The number of probable suicides has fallen by 11% compared to 2023 according to new figures from National Records of Scotland.
There were 704 deaths in 2024, 86 fewer than the previous year. This is the lowest number since 2017.
There was a fall in the number of probable suicide deaths for both males and females.
Head of vital events statistics for NRS, Phillipa Haxton, said:
“The majority of probable suicides are among males. The rate of probable suicide mortality was 2.9 times higher for males than females in 2024. It’s been consistently higher for males since this data series began in 1974.”
The rate of probable suicides was 2.5 times higher in the most deprived communities than the least deprived areas in 2024. The gap between rates of probable suicide mortality between the most and least deprived areas has decreased since the start of the millennium, driven by decreasing rates in the most deprived areas.
Of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, 10 have seen an increase in probable suicide deaths since last year, and 21 have seen the number of deaths fall or stay the same.
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