The countries with the highest suicide mortality rate worldwide in 2021 included Lesotho, South Korea, and Eswatini. In 2021, there were around 27.5 suicide deaths per 100,000 population in South Korea. Suicide in the United States Although the United States is not among the countries with the highest suicide mortality rate, suicide is still a major issue in the country. As with other countries, the suicide rate among males in the U.S. is much higher than among females. In 2022, there were around 23 suicide deaths among males in the United States per 100,000 population, compared to 5.9 deaths per 100,000 females. The states with the highest suicide rates are Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska, while New Jersey and Massachusetts have the lowest rates. Risk factors and help Major risk factors for suicide include mental health issues and substance abuse problems; however, it can be difficult to predict who is at risk. Warning signs such as talking about wanting to die, expressing feelings of depression, suicidal ideation, and abusing drugs or alcohol should be taken seriously and help should be sought as soon as possible. Suicide hotlines exist in many countries around the world and one should not hesitate to discuss such issues and feelings with a health care provider.

South Korea currently has the highest overall suicide rate among OECD countries worldwide. The suicide rate among women in South Korea is significantly higher than that of women in any other country. Nevertheless, suicide is commonly more prevalent among men than women. Suicide in the U.S. The suicide rate in the United States has risen since the year 2000. As of 2022, there were around **** deaths from suicide per 100,000 population. The suicide rate among men in the U.S. is over ***** times what it is for females, a considerable and troubling difference. The suicide rate among men increases with age, with the highest rates found among men aged 75 years and older. Adolescent suicide Adolescent suicide is always a serious and difficult topic. A recent survey found that around ** percent of female high school students in the United States had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, compared to ** percent of male students. On average, there are around ** suicide deaths among adolescents per 100,000 population in the United States. The states with the highest rates of adolescent suicide include New Mexico, Idaho, and Oklahoma.

The average for 2019 based on 180 countries was 9.49 suicides per 100,000 people. The highest value was in Lesotho: 72.4 suicides per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Antigua and Barbuda: 0.4 suicides per 100,000 people. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2019. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

South Korea Male Suicide Rates decreased by 1.1% in 2019, compared to a year earlier.

The average for 2019 based on 7 countries was 11.99 suicides per 100,000 people. The highest value was in the USA: 16.1 suicides per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Italy: 6.7 suicides per 100,000 people. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2019. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The countries with the highest suicide mortality rate worldwide in 2019 included Lesotho, Guyana, and Eswatini. Suicide rates of men are much higher than among women in many countries. Lithuania has one of the highest suicide rates for men as of 2019, while South Korea reports the highest suicide rate for women.

In the United States

Although the United States is not among the countries with the highest suicide mortality rate, suicide is still one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. As with other countries, the suicide rate among males in the U.S. is much higher than among females. The age group with the highest rate of suicide is those aged 45 to 64 years, followed by 25 to 44-year-olds. The states with the highest suicide rates are Wyoming, Alaska, and Montana.

Risk factors and help

Major risk factors for suicide include mental health issues and substance abuse problems; however, it can be difficult to predict who is at risk. Warning signs such as talking about wanting to die, expressing feelings of depression, suicidal ideation, and abusing drugs or alcohol should be taken seriously and help should be sought as soon as possible. Suicide hotlines exist in many countries around the world and one should not hesitate to discuss such issues and feelings with a health care provider.

This statistic displays the suicide rate among young people in selected European countries in 2016. In this year, Finland had the highest suicide rate for people aged 20 to 24 years, with a rate of ***** per 100,000 age-specific population.

In 2024, Japan reported 16.4 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants. The country's suicide rate resumed its downward trend after an unexpected surge in recent years, likely connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. What are the reasons behind Japan’s high suicide rates?  While the majority of suicides in Japan stemmed from health reasons, existential concerns and problems directly related to work also accounted for thousands of self-inflicted deaths in the past years. One of the most profound issues faced by employees in Japan leading to self-harm is exhaustion. “Karoshi,” or death by overwork, is a well-known phenomenon in Japanese society. In addition to physical fatigue, karoshi may be precipitated by mental stress resulting from employment. Occupational stress or overwork-induced suicide is referred to as “karojisatsu (overwork suicide)” in Japan. Which demographic groups are affected? Although *************** are frequently depicted as the most at-risk demographic for suicide in Japan, the increasing occurrence of suicides among the elderly people and schoolchildren is causing concern. Bullying, isolation, and the lack of a proficient mental healthcare system can be additional factors contributing to the country’s high suicide rates among all age groups.

