Suicide biggest killer of young men

Figures released today indicate suicide remains the biggest cause of deaths among young males in the State.

The figures on births, marriages and deaths in 1999 and 2000 were released by the Central Statistics Office today.

Although they show an annual drop to 413 deaths by suicide in 2000 from 439 in 1999, it is the cause of 26 per cent of all deaths among men aged 18 to 24.

In all age groups, 83 per cent of all suicides were men.

In deaths not attributed to suicide, 1,300 or 4 per cent were caused by injuries and poisonings, with males being 70 per cent of these.

There were 28 deaths due to homicide registered in 2000, 89 per cent of which were males.