LGB+ people in England and Wales ‘much’ more likely to die by suicide than straight people
LGB+ people are much more likely to die by taking their own lives, drug overdoses and alcohol-related disease than their straight counterparts, the first official figures of their kind show.
The 2021 census in England and Wales asked people aged 16 and above about their sexual orientation for the first time. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has now analysed differences in causes of mortality from March 2021 to November 2024. The ONS research uses the acronym LGB+ rather than LGBTQ+.
It found that people who identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or “other” sexual orientation had 1.3 times the risk of dying than those identifying as straight or heterosexual. The age-standardised rate of death from any cause was 982.8 for each 100,000 people for LGB+ people compared with 752.6 for each 100,000 people for straight or heterosexual people, the ONS said.
While the leading cause of death for all people was coronary heart disease, the second most common cause of death for LGB+ people was taking their own lives, accounting for 7.1% of all deaths.
Dr Emma Sharland, at 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 noticeable differences, with nearly three times as many drug poisoning deaths and close to twice as many alcohol-related deaths among the LGB+ group compared with the straight or heterosexual group.
“While this analysis does not explore causality, we hope this data will help inform health professionals and others working with different population groups.”
Source: The Guardian, 13 January 2026