The average for 2019 based on 41 countries was 12.93 suicides per 100,000 people. The highest value was in Lithuania: 26.1 suicides per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Turkey: 2.4 suicides per 100,000 people. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2019. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2023, South Korea's suicide rate reached **** deaths per 100,000 people, nearly double that of two decades ago. South Korea has the highest suicide rate among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).Mental health in South KoreaIn South Korea, mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, along with financial hardships, have been identified as significant contributing factors leading individuals to attempt suicide. According to a survey, nearly half of the respondents reported experiencing severe stress, making it the most commonly reported type of mental health problem that year. Additionally, suicide is increasingly recognized not only as an individual health problem in South Korea but also as a complex social issue that arises, among other factors, from the country's rapid economic development. Suicide prevention In response to the escalating suicide rates, the government introduced its first suicide prevention program in 2004. Since then, several measures have been implemented to address this pressing issue. For instance, Seoul City initiated the "Bridge of Life" project on the Mapo Bridge, a well-known site for suicide attempts. The primary goal of the project was to provide comfort to individuals contemplating suicide by projecting uplifting messages and images on the bridge. In 2021, however, it was decided to remove the messages and slogans due to their limited impact. If you are having suicidal thoughts or you know someone who is, it is essential to seek help. Many countries have suicide crisis or prevention lines that offer free advice and support in such situations. If you live in the United States, you can reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by simply calling *** to receive free and confidential support 24/7. If you live in South Korea, you can call the suicide prevention hotline ***.

In 2019, Female Suicide Rates in Norway remained stable compared to a year earlier.

This horizontal bar chart displays suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population) by countries using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Eastern Asia. The data is about countries.

The average for 2019 based on 12 countries was 11.65 suicides per 100,000 people. The highest value was in Guyana: 40.3 suicides per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Venezuela: 2.1 suicides per 100,000 people. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2019. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2024, the 50- to 59-year-old age group had the highest suicide rate in Japan, with **** suicides per 100,000 inhabitants. The self-inflicted death rate among young people under 20 years was ***. Japan's recent suicide rates While the country's suicide rate had initially shown a downward trend in the most recent decade, 2020 marked the first year that the suicide numbers rose again. The COVID-19 pandemic likely caused this unexpected upward trend. From a gender perspective, Japanese men were more likely to commit suicide than women. **** deaths per 100,000 male inhabitants were reported in 2024, compared to a female suicide rate of **** in the same year. What are the reasons behind Japan’s high suicide rates?  Many factors are being blamed for the Japan's high suicide rates, including bullying, isolation, and a lack of a proficient mental healthcare system. Among others, financial worries and problems directly related to work have been one of the main reasons for self-inflicted deaths in the past years. Historically, the country's high suicide rates have been closely linked to the economic situation of the individuals. Japan’s suicide numbers peaked in 2009 when the country experienced its worst recession since World War II.

This horizontal bar chart displays suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population) by continent using the aggregation average, weighted by population. The data is about countries.

The average for 2019 based on 19 countries was 11.88 suicides per 100,000 people. The highest value was in South Korea: 28.6 suicides per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Indonesia: 2.4 suicides per 100,000 people. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2019. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Olympic athletes: the epitome of health and fitness, role models for their communities, and competing on the world stage. Is there a cost incurred by highlighting the achievements of these elite athletes? Suicide, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is death by injuring oneself whereby death was the intent (Suicide Prevention: Facts, 2022). A person harming themselves with death as the intention but not the outcome is classified as a suicide attempt (Suicide Prevention: Facts, 2022). In the general population, suicide is one of the leading causes of death, especially amongst younger people where it is the fourth leading cause of death (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022). In 2019, the global age-standardized suicide rate was 9 deaths per 100,000 people (World Health Organization (WHO), 2021). The risk factors for suicide are multifaceted and complex, ranging from a history of mental health issues, serious illnesses, chronic pain, financial stress, substance use, adverse childhood experiences, and difficulties in relationships (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022). Differences in sociodemographic variables have been linked with suicide rates (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022). For example, the suicide rate for males (~12.6 per 100,000) is typically higher than females (5.4 per 100,000) (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022). Economic factors may also play a role given the largest portion of deaths by suicide occur in lower-income and middle-income countries (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022), yet high-income countries report higher age-standardized rates of suicide (10.9 per 100,000) (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022). More than half (58%) of global suicides occur in persons less than 50 years of age (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022) implicating stage of life as a plausible risk factor linked with death by suicide. Overall, suicide rates have been declining since 2000 with a 36% reduction noted in 2019 compared with 20 years earlier (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022).

