per 100,000. Suicide rates in women aged 15–44 were consistently the lowest across the 1991-2007 period. In 2008 and 2009 the rate for this group was 4.9 per 100,000.




Source: Office for National Statistics, General Register Office for Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

Notes:

Suicide has been defined as deaths given an underlying cause of intentional self-harm or injury/poisoning of undetermined intent. In England and Wales, it has been customary to assume that most injuries and poisonings of undetermined intent are cases where the harm was self-inflicted but there was insufficient evidence to prove that the deceased deliberately intended to kill themselves. For comparability, this definition has been used across all countries of the UK.

Figures are for adults aged 15 years and over.

Figures are based on deaths registered in each calendar year.

Rates are directly age-standardised using the European Standard Population.

Rates for 2002 to 2008 have been revised due to revisions in the mid-year population estimates (published by ONS on 13 May 2010).




Published on 27 January 2011 at 9:30 am