Men continue to be significantly more likely to die by suicide in Ireland than women, with the highest rate found among those aged 20-24, a new report has shown.

According to the 2012 Annual Report of the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP), 495 people died by suicide in 2010 and 82% of these were males.

Furthermore, while this country has the sixth lowest rate of suicide in the EU overall, when it comes to younger people, it is a different picture, with Ireland recording the fourth highest rate in the EU of suicide among people under the age of 24.

"This gender differentiation is a constant feature of the deaths by suicide over the last decade," the report said.

The highest rate of suicide is among males aged 20-24 and almost half of those who died in 2010 were men aged less than 40.

Hanging is the most common method of death by suicide in this country. Between 2006 and 2010, almost seven in 10 deaths by suicide involved this method. More men tend to opt for this method than women - 72% vs 57%.

The second most common method is drowning, followed by poisoning, usually in the form of a deliberate drug overdose.

Increases in suicide rates in recent years have been recorded in Kerry, Laois, Louth, Offaly, south Tipperary and Westmeath, while decreases have been recorded in Carlow, Cavan, Leitrim, Longford, Sligo, north Tipperary and Wicklow.

Meanwhile in 2012, 9,483 individuals presented to hospitals as a result of 12,010 deliberate self-harm events. While the rate of self-harm has fallen slightly in the last two years, it is still 12% higher than in 2007, the year before the recession began.

"The peak rate for self-harm for females is 15-19 year olds, while for males, it is among those aged 20-24," the report noted.

At least two in three cases of self-harm involve an overdose of medication, while one in four people cut themselves. Among those who cut themselves and sought treatment, 21% required sutures (stitches) and 4% were referred for plastic surgery.

The report pointed out that in 2010, the highest rates of deliberate self-harm for both men and women were seen in Limerick city, ‘where both rates were more than twice the national average'.

Rates were also high in Cork city.