Male suicides in England and Wales were at their highest rate in two decades last year, official figures show.
The suicide rate for women was also the highest since 2004, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Men accounted for around three-quarters of suicide deaths registered in 2019 – 4,303 compared with 1,388 women.
The male suicide rate of 16.9 deaths per 100,000 people was the highest since 2000, but is in line with 2018’s figures.
For women, the rate was 5.3 deaths per 100,000 – the highest since 2004, but again consistent with the previous year.
In total, there were 5,691 suicides registered in England and Wales in 2019, with an age-standardised rate of 11 deaths per 100,000 population.
Across all age groups, men aged 45 to 49 had the highest suicide rate at 25.5 deaths per 100,000, while the highest rate among women was 50 to 54-year-olds at 7.4 deaths per 100,000.
The rate for 10 to 24-year-old females had also increased “significantly” since 2012 to its highest level, with 3.1 deaths per 100,000 females in 2019, the ONS said.
Provisional data has also been published on suicide deaths registered in England during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic between April and June this year.
There were 6.9 suicide deaths per 100,000 people in this period – equating to 845 registered deaths – but the ONS said the low number was likely due to inquests being delayed by the COVID-19 outbreak.
It said the provisional data should be interpreted “with caution”.
“All deaths caused by suicide in England are investigated by coroners,” it said.
“Given the length of time it takes to hold an inquest (around five months), we do not currently know the total number of suicides that occurred during the coronavirus pandemic.”
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