Figures published on 3 November 2026 show that Scotland registered 703 probable suicide deaths in 2025, one fewer than the 704 recorded in 2024. The number is the lowest since 2017, although the change in the latest year was small.
After adjusting for differences in age, the rate was 14.2 deaths per 100,000 people aged 10 and over. That was the same as in 2024. An age-adjusted rate helps comparisons by taking account of changes in the age structure of the population.
Of the deaths recorded in 2025, 522 were among males and 181 among females. The age-adjusted rate for males was 3.1 times the rate for females. The male rate has been consistently higher throughout the age-standardised series, which began in 1994.
The highest age-specific rate was among people aged 45 to 64, at 19.9 deaths per 100,000 in that age group. For those aged 25 to 44, the rate was 16.8 per 100,000. These are rates within each age group, rather than shares of all deaths.
The figures also show a persistent difference between areas. In 2025, the age-adjusted rate in the most deprived areas was 2.7 times the rate in the least deprived areas. The equivalent ratio was 2.5 in 2024. The change in the ratio alone does not establish that the year-to-year difference is statistically significant.
Over a longer period, the rate in the most deprived areas was more than 40 per cent lower in 2025 than in 2001. The difference between the most and least deprived areas has narrowed over that period, although the latest figures still show a substantial gap.
Deprivation is measured across areas, using factors that include income, employment, education, health, access to services, crime and housing. An area’s classification does not mean that everyone living there has the same circumstances. The figures identify a pattern across communities; they do not establish why any individual died.
Local comparisons use an average over five years, from 2021 to 2025, to reduce the effect of annual fluctuations. On that measure, rates were statistically significantly higher than the Scottish average in Na h-Eileanan Siar, North Ayrshire, Dundee City and Highland.
Rates were statistically significantly lower than the Scottish average in East Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire and Edinburgh. Estimates for smaller populations can have wider uncertainty, and the five-year average gives equal weight to deaths in each of the five years rather than showing only the most recent change.
The term “probable suicide” reflects the way deaths are classified for these statistics. The figures include deaths recorded as intentional self-harm among people aged 10 and over, as well as certain deaths of undetermined intent among people aged 15 and over. They are counts based on registrations, which do not always happen in the year a death occurs.
The age thresholds have been applied across the historical series, and the population used to calculate rates has changed to people aged 10 and over. Figures in older releases should not simply be compared with the new rates without checking the methods used.
For wider UK context, the age-adjusted rate for registered suicide deaths in 2025 was 11.1 per 100,000 in England and 14.3 in Wales. The Scottish and England and Wales figures are broadly comparable, rather than identical in method. Registration delays can also affect comparisons: a death may be registered in a different year from the one in which it occurred.
Scotland’s suicide prevention action plan for 2026 to 2029 forms part of a ten-year strategy. Drawn up by national and local government, it includes work to reduce inequalities, tackle stigma and improve access to support. The plan is backed by at least £3 million in 2026–27.
A mental health charity has called for national suicide prevention funding to rise to at least £6 million a year, with local funding protected for prevention work. That is a request for a future funding decision, not an announcement that the money has been allocated.
Suicide is preventable, and support is available. In Scotland, anyone needing urgent mental health support can call NHS 24 on 111. Anyone in immediate danger should call 999. Samaritans can be contacted free on 116 123, day or night.
