There was a 28% reduction in the suicide rate in Ireland between the years 2000 and 2021, when it fell from 12.9 per 100,000 in 2000 to 9.2 per 100,000 in 2021.
This has resulted in Ireland having the 11th lowest suicide rate in the EU for all deaths, according to Eurostat data.
Preliminary figures record 302 deaths by suicide in 2023, the lowest preliminary figure in over 20 years, according to Minister for Mental Health, Mary Butler.
While there is a significant time lag in reporting on deaths by suicide, and this number will revise upwards as Coroner investigations conclude, the overall decline shows progress in suicide reduction in Ireland, she said.
“It’s important to acknowledge every life lost to suicide is one too many, and the Government is committed to further reduction of suicide through the development and implementation of a new suicide reduction policy,” the Minister said.
Recently published data from the National Suicide Research Foundation Self-Harm Registry also highlighted that between 2010 and 2023, self-harm rates decreased by 12%. Previous self-harm remains the biggest risk factor for suicide.
The National Self-Harm Registry Ireland records and reports information about self-harm presentations to hospital Emergency Departments across the country. The Registry is operated by the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF) and is funded by the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP). It was the first such Registry in the world. Broadly speaking, self-harm rates are stable year on year, and there has been a decline in recent years. The rate of individuals presenting to hospital following self-harm in 2022 was 197 per 100,000, and 191 per 100,000 in 2023, with these rates being similar to the rate reported in 2021.
Minister Butler said,“I want to thank my colleagues across Government for their role in implementing Connecting for Life. A cross-departmental approach is very important because reducing suicide is everyone’s business.”
Deaths by suicide in Ireland peaked in 2012 during the recession, and the rate has been decreasing for some years now. There is also no indication that there was an increase in the number of people who lost their lives to suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic, where a comprehensive package of financial supports was put in place to support those at risk. Financial stress is a key risk factor for suicide.
Connecting for Life is Ireland’s national suicide reduction strategy, which came to an end in 2024. Implementation of the strategy was led by the HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) and the Department of Health and had strong cross-departmental support from areas including, Justice, Education, Higher Education, Agriculture and Social Protection.
There has been sustained investment in suicide reduction initiatives over the lifetime of the strategy, with the budget of the HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention increasing from €5 million in 2012 to almost €15 million in 2025.
The Department of Health is currently working to develop Ireland’s new suicide reduction policy in collaboration with the main stakeholders across government and society more broadly.
