In this article, we will be taking a look at the 30 countries with the highest suicide rates in the world. To skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to see the 5 countries with the highest suicide rates in the world.
Suicide is one of the biggest concerns facing the world right now, with over 700,000 people committing suicide every single year. The global cost of this is astronomically high with the University of Manchester stating that every single suicide in the UK costs approximately £1.67 million, which means that just 300 fewer suicides in the country could result in savings of over £500 million. Meanwhile, in the U.S., which is one of the countries with the highest suicide rates in the world, the CDC estimates that suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the country, with the suicide rate increasing by 35% from 1999 to 2018, resulting in nearly 50,000 deaths in just 2018 alone. The organization also estimates that suicide and suicide attempts in the country cost the U.S. an astronomical $70 billion every single year based on lifetime work-loss and medical costs. While considering economic costs and lost output helps us identify realistically the cost of suicides, the actual impact is much higher, considering how every single suicide is the loss of hope in a person, and the pain and anguish that those close to the suicide victim go through cannot be assessed.
There are various factors contributing to suicide; lack of access to healthcare, especially mental healthcare is one of the biggest reasons, with therapy often being either too expensive or too stigmatized, and a history of mental illness including depression is likely to increase the risk of suicide, especially in the cities with the highest depression rates in the U.S. In less developed countries on the other hand, there can be additional contributing factors such as higher poverty rates and being unable to have access to even basic necessities, which is why there are several developing nations among the countries with the highest suicide rates in the world.
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Mental health is one of the biggest contributors to suicides, especially untreated mental illnesses. Recognizing this, many companies are emerging in the mental health space. One of the biggest such companies is Better Health, an American company established a decade ago and has currently facilitated more than 5 million video sessions and tens of thousands of certified therapists provide help to millions of people. Another such company is Headspace, which aims to support mental health through science-backed medication and mindfulness tools. Currently, Headspace is used in 190 countries and boasts more than 70 million users.
One of the biggest contributors to an increase in suicide rates right now is social media. While social media has made the world more connected than ever before, the negatives brought on by an increase in usage, especially among adolescents and teenagers, cannot be understated. There have been several studies linking the relationship between increased social media usage and a rise in suicide attempts amongst the younger population, with one such study considering “Associations Between Social Media and Suicidal Behaviors During a Youth Suicide Cluster in Ohio”. A suicide cluster, according to the CDC, refers to ” a group of suicides, suicide attempts, or self-harm events that occur closer together in time and space than would normally be expected in a given community”. The study mentioned social media’s influence on teenagers, and that social media has an opportunity to improve suicide prevention, regardless of whether suicidal youth have a greater disposition towards posts related to suicide or whether suicidality is encourage by content pertaining to suicide. The study further went on to state that more importance needs to be given to social media’s influence on on suicidal behaviors, just as ascertaining the same for traditional media led to suicide rates in younger people dropping. While many suicide prevention organizations have already proposed safe suicide reporting, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has also developed a toolkit which aims to help digital community managers quickly identify and respond to suicidal content online. One example by another study of how social media can influence suicidality is that media reporting on deaths by suicide of celebrities resulted in an increase of 2.6 suicides per million people in the month following the celebrity death reports.
In response, social media companies have devised strategies to counter misinformation. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META), one of the most valuable social media companies in the world and owner of various popular social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, works with suicide prevention experts to provide support to the community, which includes providing resources for crisis support for anyone struggling with suicidal or self-harming thoughts. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) has also banned any celebration or promotion of suicide or self-harm, though discussions are still allowed in order to raise awareness and allow the community to seek support from one another.
One of the reasons why some countries have higher suicide rates is easy access to firearms. Guns might not be the most common method of attempting suicide but they are definitely the most lethal, and about 85% of all suicide attempts through firearms result in death. This is also one of the reasons why the U.S. is among the countries with the highest suicide rates because firearms are easily accessible and the U.S. has the higher per capita ownership of firearms of any country in the world. In fact, according to KFF, more than half of firearm deaths are suicides. KFF also discovered that more than twice as many suicides occurred in U.S. states which had the fewest gun control laws. One potential solution especially in the countries with the highest suicide rates in the world is to enact stricter gun control, as that makes it more difficult to successfully carry out a harmful thought. However, gun companies are fighting even existing legislation and tougher gun laws could impact major gun companies.
