Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of the disparity between male and female suicide rates with other OECD countries.

Every suicide is a tragedy that has a devastating and enduring impact on families, friends, and communities. In England, data published by the Office for National Statistics shows that men were three times more likely to commit suicide than women in 2024.

As shown in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) report Society at a Glance 2024, all OECD countries show a higher rate of deaths by suicide in men than women. We have not made direct comparisons between countries because international comparisons should be interpreted with caution due to international differences in death certification, reporting systems, data systems, and under-reporting due to stigma. The OECD report is available at the following link:

https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/society-at-a-glance-2024_918d8db3-en/full-report/suicides_357d50c7.html

That is why we are committed to delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. The strategy highlights a set of priority groups for tailored and targeted support, including middle-aged men, and identifies key risk factors with strong links to suicide, such as financial difficulty, substance misuse, social isolation, harmful gambling, domestic abuse, and physical illness that can affect men and women differently. Through the Men’s Health Strategy, we will deliver a Suicide Prevention Pathfinders Programme for middle-aged men, a neighbourhood-based programme focused on improving outcomes, investing up to £3.6 million over three years for middle-aged men in areas where they are at greatest risk of taking their own lives.