1. Main points
There were 11.3 suicide deaths per 100,000 people in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2024 in England, equivalent to 1,441 registered deaths; in Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2024, there were 10.8 suicide deaths per 100,000 people, equivalent to 1,379 registered deaths, shown in provisional analysis.
Among males, there were 17.3 suicide deaths per 100,000 males in Quarter 1 2024 (1,069 registered deaths) and 16.5 suicide deaths per 100,000 in Quarter 2 2024 (1,019 registered deaths).
For females, there were 5.7 suicide deaths per 100,000 females in Quarter 1 2024 (372 registered deaths) and 5.5 suicide deaths per 100,000 in Quarter 2 2024 (360 registered deaths).
In Quarters 1 and 2 2024, London had the lowest suicide rate of any region of England (8.0 and 8.2 suicide deaths per 100,000, respectively), while the highest rate in Quarter 1 2024 was in Yorkshire and The Humber (15.1 suicide deaths per 100,000), and the highest rate in Quarter 2 2024 was in the North East (16.5 suicide deaths per 100,000).
Suicide rates are based on the year of death registration. Because of registration delays, 14.8% of deaths registered in 2024 had a date of death in the same year (416 of 2,820 deaths), 70.7% occurred in 2023 (1,994 of 2,820 deaths), and the remaining deaths occurred in 2022 or earlier (14.5%; 410 of 2,820 deaths).
If you are a journalist covering a suicide-related issue, please consider following the Samaritans' media guidelines on the reporting of suicide because of the potentially damaging consequences of irresponsible reporting. In particular, the guidelines advise on terminology and include links to sources of support for anyone affected by the themes in the article.
If you are struggling to cope, please call Samaritans for free on 116 123 (UK and the Republic of Ireland) or contact other sources of support, such as those listed on the NHS help for suicidal thoughts web page. Support is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, providing a safe place for you, whoever you are and however you are feeling.
Nôl i'r tabl cynnwys2. Data on quarterly suicides
Deaths caused by suicide by quarter in England
Dataset | Released 29 August 2024
Provisional rate and number of suicide deaths registered in England per quarter. Includes 2001 to 2023 registrations and provisional data for Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) to Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2024. These are official statistics in development.
3. Data sources and quality
Official statistics in development
These statistics are labelled as "official statistics in development". Until September 2023, these were called "experimental statistics". Read more about the change in the Guide to official statistics in development (opens in a new tab).
These statistics are based on information from mortality statistics, derived from information provided when deaths are certified and registered. We are developing how we collect and produce the data to improve the quality of these statistics.
Once the developments are complete, we will review the statistics with the Statistics Head of Profession. We will decide whether the statistics are of sufficient quality and value to be published as official statistics, or whether further development is needed. Production may be stopped if they are not of sufficient quality or value. Users will be informed of the outcome and any changes.
We value your feedback on these statistics. Contact us at health.data@ons.gov.uk.
Data source
Statistics on mortality come from the information provided when deaths are certified and registered. This release uses the accredited official statistics definition of suicide, which is consistently used by government departments, agencies, and the devolved administrations across the UK.
For deaths caused by suicide, around half of the deaths registered each year will have occurred in the previous year, or earlier, because of the length of time it takes to hold a coroner's inquest. For further information on registration delays and their impact, see our Suicide rates in the UK Quality and Methodology Information (QMI) report.
Quarterly rates
Calculation of mortality rates for quarterly deaths requires adjustments to be made to annual population estimates, to calculate rates that are comparable with annual rates. Further information is in our accompanying Deaths caused by suicide by quarter in England dataset.
More quality and methodology information
More quality and methodology information on strengths, limitations, appropriate uses, and how the data were created is available in our Mortality statistics in England and Wales Quality and Methodology Information, our Suicide rates in the UK Quality and Methodology Information and our User guide to mortality statistics.
Nôl i'r tabl cynnwys5. Cite this statistical bulletin
Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 29 August 2024, ONS website, statistical bulletin, Quarterly suicide death registrations in England: 2001 to 2023 registrations and Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) to Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2024 provisional data