Over 170 thousand deaths due to suicides were recorded in India in 2022. Furthermore, majority of suicides were reported in the state of Tamil Nadu, followed by Rajasthan. The number of suicides that year had increased from the previous year. Some of the causes for suicides in the country were due to professional problems, abuse, violence, family problems, financial loss, sense of isolation and mental disorders.

Depressive disorders and suicide

As of 2015, over 322.48 million people worldwide suffered from some kind of depressive disorder. Furthermore, over 14 percent of the total population in India suffer from different forms of mental disorders as of 2017. There exists a positive correlation between the number of suicide mortality rates and people with select mental disorders as opposed to those without.

Risk factors for mental disorders

Every seventh person in India suffers from some form of mental disorder. Today, depressive disorders are regarded as the leading contributor not only to disease burden and morbidity worldwide, but even suicide if not addressed. In 2022, the leading cause for suicide deaths in India was due to family problems. The second leading cause was due to illness. Some of the risk factors, relative to developing mental disorders including depressive and anxiety disorders, include bullying victimization, poverty, unemployment, childhood sexual abuse and intimate partner violence.

In 2022, over 45 thousand daily wage earners committed suicide in India. Followed by over 25 thousand home makers who committed suicide. Family problem was the leading cause of suicides in the country that year.

In 2022, there were more than 48 thousand female deaths due to suicides in India, while the incidents were more than 122 thousand for males. Some of the causes for suicides in the country were due to professional problems, abuse, violence, family problems, financial loss, sense of isolation and mental disorders.

Over 40 thousand people who committed suicide in India during 2022 had completed secondary education. Furthermore, more than 30 thousand middle school educated people died by suicide across the country in that year. Over 170 thousand suicide deaths were recorded in India during 2022.

About 59.11 thousand people in the age group of 18 to 30 years committed suicide across India in 2022. Notably, majority of the suicides in the Asian country was committed by hanging during that same year.

The state of Maharashtra recorded the highest number of farmer suicides in financial year 2023. The southern state of Karnataka ranked second with over 1,300 deaths due to suicide during the same time. Debt and bankruptcy were among the leading reasons for these numbers. Overall farmer debt was estimated to be at around 170 million Indian rupees in 2021.

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 2021, there were around 14.1 deaths from suicide per 100,000 population. The suicide rate among men in the U.S. is over three 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 30 percent of female high school students in the United States had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, compared to 14 percent of male students. On average, there are around 11 suicide deaths among adolescents per 100,000 population in the United States. The states with the highest rates of adolescent suicide include Idaho, Colorado, and Utah.

In 2023, Japan reported 17.6 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants. The country's suicide rate had shown a steady downwards trend over the past decade but began to rise again in 2020. The unexpected upward trend is likely to be connected to the COVID-19 pandemic.  What are the reasons behind Japan’s high suicide rates?  Historically, Japan’s high suicide rates were closely linked to the economic situation of individuals. While the majority of suicides in Japan stemmed from health reasons, existential worries and problems directly related to work also accounted for thousands of self-inflicted deaths in the past years. The most profound issue faced by employees in Japan leading to self-harm in the past decade has been exhaustion. An increasing pressure of retaining jobs by putting in more hours of overtime, while taking fewer holidays and sick days, were considered the main motivators behind the rising suicide numbers among office workers and employees. Occupational sudden mortality, known as karoshi ("death by overwork") is a well-known phenomenon in Japanese society. Besides physical pressure, mental stress from the workplace can cause karoshi. Suicide due to occupational stress or overwork is called karojisatsu ("overwork suicide") in Japan.  Which demographic groups are affected?  While middle-aged men were frequently portrayed as the highest-risk group for suicide in Japan, suicides among elderly and school children were recurrently picked up by the media. Financial anxiety, bullying, isolation, and the lack of a proficient mental healthcare system were only some factors contributing to the country’s high suicide rates among all age groups.

In 2022, reported dowry death cases in India amounted to nearly 6.4 thousand. This was a gradual decrease from the 2014, in which this number was approximately 8.5 thousand. The dowry system in India incorporates payments in the form of capital, durable goods, real estate among others, made to the bridegroom from the family of the bride as a condition for marriage. The Hindu Succession Act Until its amendment in 2005, the Hindu Succession Act of 1956 was biased towards the male next of kin when it came to property inheritance. The amendment stated that women had right to their parents’ property irrespective of being married. However, in practice, the inheritance of the women is socially imparted to her as dowry in marriage leading to financial dependence on the husband or the in-laws. This economic handicap has hindered progress towards equality among men and women the most. To prevent the economic abuse of women, The Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961 was passed by the government which prohibits the giving or taking of dowry in India. How well are policies for women implemented? Domestic violence against women, assault, religious and cultural traditions are the predominant perpetrators of endangering women’s safety around the world. In 2018, India was the world’s most dangerous country for women. The general consensus regarding women’s safety suggested that the citizens of the country perceived the efforts to increase women’s safety as ineffective. Although public opinion about the central government’s policy is changing, the capital territory of the country was one of the most unsafe regions for women in India, thus questioning the effectiveness of the government regulations for women’s safety.