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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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.

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 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.

Finland FI: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data was reported at 23.900 NA in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 21.800 NA for 2015. Finland FI: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 28.400 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 36.800 NA in 2000 and a record low of 21.800 NA in 2015. Finland FI: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Finland – Table FI.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;

Impact of Social Media on Suicide Rates: Produced Results

Overview

This dataset explores the impact of social media usage on suicide rates, presenting an analysis based on social media platform data and WHO suicide rate statistics. It is an insightful resource for researchers, data scientists, and analysts looking to understand the correlation between increased social media activity and suicide rates across different regions and demographics.

Content

The dataset includes the following key sources:

WHO Suicide Rate Data (SDGSUICIDE): Retrieved from WHO data export, which tracks global suicide rates. Social Media Usage Data: Information from major social media platforms, sourced from Kaggle, supplemented with data from:

Facebook: Statista

Twitter: Twitter Investor Relations

Instagram: Facebook Investor Relations

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge:

World Health Organization (WHO): For providing global suicide rate data, accessible under their data policy (WHO Data Policy). Kaggle Dataset Contributors: For social media usage data that played a crucial role in the analysis.

Usage

This dataset is useful for studying the potential social factors contributing to suicide rates, especially the role of social media. Analysts can explore correlations using time-series analysis, regression models, or other statistical tools to derive meaningful insights. Please ensure compliance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Data Files

Impact-of-social-media-on-suicide-rates-results-1.1.0.zip (90.9 kB) Contains processed results and supplementary data.

Citations

If you use this dataset in your work, please cite:

Martin Winkler. (2021). Impact of social media on suicide rates: produced results (1.1.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4701587 https://zenodo.org/records/4701587

License

This dataset is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license. You are free to share and adapt the material, provided proper attribution is given, it's not used for commercial purposes, and any derivatives are distributed under the same license.

Columns

Year: The year of the recorded data. Sex: Demographic indicator (e.g., male, female). Suicide Rate % Change Since 2010: Percentage change in suicide rates compared to the year 2010. Twitter User Count % Change Since 2010: Percentage change in Twitter user counts compared to the year 2010. Facebook User Count % Change Since 2010: Percentage change in Facebook user counts compared to the year 2010.

Data Bins

The dataset includes categorized data ranges, allowing for analysis of trends within specified intervals. For example, ranges for suicide rates, Twitter user counts, and Facebook user counts are represented in bins for better granularity.

Count Summary

The dataset summarizes counts for various intervals, enabling researchers to identify trends and patterns over time, highlighting periods of significant change or stability in both suicide rates and social media usage.

Use Cases

This dataset can be used for:

Statistical analysis to understand correlations between social media usage and mental health outcomes. Academic research focused on public health, psychology, or sociology. Policy-making discussions aimed at addressing mental health concerns linked to social media.

Cautions

The dataset contains sensitive information regarding suicide rates. Users should handle this data with care and sensitivity, considering ethical implications when presenting findings.

This statistic shows estimated age-standardized suicide rates worldwide in 2012, sorted by income group as defined by the World Health Organization for its member states. For that year, the WHO estimated that there were around 11.4 suicides per every 100 thousand population worldwide. More than 80 percent of all suicides globally were conducted in poorer member states.

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;

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.

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.

Jordan JO: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data was reported at 2.200 NA in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 2.200 NA for 2015. Jordan JO: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 2.200 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.600 NA in 2000 and a record low of 2.100 NA in 2010. Jordan JO: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Jordan – Table JO.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;

Over *** 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 ****** million people worldwide suffered from some kind of depressive disorder. Furthermore, over ** 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 ******* 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 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.

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;

Canada CA: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data was reported at 7.000 NA in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 7.000 NA for 2015. Canada CA: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 7.000 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.100 NA in 2010 and a record low of 6.500 NA in 2000. Canada CA: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.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;

Panama PA: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data was reported at 7.400 NA in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.500 NA for 2015. Panama PA: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 8.600 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10.700 NA in 2005 and a record low of 6.500 NA in 2015. Panama PA: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Panama – Table PA.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;

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 ***.

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.

Mexico MX: Suicide Mortality Rate: per 100,000 Population data was reported at 5.100 NA in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5.600 NA for 2015. Mexico MX: Suicide Mortality Rate: per 100,000 Population data is updated yearly, averaging 4.600 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.600 NA in 2015 and a record low of 3.600 NA in 2000. Mexico MX: 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 Mexico – Table MX.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;