New data released this week by the Office for National Statistics has compared the risk of dying by suicide across sociodemographic groups in adults in England and Wales.
The Office for National Statistics’ data covers a wide range of potential sociodemographic factors likely to be associated with the risk of suicide – such as sex, age, ethnicity, partnership status, disability status, religious affiliation, region and armed forces membership.
Main findings included:
- Rates of suicide were higher in men compared with women across all ages – with highest rates in men aged 40-50, in England and Wales rom 2011-2021 (see figure 1 below).
- For men aged 40-50 years, the highest rates were in disabled people, those who have never worked or are in long-term unemployment, or are single (never been married or in a civil partnership).
- For ethnicity, rates of suicide were highest in the White and Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups for both men and women.
- People who reported belonging to any religious group generally had lower rates of suicide, compared with those who reported no religion; however rates were higher in Buddhists and ‘Other’ religious groups.
- Disabled people had higher rates of dying by suicide than non-disabled people.
To view the data and findings in detail visit Sociodemographic inequalities in suicides in England and Wales: 2011 to 2021