International Men's Day 2019: the shocking statistics you need to know

Today, over 70 countries around the world will celebrate International Men's Day, an annual rallying cry aiming to draw attention to some of the most important issues facing men in the 21st Century.

This year, the theme of the event is Making a Difference for Men and Boys and public sector organisations across the country, and indeed the world, will be joining together to help bring attention to examples of positive influences for men.

We often hear about the crisis in mental health among men, but that's far from the only field where modern men are struggling. Here are just a few of the shocking statistics around male life in 2019.

On average, 12 men in the British isles take their lives every single day

Mental health in men is an area which is finally gaining the recognition and attention it deserves after a series of high profile campaigns from governments, businesses, and spokespeople. However, while we did see some progress, this year's results suggest that we may be sliding backwards.

According to the Samaritans' annual suicide statistics report, the rate of suicides among men in the UK and Ireland increased between 2017 and 2018, a reversal of a downward trend which they'd observed since 2013.

In 2018, 4,903 men took their own lives, 12pc more than in 2017 and an average of 13 per day. In comparison, 1,604 women died by suicide in the same time frame: about four per day.

Mental health issues in men also disproportionately affect minorities. According to the Lambeth Collective's Black Health and Wellbeing Commission, black men are 17 times more likely to be diagnosed with serious mental health issues. In 2018, a study from Stonewall found that among gay, bisexual and transgender men 46pc have suffered from depression, compared to about 20pc of the overall population. In 2013 Gay Men's Health Survey found 3pc of gay men and 5pc of bisexual men attempted suicide that year, compared to 0.4pc of heterosexual men.

One in five men die before they hit 65

It's not just mental health where men are in need of intervention. Physical health is also an important talking point for International Men's Day.

According to a report compiled by Men's Health Forum in 2014 and revised in 2017, 19pc of men die before their 65th birthday. The biggest cause of death in men is cancer, followed by circulatory diseases.

Men are 14pc more likely to get cancer than women and they're 37pc more likely to die from the disease. The most common type of cancer in men is prostate cancer which accounts for 25pc of all male cancer cases and 13pc of deaths from cancer. A quarter of black men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lives.

Part of the problem is that men are less likely to acknowledge illness and don't know as much about their health. Men between the ages of 20 and 40 are half as likely to go to the doctor than women in the same age bracket. Men were also less likely to know about their health status, be able to spot cancer warning signs, and read about medication before taking it.

Men also smoke and drink more than women.

Fewer boys finish secondary education with a minimum of five C grades at GCSE, including English and Maths

Education is another area where boys are falling behind girls. Girls are 20pc more likely to finish secondary school with five C grades or higher at GCSE, according to the Department for Education's statistics.

In addition, boys are less likely to be high achievers in school. The stats show that 52.5pc of boys achieve a minimum of five A*-C grades at GCSE compared to 61.8pc of girls.

A 2014 report also showed that boys are three times more likely than girls to be excluded or expelled from school.

The educational attainment gap begins at school but continues to echo through men's lives. According to data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, in the 2017/2018 year nearly 326,000 less men were attending to UK universities than women.

In apprenticeships too, there's a gender gap. According to government data in the 2016/17 intake cycle, young men made up only 46% of total hires.

And while we often hear that professions such as medicine and law are dominated by men, that may not be the case for much longer. Data from the General Medical Council shows that year on year fewer men are entering high skill professions such as dentistry, medicine, law and education.

As it stands, the Department for Education does not fund any initiatives aimed at addressing the underachievement of boys in education.

There are also a significant lack of male role models in schools. In England, just 26.2pc of teachers (15.2pc in primary schools), 8.5pc of teaching assistants, and 18pc of support staff are men.

Men are 57pc more likely to be a victim of violent crime

That's according to a 2016 report from the Office Of National Statistics, which found that trend also holds true in children. Men also make up around 76pc of the perpetrators of violent crime, according to the ONS.

A 2009 policing report found that around two thirds of murder victims are men.

While women are significantly more likely to suffer domestic abuse than men, that's not to say that men aren't also victimised in their own homes. Around 14pc of men say they've been a victim of domestic abuse at some point in their lives. In fact, in every three reports of domestic abuse, one victim is male.

Again, this is significantly more of a problem in the gay community. In 2008/09 6.2pc of gay and bisexual men said they'd suffered domestic abuse, compared to 3.3pc of heterosexual men.

But men are also significantly less likely to tell anyone if they've suffered domestic abuse. 10pc will tell the police (compared to 26pc of women), 11pc will tell a health professional (compared to 23pc of women), and 23pc will tell someone else in a position of authority (compared to 46pc of women.)

There is also a significant dearth of support for men suffering from domestic abuse. In the UK there are a total of 93 spaces offering refuge or safe houses for male victims of domestic violence, and only 22 of these are male only. For women, there are around 4,000 of these refuges. There is no refuge for men in London.

Around 1,000 men are raped every month

With several high profile male victims of sexual harassment, such as Terry Crews and Anthony Rapp, coming forward about their experiences in recent years, it's also worth shining a light on the fact that it isn't just women who suffer from sexual violence.

According to a 2017 crime survey by the ONS, in that year alone there were around 138,000 reports of sexual assaults against men that year. It's also likely this could be an underestimation due to men not coming forward about their assaults. The charity Rape Crisis found that every year, an average of around 1,000 men are raped every month in England and Wales alone.

This is a particular problem in the gay community. According to a survey from the Gay Men's Health Project 62pc of gay men have been groped without consent, and 30pc described themselves as a "a survivor of sexual assault, abuse or rape."

In addition, according to the Government's revenge porn helpline, around a quarter of victims of revenge porn (the sharing of explicit photos and images by an ex or current partner) are men.

One in every five victims of forced marriage is a man, according to a report from ONS statistics.

Around one million children in the UK have no contact with their fathers

According to the ONS there are about 2.8 million lone-parent families. Of these families, the percentage being headed by men has stayed at around 10pc over the past decade according to Gingerbread, a resource centre for single-parent families. The Centre for Social Justice estimated that around one million children in the UK are living with no contact with their father at all. A 2008 report found that the vast majority of single parents don't receive child support payments.

But that's not to say that some fathers aren't trying. The Nuffield Foundation reported in 2015 that 96pc parents fighting in court for access to their children are fathers.

86pc of rough sleepers are men

Homelessness is an issue which disproportionately affects men. A 2017 study from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Social Affairs found that 86pc of rough sleepers are men. Again, this is significantly more of a problem for GBT men, with one in four homeless people thought to be LGBT.

Homeless charity Crisis also reports that 84pc of hidden homeless people (people who are at risk of eviction, sofa-surfing at friends and family, or living in unsatisfactory conditions) are men.

Figures compiled in 2018 found that between 2013 and 2017 the amount of homeless people who've died on the streets or in temporary accommodation has doubled and around 90pc of those deaths were men.