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Notes on statistics and sources

As the methods for collecting information on suicide vary widely within the United Kingdom and also between the UK and the Republic of Ireland, international comparisons of suicide rates should be made with caution. Including "undetermined" deaths, which include coroners' open verdicts, goes some way towards reducing the margins of error created by the varying definitions and rules applied by different countries to arrive at suicide verdicts. However, the procedure is so different in the Republic of Ireland that it is more accurate not to include undetermined deaths in those figures.

For more detailed information, including in-depth studies, email stats@samaritans.org

Source for national suicide statistics: England and Wales, Office for National Statistics; Scotland, General Register Office for Scotland, Northern Ireland, NI Statistics Agency; Ireland, Central Statistics Office. Data includes deaths by injury undetermined whether accidental or purposeful for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, excluding ICD category E988.8 for England and Wales. Data for Republic of Ireland refer to recorded suicides only (ICD E950-9).

For more detailed information, including more in-depth studies, please refer to:

The Office for National Statistics in the UK
The Central Statistics Office in Ireland
The Oxford Centre for Suicide Research - academic research into self-harm and suicide.

The Sources for national suicide statistics only:

England and Wales - the Office for National Statistics
Scotland - General Register Office for Scotland
Northern Ireland - The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
Republic of Ireland - Central Statistics Office

All suicide data from the United Kingdom is from the Office for National Statistics, London. Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland.

All suicide data from the Republic of Ireland is from the Central Statistics Office, Dublin. Copyright material EireStat, the Databank of the CSO, Ireland.