For the third year in succession Northern Ireland has had the highest suicide rate in the United Kingdom, according to the latest figures from the British Office for National Statistics.
The statistics for 2014 showed there were 16.5 suicides per 100,000 population in Northern Ireland.
This compared with Scotland which had the second-highest rate at 14.5 per 100,000, followed by 10.3 in England and 9.2 in Wales.
The number of suicides in the North decreased from 303 deaths in 2013 to 268 deaths in 2014. Northern Ireland has had the highest suicide rate in the UK since 2012.
Four in five victims male
Almost four out of five suicide victims in the North were male. There was a decrease from 229 male deaths in 2013 to 207 deaths in 2014.
Female suicides decreased from 74 deaths in 2013 to 61 deaths in 2014, representing an 18 per cent decrease.
The Office for National Statistics found that since 2006 there have been no obvious trends in suicide rates in Northern Ireland, with the rate fluctuating between 15.7 and 19.3 deaths per 100,000.
It referred to a “notable increase” between 2004 and 2006, when the rate increased from 9.8 deaths per 100,000 population in 2004 to 14.1 deaths per 100,000 in 2005 and again up to 18.5 deaths per 100,000 population in 2006. Since then the rate has consistently remained above 15 deaths per 100,000.
Between 1981 and 2005 Scotland had the highest suicide rate in the UK while during that period which included some 16 years of the Troubles Northern Ireland generally had the lowest rate. England showed a decreasing trend during this period, and Wales fluctuated year on year between 11 and 14.9 deaths per 100,000 population.
Large increase
In 2005, the suicide rate in Northern Ireland showed a large increase and had the highest rate in the UK. Since this time, the highest suicide rate has varied between Northern Ireland and Scotland, with England having the lowest rate until 2014, when the rate rose above that in Wales.
Overall, there were 6,122 suicides of people aged 10 and over registered in the UK in 2014, 120 fewer than in 2013 (a 2 per cent decrease).
The male suicide rate in the UK decreased in 2014 from 17.8 to 16.8 deaths per 100,000, while the female suicide rate increased from 4.8 to 5.2 deaths per 100,000.
The highest suicide rate in the UK in 2014 was among men aged 45 to 59, at 23.9 deaths per 100,000. This age group also had the highest rate among women at 7.3 deaths per 100,000.
