Suicide rates in Cumberland the highest in the North West
An update on suicide prevention in the area is due on 30th April
Suicide rates in the Cumberland Council area are the highest in the north-west new figures have shown.
Members of the council’s health overview and scrutiny committee are due to get an update on suicide prevention in the authority’s area at The Copeland Centre in Whitehaven on Thursday (April 30).
According to the latest data, from the Office for National Statistics, last October the England rate for 2022 to 2024 was 11.4 per 100,000 population – this compares with 13.7 per 100,000 population in the north-west making it the joint second highest region.
The report states for males the England rate was 17 per 100,000 population and for females it was 5.6 per 100,000 population.
According to the report the overall rate for males in the north-west was 21.1 per 100,000 population and for females it was 6.7 per 100,000 population.
It states that the overall rate for Yorkshire and the Humber was 13.7 per 100,000 population and in the north-east it was 15.1 per 100,000 population.
It adds: “The Cumberland rate, for all persons, is 19.4, the highest in the north-west, third highest in the northeast (Redcar and Cleveland, and Middlesborough are both 20.2) and third highest in England.
“Compared to last year, the first data release showing Cumberland as a
unitary authority for the 2021 to 2023 period, Cumberland remains the highest in the north-west and was the fourth highest in England.”
According to the report for men the Cumberland Council area rate is 28.2 per 100,000, a slight increase from the previous rate but significantly higher than the England average of 16.8, which also increased from the previous year, making Cumberland the seventh highest out of 153 upper tier local authorities in England.
It adds: “For women the Cumberland rate is 11.2 per 100,000, again significantly higher than the England average of 5.5 and Cumberland has the highest rate out of 153 upper tier local authorities in England.
“Compared to the previous period (2021-23) there was no change in the number or rate of female suicides; in England, the rate slightly increased from 5.4.”
According to the report in Cumbria data from the near real time alert system shows that 453 people died by suspected suicide between January 2020 and December 2025 and 56 per cent of those deaths were in the Cumberland Council area.
It adds: “Every one of those deaths is a tragedy. They are also a shocking reminder of the need to continue to improve suicide prevention action not only for those who have lost a loved one to suicide, for those who live with suicidal thoughts and those that support them.”