Teenage boys more than twice as likely to die young

 

Teenage boys and young men age 15-24 in England & Wales are two and a half times as likely to die young than women and girls of the same age according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundations Poverty Site.

 

 

More than fifty 15-24 year olds die young in England & Wales every week and the majority (71.5%) are boys and men – according to the statistics on premature male death.

The biggest cause of death is cancer and disease which claims 3 young lives in England & Wales every day .

But while teenage boys and young men are one and a half times more likely to die of disease and cancer than women and girls of the same age, it still isn’t the biggest male killer.

Accidents are the biggest young male killer in England & Wales with two young men dying an accidental death every single day  – four times higher than the rate of accidental deaths for young women.

Men and boys also account for 81% of suicides with one young man age 16-24 committing suicide every single day in England & Wales.

Young men also account for 72% of the smallest category of premature death – the mysterious “other” category – which is likely to include murder and manslaughter.  The “other” category accounts for around 4 young male deaths a week.

The figures highlight the need to include men and boys in all policies and strategies on public health and wellbeing. You can read about The Men’s Network’s draft citywide strategy for men and boys here.