LGB+ people in England and Wales ‘much’ more likely to die by suicide than straight people | Mental health
LGB+ people are much more likely to die by taking their own lives, drug overdoses, and alcohol-related diseases than their heterosexual counterparts. official figures show of their kind.
For the first time, people aged 16 and over were asked about their sexual orientation in the 2021 census in England and Wales. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) analyzed differences in causes of death from March 2021 to November 2024. The ONS research uses the abbreviation “LGB+” instead of “LGBTQ+”.
It turns out that people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or “other” sexual orientation are 1.3 times more likely to die than people who identify as straight or straight. The ONS said the age-standardized death rate from any cause was 982.8 per 100,000 people for LGB+ people and 752.6 per 100,000 people for straight or heterosexual people.
While the leading cause of death for all people is coronary heart disease, the second most common cause of death for LGB+ people is suicide, accounting for 7.1% of all deaths.
The analysis shows that young LGB+ people are almost twice as likely as heterosexual people to take their own lives. Almost half (45.3%) of deaths among LGB+ people aged 16-24 and more than a quarter (29.6%) of deaths among LGB+ people aged 25-34 were caused by people committing suicide. This corresponds to 26.6 percent of heterosexuals aged 16 to 24 and 18.4 percent of straight or heterosexuals aged 25 to 34.
The figures also showed that the risk of dying from drug poisoning was 2.8 times higher for LGB+ people than for people who identified as heterosexual, and 1.8 times higher from alcohol-related causes.
Dr Emma Sharland, from the ONS, said: “This is the first time we have looked at differences in causes of death among adults by sexual orientation.”
“There are some visible differences among the LGB+ group, such as almost three times more drug poisoning deaths and almost twice as many alcohol-related deaths than the straight or heterosexual group.
“Although this analysis does not investigate causality, we hope that these data will help inform healthcare professionals and others who work with different population groups.”
Mark Winstanley, chief executive of the charity Rethink Mental Illness, said: “It is extremely worrying that data shows suicide is the second leading cause of death among LGB+ people. The causes of suicide are complex, but we know that LGBTQ+ people experience discrimination and harassment in many areas of their lives, from physical attacks to online hate.”
“Many organizations play an invaluable role in providing dedicated support to LGBTQ+ people due to the stigma within traditional services, and we need to ensure they continue to provide funding in the current difficult economic climate.
“Today’s data reinforces the need to urgently address the risk factors faced by LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as to ensure that mental health services are available and accessible for this group.”
