List of countries by suicide rate

The following are lists of countries by estimated suicide rates as published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other sources. In many countries, suicide rates are underreported due to social stigma, cultural or legal concerns. Thus, these figures may not reflect actual suicide rates, which are unknown in many countries. The global total of suicide deaths decreased from an estimated 762,000 in 2000 to 717,000 in 2021, which is 9.1 deaths per 100,000 population. In high-income countries, male and female rates of suicidal behaviors differ compared to the rest of the world: while women are reportedly more prone to suicidal thoughts, rates of suicide are higher among men, which has been described as a "silent epidemic". In 2021, the global rate of suicide deaths for men was 12.3 per 100,000, more than double the rate for women, which stood at 5.9 per 100,000 population. However, the sex disparity was uneven across regions, with a male-to-female ratio ranging from as low as 1.4 in the Southeast Asia Region to nearly 4.0 in the Region of the Americas.

In much of the world, suicide is stigmatized and condemned for religious or cultural reasons. In some countries, suicidal behavior is a criminal offense punishable by law. Suicide is therefore often a secretive act surrounded by taboo, and may be unrecognized, misclassified, or deliberately hidden in official records of death.As such, suicide rates may be higher than measured, with men more at risk of dying by suicide than women across nearly all cultures and backgrounds. Suicide prevention and intervention is an important topic for all peoples, according to the WHO.

Countries and territories by suicide rate Background

Suicide rates vary by country but occurs in all regions of the world. In a 2024 WHO report, 73% of reported suicides were in low and middle-income countries. Mental illness and suicide are linked, though many suicides are impulsive and occur due to crisis. Groups subject to discrimination, including refugees, indigenous populations, and LGBTQ people, experience high suicide rates. Societal and cultural taboos around the discussion of topics of suicide and lack of quality suicide data are impeding factors in suicide prevention. Suicide prevention includes such measures as restricting access to methods, responsible media reporting, and treatment and assessment of suicidal people.

Analysis

Male and female suicide rates are out of the total male population and total female population, respectively, i.e. total number of male suicides divided by the total male population. Age-standardized rates account for the influence that different population age distributions might have on the analysis of crude death rates, statistically addressing the prevailing trends by age-groups and populations' structures, to enhance long term cross-national comparability. Based on age-groups' deviation from standardized population structures, rates are rounded up or down (age-adjustment). Basically, the presence of younger individuals in any given age structure carries more weight. If the rate is rounded up, that means the median age is lower than average for that region or country, and vice versa when rounded down. Most countries listed above report a higher male suicide rate. Worldwide, there are about 3 male suicides out of 4, or a factor of 3:1. For example, the ratio in the United States was 3.36 in 2015, and 3.53 in 2016. Though age-standardization is common statistical process to categorize mortality data for comparing purposes, this approach by WHO is based on estimates which take into account issues such as under-reporting, resulting in rates differing from the official national statistics prepared and endorsed by individual countries. Revisions are also performed periodically. Age-adjusted rates are mortality rates that would have existed if all populations under study had the same age distribution as a "standard" population. Plain, crude estimated rates are available at here and here. Countries with a population less than 100 000 are excluded. Countries with large internal discrepancies are complicated to assess. Canada, a country with a comparatively low suicide rate overall at 10.3 incidents per 100,000 people in 2016, exhibits one such discrepancy. When comparing the suicide rate of Indigenous peoples in Canada, the rate of suicide increases to 24.3 incidents per 100,000 people in 2016, a rate among the ten highest in the world. There are numerous differences in living standards and income that contribute to this phenomenon, classed as an epidemic in Canada.

List by other sources and years (1985–2023)

In the list below various sources from various years are included, mixing plain crude rates with age-adjusted rates and estimated rates, so cross-national comparability is somewhat skewed. * indicates "Suicide in COUNTRY or TERRITORY" or "Mental Health in COUNTRY or TERRITORY" links.

See also Epidemiology of suicide Gender differences in suicide Suicide in the military List of countries by intentional death rate List of countries by intentional homicide rate List of countries by life expectancy List of suicide crisis lines

Explanatory notes

The updated figure of suicide rates in Belgium for 2011 is 2,084 with a total population of 10,933,607, equivalent to 18.96 per 100,000 inhabitants (source: Het Nieuwsblad, 10 April 2014). Taiwan is not a member of the WHO. The Taiwanese government adopted the WHO standard in 2007. According to the Taiwanese government's self-released data, the figure is standardized based upon the population within Taiwan.

References

External links Suicide data and rates published by the World Health Organization (WHO).