Methodology
To determine the countries with the highest suicide rates in the world, we obtained data from the World Bank. For each countries, we calculated the average suicide rate per 100,000 over the past 5 years, thus accounting for any peaks or troughs in any particular period or year. Surprisingly, many European companies make our list, though a factor in this may be that in developing countries, such statistics are often underreported.
30. Moldova
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 15.22
A lack of mental health facilities in Moldova have exacerbated the situation in the country, and without proper treatment, mental illnesses can lead to suicides.
29. Finland
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 15.32
Despite being considered among the happiest countries in the world, Finland also sees a greater number of suicides with weather playing a major part, as winters are long, dark and depressing in the Nordic country.
28. Austria
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 15.44
Despite being an affluent country, Austria is still facing a high suicide rate and people living at moderate altitudes in the country could be a contributing factor.
27. United States of America
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 15.44
Despite being among the nations with the most suicides, suicide rates vary drastically from state to state.
26. Zimbabwe
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 15.58
Mental health issues are yet to be fully understood and treated in Zimbabwe, and access to healthcare is already quite difficult, all of which contribute to higher suicide rates.
25. Estonia
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 16.1
Depressing weather and significantly high alcohol consumption are factors linked to a higher suicide rate in Estonia.
24. Croatia
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 16.5
Despite such a high prevalence of suicide, Croatia is still yet to adopt a national strategy to prevent suicides, making it one of the countries with the highest suicide rates.
23. Japan
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 17.12
Culture plays a strong role in high suicide rates in Japan, and its history of “honorable suicide” continues to hold sway even today.
22. Botswana
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 17.54
Botswana severely lacks youth-friendly services and mental health services because of which suicide rates are quite high.
21. Hungary
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 18.08
Despite Hungary being among the countries with the highest suicide rates in the world, its suicide rate is drastically declining and it may drop from this list soon.
20. Vanuatu
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 18.08
One of the reasons why suicide rates are relatively high in the Pacific Islands is due to substance abuse and suicide ideation, and the same holds true for Vanuatu.
19. Belgium
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 18.76
Belgium has one of the highest suicide rates in the world in the developed world, with many people still reluctant to seek mental help, while the ratio of counselors and psychiatrists to the overall population is quite low.
18. Mongolia
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 19.16
Mongolia has one of the highest youth suicide rates in East Asia, and a lack of quality mental health and psychological support contribute to such high suicide rates.
17. Slovenia
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 19.7
Cultural conflict is said to contribute to high suicide rates in Slovenia.
16. Kazakhstan
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 20.46
In Kazakhstan, young people are especially susceptible to suicide with bullying being one of the contributing reasons.
15. Latvia
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 20.5
The Baltics have been dealing with high suicide rates for decades and Latvia continues the trend.
14. Uruguay
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 20.58
Uruguay has the highest suicide rate in South America, with social institutions in the country that fostered communities weakening in recent years.
13. Montenegro
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 20.96
Montenegro’s high suicide rate is said to be driven by poor and unstable socioeconomic conditions in the country.
12. Ukraine
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 21.42
While Ukraine’s suicide rate has been historically high, statistics in the coming years are likely to paint an even bleaker picture considering the toll of suicides on troops in the country trying to defend themselves from Russian aggression.
11. Belarus
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 23.16
High levels of alcohol consumptions are said to contribute to Belarus being counted among the countries with the highest suicide rates. Additionally, poor living conditions exacerbated by Western sanctions after Belarus’s support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could see higher suicide rates in the coming years.
10. South Africa
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 24.34
South Africa has one of the most unequal societies in the world based on the Gini coefficient, and high poverty and lack of opportunities contribute to its relatively high suicide rate, which has fluctuated in recent years.
9. Suriname
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 24.92
Dysfunctional families and domestic violence are major contributors to high suicide rates in Suriname, with the Indian population in Suriname much more susceptible to suicide.
8. Micronesia
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 27.62
Suicide rates in Micronesia have actually increased in the past 5 years, though its history of higher suicide rates began in the 1960s after the U.S. began an economic modernization program to allow Micronesia political independence.
7. Korea, Rep.
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 27.64
Suicide has been the number one cause of death in South Korea for young people since 2007, and a lot more needs to be done if South Korea doesn’t want to be considered among the countries with the highest suicide rates in the world.
6. Russian Federation
5 year average suicide rate per 100,000: 28.68
While Russia’s recent suicide rate is much better than in 1995 when it was 41.4, it is still a major issue with low standards of living in the country being a major contributor to high suicide rates.
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Disclosure: None. 30 countries with the highest suicide rates in the world is originally published on Insider Monkey.