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 2023, 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.

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

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

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.

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.

Abstract

Explore global statistics on a subject that claims 800,000 lives each year.

About this dataset

Context

Suicide is a major cause of death in the world, claiming around 800,000 lives each year. It is ranked as the 14th leading cause of death worldwide as of 2017 and on average men are twice as likely to fall victim to it. It also one of the leading causes of death on young people and older people are at a higher risk as well. Source

Notes

This dataset contains data from 200+ countries on the topic of suicide and mental health infrastructure. It was created by extracting the latest data from WHO and combining it into a single dataset. Variables available range from Country, Sex, Mental health infrastructure and personnel and finally Suicide Rate (amount of suicides per 100k people). Note that the suicide rate is age-standardized, as to not bias comparisons between countries with different age compositions.

How to use

• Explore Suicide rates and their associated trends, as well as the effects of infrastructure and personnel on the suicide rates.
• Forecast suicide rates

Acknowledgements

If you use this dataset in your research, please credit the authors.

Citation

@misc{Global Health Observatory data repository, title={Mental Health}, url={https://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.MENTALHEALTH?lang=en}, journal={WHO} }

License

CC BY NC SA IGO 3.0

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Introduction Suicide is still one of the world's most important public health issues, with the World Health Organization (WHO) claiming that over 700,000 people die by suicide annually. Suicide is one of the main causes of death, with far-reaching consequences for people, families, and society. Understanding the global patterns and trends in suicide rates is critical for creating effective prevention methods and providing the required support to at-risk individuals. The purpose of this report is to visualize global data on suicides using the WHO dataset (who_suicide_statistics.csv). This dataset has statistics on the number of suicides in various countries, years, age categories, and sexes. By analyzing this data, it will guide us to learn about demographic and temporal patterns of suicide, show high-risk groups, and highlight regions facing significant challenges. The visualizations will employ various techniques such as graphs, charts, and maps to effectively convey the information and guide the viewer through the findings. Through these visualizations and insights, I suggested key points and recommendations needed to minimize suicide incidents in future. Description of the Dataset The dataset (who_suicide_statistics.csv) has extensive data on global suicide statistics collected by the World Health Organization. This dataset is an invaluable resource for analyzing the patterns and trends in suicide rates across countries, years, age groups, and genders. Below is a detailed description of the columns in the dataset and the kind of information each one provides. Columns in the Dataset • country: Description: The name of the country where the data was collected. Type: Categorical Example Values: 'United States', 'Japan', 'Germany' • year: Description: The year the data was recorded. Type: Numerical Example Values: 2000, 2005, 2010 - age: Description: The age group of the individuals whose suicide data is recorded. Type: Categorical Example Values: '15-24', '25-34', '35-44', '45-54', '55-64', '65-74', '75+' • sex: Description: The sex of the individuals whose suicide data is recorded. Type: Categorical Example Values: 'male', 'female' • suicide_no: Description: The number of suicide cases recorded for the specified country, year, age and sex. Type: Numerical Example Values: 15, 42, 108 • population: Description: The population of the specified age group and sex in the country for that year. Type: Numerical Example Values: 345633, 785042, 3356435 Additional Information • Suicide Rate Calculation: Using the suicide_no and population columns, we can calculate the suicide rate per 100,000 population, which normalizes the data and allows for fair comparisons across different countries and demographic groups. Formula: suicides_rate = (suicide_no / population) * 100000

As of 2022, the U.S. states with the highest death rates from suicide were Alaska, Montana, and Wyoming. In Wyoming and Montana, there were around **** and **** suicide deaths per 100,000 population, respectively. In comparison, in New Jersey, the state with the lowest suicide death rate, there were only around *** suicide deaths per 100,000 population. Differences in suicide rates by gender In the United States, there is a vast difference in suicide rates between men and women, with rates over *** times higher among men. However, rates of suicide for both men and women have increased over the past couple of decades. Among men, those aged 75 years and older have the highest suicide rates, with around ** deaths per 100,000 population in 2021. Among women, those aged 45 to 64 years have the highest rates of suicide death with *** deaths per 100,000 population. What is the most common method of suicide? In the United States, the most common method of suicide is with firearms, followed by suffocation and then poisoning. In 2022, there were around ****** suicide deaths from firearms in the United States, compared to ****** deaths from suffocation and ***** from drug poisoning. In 2021, firearms accounted for around ** percent of suicide deaths among men. In comparison, around ** percent of deaths from suicide among women were due to firearms, while suffocation and poisoning each accounted for ** percent of such deaths.

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.

Portugal PT: Suicide Mortality Rate: per 100,000 Population data was reported at 14.000 Number in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 13.800 Number for 2015. Portugal PT: Suicide Mortality Rate: per 100,000 Population data is updated yearly, averaging 13.500 Number from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.000 Number in 2016 and a record low of 7.500 Number in 2000. Portugal PT: Suicide Mortality Rate: per 100,000 Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Portugal – Table PT.World Bank: Health Statistics. Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted Average;

Crude death rate from suicide and intentional self-harm per 100 000 people, by age group. Suicide registration methods vary between countries and over time. Figures do not include deaths from events of undetermined intent (part of which should be considered as suicides) and attempted suicides which did not result in death.

