The number of people dying from "probable suicide" in Ayrshire has risen, new statistics from the National Records of Scotland reveal.

The report, published earlier today, shows that there were 59 deaths by "probable suicide" across the three Ayrshires council areas in 2021.

That's up by six from 2020 figures.

In East Ayrshire, there were 19 deaths (down from 23), 27 in North Ayrshire (up from 19), and in South Ayrshire, 13 (up from 11).

Nationwide, the number of deaths by probable suicide has decreased by six per cent to 753 in 2020, down from 805 in 2019.

Most of the decrease in the past year can be attributed to a fall in female suicides, which decreased by 42 (18 per cent).

The rate of suicide in males was 3.2 times as high as the rate for females.

The highest amount of probable suicides in Scotland was seen in males aged 45 to 49.

Julie Ramsay, head of vital events statistics, said: “The number of people dying from suicide fell to its lowest level since 2017.

"The decrease in the most recent year was mainly driven by a fall in the number of female suicides.”

After adjusting for age, the rate of suicide in the most deprived areas in Scotland was nearly three times as high as in the least deprived areas in Scotland.

This is a wider gap than deaths from all causes.

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