Self Harm

Self-harm refers to any intentional act of hurting oneself, regardless of the underlying reason or intent.

Clinical and research definitions vary: some include only self-injury without suicidal intent (sometimes called non-suicidal self-injury), while others include suicide attempts. Hospital records, surveys and primary care data can use different definitions, which means figures are not always directly comparable.

A community-level estimate of prevalence of self-harm comes from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2023/24, which found that one in ten people aged over 16 in England (10.8%) have self-harmed in their lifetime, equivalent to around five million people. This represents a dramatic increase from 2.4% in 2000, and the rate has more than quadrupled over that period. Hospital admissions data tells us that in England, there were 76,277 hospital admissions for self-harm in 2022/23. This is understood to be a undercount of actual self-harm, capturing only the most severe presentations.

Across the UK, rates vary considerably between nations. Evidence from primary care records consistently shows that rates of self-harm are higher in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales than in England. In Scotland, the Scottish Health Survey 2023/24 found that 8% of adults reported having ever deliberately self-harmed, a figure that has risen from 2% in 2010/11. Comparable national survey data for Wales and Northern Ireland is more limited, though healthcare data from Wales (linked in the Data Library on this page) covering 2012–2021 provides some insight into patterns across GP, emergency department and hospital settings.

Not everyone reports self-harm at the same rate. Understanding who is most at risk, and why, is essential to targeting support where it is needed most.

Age

Self-harm appears to be most common among young people. Nearly one in four adults aged 16–24 (24.6%) report having ever self-harmed, more than double the overall rate. Among young women in this age group the figure rises to nearly one in three (31.7%), making this the demographic with the highest self-harm rates of any group in the survey. Rates decline consistently with age, falling to 1.5% among those aged 65–74.

Sex

Unlike suicide, where men are around three times more likely to die, women are more likely to report self-harm, 12.6% compared to 8.5% of men.

Socioeconomic factors

Financial hardship is consistently associated with higher rates of self-harm. Adults with problem debt are nearly twice as likely to report having ever self-harmed (19.3% compared with 10.0% for those without problem debt).

The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey provides community-level estimates, which helps suggest trends. These figures capture lifetime prevalence in adults living in private households. They do not include people in hospitals, care homes, prisons or other institutional settings. The APMS also relies on self-report, meaning some people may not disclose self-harm even in a survey context. The true prevalence is likely higher than these figures suggest.

The hospital admissions data which exists annually only captures the most severe presentations. Some people who self-harm never come to the attention of any health service, and are therefore not represented in data. This leads to underestimates and a lack of ability to understand how self harm affects minority groups due to small sample sizes.