THE risk of suicide for British armed forces veterans below the age of 25 is up to four times higher than for civilians, a major new study suggests.

Leaving the service before the age of 35, before a decade of service, or being untrained were all linked to a greater chance of dying by suicide.

The University of Manchester study, which is yet to be peer-reviewed, linked data from the NHS and Ministry of Defence to investigate suicide risk factors for service personnel who left the forces between 1996 and 2018.

Of the 458,058 personnel, 1,086 died by suicide, a rate of 0.2 per cent.

The researchers said this is “very slightly” lower than in the general population.

Contrary to perceptions, deployment on combat operations was found to be linked to a reduced risk, as was marriage and being of a higher rank.

But the suicide risk was two to four times higher in both men and women under 25 who had left the forces.

Being discharged between the ages of 16 and 34, being untrained on discharge, or leaving service involuntarily, such as for disciplinary or medical reasons, were linked to a higher risk.

However, researcher Nav Kapur said he cannot be “definitive” as to the reason behind the higher risks for younger veterans.

Veterans’ affairs minister Johnny Mercer said that the suicide rates among younger former service personnel were a “concern.”

Mr Mercer, a long-term campaigner against veterans’ suicide, said: “This is a very difficult phenomenon. 

“We won’t stop trying until we reach a zero-suicide place, because I think that’s what we owe these people.”