In this article, we will take a look at the top 25 suicidal countries in the world. You can skip our detailed analysis of depression, isolation, and suicide, and go directly to the Top 5 Suicidal Countries in the World.
Depression, isolation, and suicides have all grown drastically in the midst of the worst pandemic in a century. To prevent the spread of Covid-19, billions of people over the world were forced to go into lockdowns; they were not permitted to leave the house except for basic requirements, and this lasted for months and still is in place in some countries.
The latest World Health Organization (WHO) Mortality Database is a useful resource to look at global suicide rates among teenagers aged 15 to 19. Out of the 130 WHO member nations, data for this age group was available for 90 countries (in some cases territories). Suicide among adolescents is always a serious and tough subject. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows trends in suicide attempts from 2009 to 2019, broken down by sex, race/ethnicity, and grade. Suicide attempts massively increased among female, non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and 12th-grade students from 2009 to 2019. Based on the most recent year’s statistics, the mean suicide rate for this age group was 7.4 per 100,000.
As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third greatest cause of mortality among teenagers and young adults. According to the WHO, a suicide occurs every 40 seconds somewhere on the planet. While the majority of countries with high suicide rates are impoverished, a surprising number of highly developed and wealthy countries also feature prominently in such lists. About 800,000 individuals die by suicide annually, which is more than double the number of people who die by homicide.
Photo by Jonathan Rados on Unsplash
Our Methodology
We went through the World Bank data and estimated the suicide fatality rate per 100,000 population over the average of 2000-2019 to rank the countries with the highest suicide rates.
With this context in mind, let’s now take a look at the top 25 suicidal countries in the world.
Top 25 Suicidal Countries in the World
25. Sudan
Suicide Mortality Rate: 3.8
Sudan, one of Africa’s largest countries, is known for ethnic tensions, regular human rights violations, a high rate of slavery, crime, and corruption.
Mental health experts recommend reaching out to communities near you or to suicide prevention groups on platforms like Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB), Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) and Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL) in case you feel major depression or suicidal thoughts. Governments around the world are also offering 24-hour suicide prevention hotlines.
24. South Sudan
Suicide Mortality Rate: 3.9
Every year, some 2,000 people in South Sudan, a country ravaged by its civil wars and disputes, choose to end their lives deliberately. Displaced individuals, refugees, the unemployed, warriors, and former soldiers, according to the WHO, are especially susceptible to suicides, and the prevalence rates are even higher in South Sudan.
23. The United Republic of Tanzania
Suicide Mortality Rate: 4.3
Severe issues such as poverty, malnutrition, crime, a lack of medical facilities, the spread of HIV infection add to the country’s high suicide rate. Suicidal tendencies are unfortunately common even among youngsters and school-going children, who frequently attempt suicide because of family troubles, stress, educational failures, and other factors.
22. Bhutan
Suicide Mortality Rate: 4.6
Bhutan is a country that most individuals would be surprised to see on this list because it promotes a government policy of Gross National Happiness. In Bhutan, 34 out of 100,000 people commit suicide. Tibetan Buddhism is the predominant religion in Bhutan and talking about suicide and how to deal with it is considered taboo. Bhutanese of Nepalese descent make a substantial contribution to this country’s unfortunate statistics.
Mental health experts recommend reaching out to communities near you or to suicide prevention groups on platforms like Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB), Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) and Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL) in case you feel major depression or suicidal thoughts. Governments around the world are also offering 24-hour suicide prevention hotlines.
21. Uganda
Suicide Mortality Rate: 4.6
Even though the economics and living situations in Uganda are not as worse as in many other African countries, the number of people who commit suicide is staggering. Depression, mental anxiety, interpersonal issues, unemployment, bad housing, and health problems are some of the most likely causes for people in the region behind committing suicide.
20. Comoros
Suicide Mortality Rate: 5.4
Comoros, an East African country located in the Indian Ocean between northeast Mozambique and northern Madagascar, is one of many African countries where people frequently commit suicide. Due to an unrestrained history marked by civil wars, the country has been suffering from poverty, resulting in almost half of the population living below the poverty line.
19. Turkmenistan
Suicide Mortality Rate: 5.7
Suicides contribute to 2% of the overall death toll in the Central Asian country of Turkmenistan. The number of individuals that attempt suicide is greater than the number of people who die in car crashes or from certain forms of cancer.
Mental health experts recommend reaching out to communities near you or to suicide prevention groups on platforms like Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB), Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) and Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL) in case you feel major depression or have suicidal thoughts. Governments around the world are also offering 24-hour suicide prevention hotlines.
