Veteran suicide figures to be recorded for the first time

A new method of recording veteran suicides has been announced for England and Wales.

There will also be a review of veteran deaths through suicide over the past decade.

The decision follows an agreement between the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA), the MOD and the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The government said the data will be directed toward further understanding where there is a need for dedicated services for ex-military personnel and will allow the government to ensure that these targeted services are signposted to veterans most in need.

The new reporting method will use data collected from the recent veterans’ question in the 2021 Census and match it with ONS-held data on suicides.

This will allow the government to produce a statistic, known as a national measure, of the total number of veterans who die by suicide each year. This is the first time such a figure will be produced. It is expected that the first annual statistics will be published in 2023.

Minister for Defence People and Veterans Leo Docherty said: “Any suicide is a tragedy and collecting better data on these instances will help government better target support for those who need it.

“This builds on a number of studies which are already taking place to better understand why some veterans take their lives.”

Current data on veteran suicide is drawn from research projects examining specific cohorts.

Approaches for replicating this program in Scotland and Northern Ireland are being examined.