New data released today for registered suicide deaths across England shows 2022 saw a slight decrease in some areas of West Yorkshire.
The Office for National Statistics’ annual release of suicide registrations – from coroners’ courts – were published today for 2022.
The rolling aggregate three-year rates – the preferred indicator for giving trends – show the overall rate for West Yorkshire reduced slightly from 13.0 per 100,000 people in 2019-2021 to 12.5 in 2020-2022.
This remains higher than England’s average rolling three-year rate, which for 2020-2022 was 10.3, slightly down from the 10.4 for 2019-2021.
Calderdale, Leeds and Wakefield also all saw slight rate decreases, with Bradford and Kirklees seeing slight increases.
| 2022-2022 | 2019-2021 | |
| England | 10.3 | 10.4 |
| West Yorkshire | 12.5 | 13.0 |
| Bradford | 10.4 | 9.7 |
| Calderdale | 16.7 | 17.3 |
| Kirklees | 11.9 | 11.4 |
| Leeds | 11.9 | 13.3 |
| Wakefield | 15.8 | 17.2 |
The overall count for West Yorkshire was 250 deaths registered as suicides in 2022, a slight fall from the 281 in 2021.
Nationally, around three-quarters of suicides registered in 2022 were males – a trend seen since the mid-1990s.
Highest age-specific rates were:
- Males – 90 years and over (32.1 per 100,000) and 45-49 (23.0 per 100,000)
- Females – 50-54 (7.8 per 100,000)
Yorkshire and the Humber’s 2022 rate was 12.3 per 100,000 – the fourth highest regional suicide rate.
In its accompanying notes on the England and Wales figures, the ONS said: "Suicide rates decreased in 2020 and increased in 2021, likely because of both decreases in male suicides at the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and delays in death registrations because of the pandemic."
View the latest data on the ONS website - for England and Wales and for local authorities.