Suicide Prevention: How many people commit suicide in India? Stats inside
NCRB Data reveals an increase in the number of suicide deaths in India
Highlights:
- The significant difference between the male & female suicide ratio
- Reasons for farmers’ suicide
- Reasons for suicide people in general
- Methods of Suicide people usually Adopt
- Suicides around the world
In continuing our suicide prevention initiative, we are here with the third article in the series. It will focus on the various stats/numbers related to suicide in India and worldwide.
Talks around suicide have increased in India since the death of Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput. Since then, some other known people, including Bhojpuri star Anupama Pathak, TV actor Sameer Sharma, TV actor Preksha Mehta, TV actor Manmeet Grewal, TV actor Sameer Sharma and a famous teenager Tik-Toker famed girl, have also committed suicide.
As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, the country reported 381 deaths due to suicide every day in 2019. The total number of reported deaths due to suicide in the year 2019 was 1.39,123. It was more than 3.4% more than in 2018 suicidal deaths. 1,34,516 people lost their lives in 2018 and 1,29,887 died in 2017. Experts on the subject believe the number will increase this year due to the global pandemic and its economic repercussions.
Read More- Suicide Prevention: Why do people commit suicide? Expert Unveils 4 Reasons
The significant difference between the male & female suicide ratio
NCRB, which collects data from police recorded cases, indicated that men committed 70.2% of the suicides. Women accounted for the rest of 29.8% of suicides in 2019.
The data also outlined that 12.6% of the victims were illiterate, 16.3 %were educated up to the primary level, 19.6 % to the secondary level, and 23.3 % to the matric level. A mere 3.7 % of the suicide victims were graduates or above.
Read More- Suicide Prevention: 5 NGOs that are helping in suicide prevention
Reasons for farmers’ suicide
Farmers are always discussed whenever we talk about suicides in India. The data showed that 10,281 farmers committed suicide in the year 2019. Even though the situation is alarming for our crop-growers, the number of farmers suicide came down by 68 from 2018. Farmers accounted for 7.4 % of suicidal deaths in 2019. On the other hand, suicide among daily-wage earners was higher. 32,500 daily-wage earners committed suicide in the year 2019. The report added that 10,281 farmers – cultivators and farm labourers – committed suicide in 2019, accounting for 23% of the total suicides.
Reasons for suicide people in general
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) estimates that 1 in every 3 of 1,39,123 people who died by suicide in 2019 took the step because of family problems. Substance use and being ill were the other major known causes. Together they accounted for 23%. Indebtedness or bankruptcy, poverty, and unemployment led to the suicides of 11,500 people, which is about 8.2%.
Methods of Suicide people usually Adopt
Hanging (53.9 %) was the most prominent means of suicide, followed by consuming poison at 25.8 %, drowning at 5.2%, and self-immolation at 3.8%.
Suicides around the world
According to the World Health Organization, around 8,00,000 people die daily due to suicide worldwide. WHO estimated in 2016 said that suicide is responsible for more deaths than breast cancer, malaria, homicide, or war. It is also the second leading cause of death amongst 15-29 years old people. Around 2,00,000 people in the age group of 15-29 died due to committing suicide in 2016.
As per the WHO’s claim, India’s suicide rate was 16.5 suicide per 1 lakh population, and the country had the highest suicide rate in the South-East region in 2016.
