Option 1
Continue to publish the annual suicides statistics with all the commentary related to suicides registration data and occurrence data only appearing in a separate dataset, but with clearer commentary on the impact registration delays have on the annual figures. More signposting to the near to real-time suspected suicide surveillance (nRTSSS) data for England and Wales could also be provided.
Option 2
Continue to focus the annual suicides statistics on registration data but also include commentary on the most recent occurrence data received. This would provide a more complete picture of trends in suicides, but switching between registrations and occurrences could be confusing for users. We will consider the best way to present the registration and occurrence data to reduce confusion.
Option 3
Instead of the current approach of providing the registration data only in our annual bulletin, the bulletin would be based on the occurrence data only. This would be more intuitive for users as it would give them annual figures for suicides that occur in a given year. However, due to the registration delays, there would be a longer time lag of approximately 18 months to two years to publish this data. For example, the release in August 2025 would provide suicide occurrence data for 2023, instead of registration data for 2024. In addition, the annual occurrence figures would never be complete and would have to be repeatedly revised as new registrations for suicides are received, making year-on-year comparisons more difficult.
With this option, we will also consider whether it is possible to adjust occurrence figures for suicides that have not yet been registered at a given point in time. This would enable more timely suicide occurrence figures to be produced.
Longer-term, we are exploring alternative data sources which will provide more up-to-date occurrence data, but in the interim, we would appreciate your views on how we are presenting suicide registrations and occurrences in our annual bulletin.
Further information
The below table provides a summary of differences between registration data and occurrence data.
| Registration data |
Occurrence data |
| Difficult interpretation: Users often interpret the data as occurrences. |
Easy interpretation: Occurrence data is more intuitive for users. |
| More timely release: Released annually approximately eight months after all annual registrations are processed. |
Less timely release: Could be released annually, approximately 18 to 24 months after annual occurrence data is processed. |
| Complete data: Data for previous years does not require revision. |
Incomplete data: Occurrence data would require annual revision as registrations are processed. |
| Comparable to suicide statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS)* and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). |
More comparable to suicide statistics published by Republic of Ireland who report occurrences for deaths of ‘suicide and intentional self-harm’ only, not for ‘events of undetermined intent’. |
* In Scotland the Procurator Fiscal registers deaths as probable suicides within eight days and National Records of Scotland report probable suicide statistics.
