ONS acts to improve understanding of suicide rates, after Full Fact investigation

Following our investigation into why suicide data can lead us astray, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has announced important changes to the way it publishes the data.

We’re hopeful that these changes will improve understanding of suicide rates, and better inform efforts to reduce them. And we’re grateful to the ONS for acknowledging our role in making this change happen.

How were suicide statistics being misunderstood?

Our investigation revealed several instances when the media and policy makers used the ONS rate at which suicides were being registered to describe the rate that suicides were happening, and probably misled people in the process.

For example, last year the Guardian reported that in 2023: “the rate at which people killed themselves in England and Wales reached the highest level in more than two decades”. And the Telegraph said: “There were 5.7 deaths by suicide per 100,000 females in England and Wales in 2023.”

But as we explained at the time, these were the rates at which suicides were being registered, and rising delays in the registration process could distort the picture.

What’s more, the standard of proof required for coroners to register a death as a suicide had been lowered in 2018, probably meaning that a higher share of deaths were being recorded as suicides.

The latest statistics released by the ONS on Friday show that, actually, the rate at which people killed themselves in England and Wales looks like it fell in 2023. As the chair of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group, Professor Louis Appleby, said on X: “The apparent peak in 2023 seems to have been the result of registrations carrying over from previous years. Not only that but figures since 2018 have been inflated by a broader definition of suicide at inquest.”

What is being done to improve understanding of suicide statistics?

After we discussed our concerns with the ONS, it developed improvements which it has now announced. The ONS has now:

• Included a clear note explaining the changes to the standard of proof, which it now says probably did contribute to the rise in the rates in recent years.
• Provided a bulletin containing both the 2024 registration data and 2023 occurrence data, along with prominent discussion of the limitations of each.
• Begun to develop a new ‘nowcasting’ statistical method that will allow it to provide a faster estimate of suicide occurrences. It plans to publish this with the new data next year.

Why does this matter?

We’re grateful to the ONS for responding to our concerns as suicide statistics need to be understood by everyone who uses them. This includes the government, which is currently striving to reduce suicide rates as part of its five-year strategy.

We hope that the changes being made by the ONS will improve understanding of this important matter amongst policy makers, the media and the wider public, so that informed action can be taken to reduce suicide rates in the future.

Contacting Samaritans
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 webpage. Support is available around the clock, every day of the year, providing a safe place for you, whoever you are and however you are feeling.