Japan JP: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data was reported at 11.400 NA in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11.800 NA for 2015. Japan JP: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 13.600 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.100 NA in 2010 and a record low of 11.400 NA in 2016. Japan JP: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted average;

This dataset provides a snapshot of global suicide rates by country, gender, and year. It offers insights into the prevalence of suicide across different regions and demographics. By analyzing this data, researchers and policymakers can identify trends, potential risk factors, and areas where interventions may be most effective. This information is crucial for developing targeted suicide prevention strategies and promoting mental health awareness.

Tajikistan TJ: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data was reported at 3.700 NA in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 3.700 NA for 2015. Tajikistan TJ: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 3.700 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.300 NA in 2000 and a record low of 3.600 NA in 2010. Tajikistan TJ: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Tajikistan – Table TJ.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted average;

Since the 1950s, the suicide rate in the United States has been significantly higher among men than women. In 2022, the suicide rate among men was almost four times higher than that of women. However, the rate of suicide for both men and women has increased gradually over the past couple of decades. Facts on suicide in the United States In 2022, the rate of suicide death in the United States was around 14 per 100,000 population. The suicide rate in the U.S. has generally increased since the year 2000, with the highest rates ever recorded in the years 2018 and 2022. In the United States, death rates from suicide are highest among those aged 45 to 64 years and lowest among younger adults aged 15 to 24. The states with the highest rates of suicide are Montana, Alaska, and Wyoming, while New Jersey and Massachusetts have the lowest rates. Suicide among men In 2023, around 4.5 percent of men in the United States reported having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year. Although this rate is lower than that of women, men still have a higher rate of suicide death than women. One reason for this may have to do with the method of suicide. Although firearms account for the largest share of suicide deaths among both men and women, firearms account for almost 60 percent of all suicides among men and just 35 percent among women. Suffocation and poisoning are the other most common methods of suicide among women, with the chances of surviving a suicide attempt from these methods being much higher than surviving an attempt by firearm. The age group with the highest rate of suicide death among men is by far those aged 75 years and over.

India IN: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data was reported at 17.800 NA in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 18.000 NA for 2015. India IN: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 18.000 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18.600 NA in 2000 and a record low of 17.700 NA in 2010. India IN: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s India – Table IN.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted average;

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.

As the tagline of ‘American Association of Suicidology’ says I strongly believe that suicide prevention is everyone’s business. The act of ending one’s own life stating the reasons to be depression, alcoholism or any other mental disorders for that matter is not a considerable idea keeping in mind that anything can be overcome with reliable help and lifestyle. We can choose to stand together in the face of a society which may often feel like a lonely and disconnected place, and we can choose to make a difference by making lives more livable for those who struggle to cope. Through this project, I am hoping to identify the trends of suicidal rates by country, gender, age and ethnicity. And relate the trends to the possible reasons that leads to the drastic decision, which might help us to curb the thought in the very beginning.

What's inside is more than just rows and columns. Make it easy for others to get started by describing how you acquired the data and what time period it represents, too. Data on suicides is deficient for two reasons, first of all, there is a problem with the frequency and reliability of vital registration data in many countries – an issue that undermine the quality of mortality estimates in general, not just suicide. Secondly, there are problems with the accuracy of the official figures made available, since suicide registration is a complicated process involving several responsible authorities with medical and legal concerns. Moreover, the illegality of suicidal behavior in some countries contributes to under reporting and misclassification. I was lucky enough to obtain enough data from different reliable resources. I will be starting off the project with the most reliable datasets available for us on suicide.

•World Health Organization (WHO) dataset which contains entity wise suicide rates, crude suicide rates per gender and country which are age standardized which has a geographical coverage of 198 countries. The time spanning from 1950-2011.

•Samaritans statistics report 2017 including data for 2013-2015, in order to reduce the time, it takes to register deaths, the maximum time between a death and registration is eight days.

•American Association of Suicidology facts and statistics which are categorized by age, gender, region and ethnicity.

Inspiration: To visualize the trends and patterns by merging different datasets available regarding the subject matter from different organizations, deriving the major causes for the drastic stride. And also observing the changes in patterns over the years by country, sex and ethnicity

Understanding the data: It is always tricky to understand the suicide statistics as they may not be so straight forward as they appear to be. Generally, the rate is per 100,000. It is done this way to adjust the underlying population size. ‘Age-standardized’ rates have been standardized to the world population to increase the confidence while making the comparisons. On the other hand, ‘Crude rates’ have not been standardized like the prior, so they are just the basic calculation of number of deaths divided by the population (x100,000). The size of the population and specific cohort is also to be taken into account as smaller groups often produce less reliable rates per 100,000. When examining the suicide trends over a period of time it is also important to look over a relatively long period. Increases and decreases for a year at a time should not be considered in isolation.

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.