Suicide rates among middle-aged men are higher than ever, new figures have revealed.
Men in their early 50s were more likely to die by suicide than anyone else last year, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
There were also increases in suicides among pensioners, with the biggest rise among those aged 75 and older, while the rates among men under 45 fell slightly.
Mark Winstanley, the chief executive of Rethink Mental Illness, said the rate of deaths by suicide remained “stubbornly high”.
He said: “Every suicide is a devastating tragedy, and these figures are a stark reminder that many people are reaching crisis point without getting the help they need.”
The reasons behind suicide were “complex”, he said, but added that many people were “facing significant pressures in their lives, including financial issues, job insecurity, rising housing costs, loneliness and poor mental health”.
Mr Winstanley added: “While these factors affect everyone differently, they can contribute to distress and overwhelm, and leave people at risk of suicide.”
The data, which cover England and Wales, showed that 6,162 suicide deaths had been registered in 2025. This was down from 6,190 last year, but the overall rate remained broadly the same at 11.3 deaths per 100,000 people.
The stats watchdog uses deaths per 100,000 people to calculate changing rates while accounting for changes in the size of the population.
Almost a third of the deaths were among men aged 45 to 64, which was up by 49 compared with 2024. The rate increased to 23.8 per 100,000, up from 23.2 the year before and the highest on record since data collection began in 1981.
For men aged 50 to 54 specifically, the rate increased to 28, suggesting this group was at the highest risk.
Men continued to be more than three times as likely to take their own lives as women overall. Among middle-aged women, there were 553 deaths – a rate of seven per 100,000, which was the same as 2024.
Sonya Trivedy, the executive director of external engagement at Samaritans, said the figures “show that suicide rates are among the highest recorded rates this century”.
She said: “The evidence is clear that successive governments have failed to deliver on their promise to reduce suicide rates and make suicide prevention a priority. Today must act as a wake up call. The current approach is not working; we need meaningful action and proper funding if lives are to be saved.”
The data show a growing gap in suicide rates between middle-aged men and those aged 25 to 44.
There were 19.5 deaths per 100,000 men aged 25 to 44 last year, which is the widest gap since 2009, when middle-aged male suicide rates overtook those of younger adults. The rate increased from 14 to 14.4 per 100,000 for those aged 65 to 74 and from 13.2 to 15.4 among those aged 75 or older.
Marjorie Wallace, the chief executive of mental health charity Sane, said she was “not surprised” by the data. She said: “Analysis of the contact we receive reflects this – almost 60 per cent of our callers now talk about suicide or self-harm, a very different picture than 10 years ago.
“While middle-aged men in their forties and fifties still remain at greatest risk, our other concern is the number of young people, particularly girls and women aged 16 to 24, who report anxiety and depression on a scale not experienced before.”