West Yorkshire continues to have a higher suicide rate than the England average, according to the latest data release from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
The annual release on registered deaths from suicides in England and Wales has been published shows the three-year rolling aggregate rate for West Yorkshire has risen (from 12.6 per 100,00 people in 2018-2020 to 13.2 in 2019-2021) – compared to the England average, which has remained the same (10.4 per 100,000 people).
A breakdown of the figures showed that the three-year rolling rates have risen in all areas of West Yorkshire, except for Kirklees, compared to those released in September 2020.
In Leeds, suicide rates have risen from 13.3 to 13.9 per 100,000 people, in Wakefield from 16.2 to 17.3, in Calderdale from 15.6 to 16.9 and in Bradford from 9.2 to 9.8.
The suicide rate for Kirklees fell from 11.8 to 11.2 per 100,000 people.
The ONS data release also shows there were 281 deaths registered as suicide in West Yorkshire in 2021, up from 235 in 2020.
Nationally, around three-quarters (73.8%) of suicides were men, consistent with long-term trends, with age-specific rates highest in those aged 50-54 (22.5 deaths per 100,000).
It should be noted, however, that the statistics are based on the date of death registration rather than date of death occurrence and there have been delays in coroner processes particularly in 2020.
Source: Suicides in England and Wales: 2021 registrations - Office for National Statistics.