Sports and athletes can be ‘newsworthy’, so there is heightened media attention when high-profile athletes die from suicide. Research examining suicide and athletes has focused primarily on collegiate (or university-level) athletes. In the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) over a nine-year period, the rate of death by suicide in athletes was 1.35 per 100,000 in males, and 0.37 per 100,000 in females, both of which are lower than suicide rates for age-matched students (Rao et al., 2015). NCAA football had the highest relative rates of suicide at 2.25 per 100,000 yet this rate is still lower compared against other students matched for age and sex (Rao et al., 2015). In football, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (or CTE) has been gaining traction as one risk factor leading to death by suicide (Rao, 2018). To date, studies of suicide and athletes competing at other levels of sport (e.g., Olympics, etc.) appear sparse. One study of US Olympians compared mental disorders, substance abuse, and self-harm reported by athletes with the public noting athletes had a lower risk of death by suicide from these factors (Rao, 2018). Suicidal ideation was reported by 1 in 6 Swedish athletes competing at the international level (Timpka et al., 2019). Finally, retirement may be a factor to consider in suicide prevention initiatives given that male athletes competing in power sports (e.g., wrestling, Olympic lifting, etc.) retiring between 30 and 50 years of age were 2 to 4 times more likely to die by suicide than non-athletes of the same ages (Lindqvist et al., 2014).

To date, limited research has been reported on Olympic athletes and suicide. Further research is warranted to determine the frequency of suicide rates in Olympians plus identifiable risk factors for death by suicide reported by this cohort of elite athletes.

BackgroundIn Europe, men have lower rates of attempted suicide compared to women and at the same time a higher rate of completed suicides, indicating major gender differences in lethality of suicidal behaviour. The aim of this study was to analyse the extent to which these gender differences in lethality can be explained by factors such as choice of more lethal methods or lethality differences within the same suicide method or age. In addition, we explored gender differences in the intentionality of suicide attempts.Methods and FindingsMethods. Design: Epidemiological study using a combination of self-report and official data. Setting: Mental health care services in four European countries: Germany, Hungary, Ireland, and Portugal. Data basis: Completed suicides derived from official statistics for each country (767 acts, 74.4% male) and assessed suicide attempts excluding habitual intentional self-harm (8,175 acts, 43.2% male).Main Outcome Measures and Data Analysis. We collected data on suicidal acts in eight regions of four European countries participating in the EU-funded “OSPI-Europe”-project (www.ospi-europe.com). We calculated method-specific lethality using the number of completed suicides per method * 100 / (number of completed suicides per method + number of attempted suicides per method). We tested gender differences in the distribution of suicidal acts for significance by using the χ2-test for two-by-two tables. We assessed the effect sizes with phi coefficients (φ). We identified predictors of lethality with a binary logistic regression analysis. Poisson regression analysis examined the contribution of choice of methods and method-specific lethality to gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts.Findings Main ResultsSuicidal acts (fatal and non-fatal) were 3.4 times more lethal in men than in women (lethality 13.91% (regarding 4106 suicidal acts) versus 4.05% (regarding 4836 suicidal acts)), the difference being significant for the methods hanging, jumping, moving objects, sharp objects and poisoning by substances other than drugs. Median age at time of suicidal behaviour (35–44 years) did not differ between males and females. The overall gender difference in lethality of suicidal behaviour was explained by males choosing more lethal suicide methods (odds ratio (OR) = 2.03; 95% CI = 1.65 to 2.50; p < 0.000001) and additionally, but to a lesser degree, by a higher lethality of suicidal acts for males even within the same method (OR = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.32 to 2.02; p = 0.000005). Results of a regression analysis revealed neither age nor country differences were significant predictors for gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts. The proportion of serious suicide attempts among all non-fatal suicidal acts with known intentionality (NFSAi) was significantly higher in men (57.1%; 1,207 of 2,115 NFSAi) than in women (48.6%; 1,508 of 3,100 NFSAi) (χ2 = 35.74; p < 0.000001).Main limitations of the studyDue to restrictive data security regulations to ensure anonymity in Ireland, specific ages could not be provided because of the relatively low absolute numbers of suicide in the Irish intervention and control region. Therefore, analyses of the interaction between gender and age could only be conducted for three of the four countries. Attempted suicides were assessed for patients presenting to emergency departments or treated in hospitals. An unknown rate of attempted suicides remained undetected. This may have caused an overestimation of the lethality of certain methods. Moreover, the detection of attempted suicides and the registration of completed suicides might have differed across the four countries. Some suicides might be hidden and misclassified as undetermined deaths.ConclusionsMen more often used highly lethal methods in suicidal behaviour, but there was also a higher method-specific lethality which together explained the large gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts. Gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts were fairly consistent across all four European countries examined. Males and females did not differ in age at time of suicidal behaviour. Suicide attempts by males were rated as being more serious independent of the method used, with the exceptions of attempted hanging, suggesting gender differences in intentionality associated with suicidal behaviour. These findings contribute to understanding of the spectrum of reasons for gender differences in the lethality of suicidal behaviour and should inform the development of gender specific strategies for suicide prevention.

In March 2025, an estimated ***** people committed suicide in South Korea, a significant increase from the previous month. South Korea has the highest suicide rate among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

This horizontal bar chart displays suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population) by country using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Costa Rica. The data is about countries per year.