18. Burundi
Suicide Mortality Rate: 6.2
Burundi in East Africa is among the world’s poorest, neediest, and underdeveloped countries. Locals are susceptible to suicide because of wars, corruption, famine, poor schooling, and inadequate health care. Every year, more than 23 Burundians commit suicide out of a population of 100,000. Men are about three times as likely as women to commit suicide.
17. Nepal
Suicide Mortality Rate: 9.0
Nepal has consistently ranked among the areas with the highest suicide rate, and there is a growing trend in this country’s suicidal conduct. Over the years, the rate of suicidal behaviors among Nepalese women has risen dramatically, with 20 women per 100,000 attempting suicide every year.
16. North Korea
Suicide Mortality Rate: 9.4
North Korea, South Korea’s northern neighbor, fared considerably worse in the WHO data. More than 10,000 North Koreans commit suicide each year, primarily due to the country’s notoriously strict atmosphere, human rights violations, economic hardship, and stress. There have also been instances where entire families have committed suicide to escape the authoritarian regime’s sanctions.
Mental health experts recommend reaching out to communities near you or to suicide prevention groups on platforms like Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB), Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) and Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL) in case you feel major depression or have suicidal thoughts. Governments around the world are also offering 24-hour suicide prevention hotlines.
15. Poland
Suicide Mortality Rate: 11.8
In Poland, a Central European country with a population of about 40 million people, 11.8 persons per 100,000 commit suicide. Locals rarely leave any suicide notes behind, so it is impossible to pinpoint the most typical reasons for this heinous crime. Nevertheless, we do understand that Poland has a significant gap in the number of men and women who commit suicide.
14. India
Suicide Mortality Rate: 12.7
The recent statistics of how often Indians commit suicide each year vary considerably, however, some reports indicate that it could be as high as 200,000 per year. The most common method of suicide in India is poisoning, preceded by hanging and self-immolation. Family and health issues account for about half of all suicides in India.
13. Mozambique
Suicide Mortality Rate: 13.6
More than 27 out of 100,000 people in Mozambique choose to end their life through suicide. Mozambicans have a low life expectancy due to lack of medical care. AIDS, HIV, or any other ailments also add to the country’s exceptionally high suicide rate, with more than 3,000 individuals committing suicide each year.
Mental health experts recommend reaching out to communities near you or to suicide prevention groups on platforms like Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB), Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) and Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL) in case you feel major depression or have suicidal thoughts. Governments around the world are also offering 24-hour suicide prevention hotlines.
12. Sri Lanka
Suicide Mortality Rate: 14.0
Sri Lanka’s inclusion in the list is surprising. The number of suicide victims in Sri Lanka has been steadily increasing with no evident causes since the country’s independence in 1948. The most common methods of suicide in the region are hanging and poisoning.
11. Zimbabwe
Suicide Mortality Rate: 14.1
In Zimbabwe, the population lives in great poverty due to the government’s flawed economic policies. Locals who are suffering from starvation, HIV/AIDS, and poverty often turn to suicide as a last resort.
10. Japan
Suicide Mortality Rate: 15.3
Japan, one of the world’s most developed, sophisticated, and wealthy countries, has struggled to cope with an extraordinarily high suicide rate. Suicide is the biggest cause of mortality among men between the ages of 20 and 44, with unemployment, stress, and social pressure all playing a role.
9. Hungary
Suicide Mortality Rate: 16.6
Hungary had the highest rate of suicide around the world throughout the second half of the twentieth century. Although the number of Hungarians who commit suicide has declined over the last decade, Hungary still remains one of the most suicidal countries in Europe, with more than 19 persons per 100,000 killings themselves.
Mental health experts recommend reaching out to communities near you or to suicide prevention groups on platforms like Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB), Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) and Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL) in case you feel major depression or have suicidal thoughts. Governments around the world are also offering 24-hour suicide prevention hotlines.
8. Kazakhstan
Suicide Mortality Rate: 17.6
According to a 2011 WHO estimate, Kazakhstan accounts for 3.23 percent of all people who die by suicide each year around the world. Suicide is a big problem in this country, especially among young people and students.
7. Belarus
Suicide Mortality Rate: 21.2
Annually, over 2,000 individuals commit suicide in Belarus, an Eastern European republic bordering Russia, which is a higher amount than the number of people killed in car accidents. Suicide rates are high mainly in the small towns or rural areas around the country.
6. Ukraine
Suicide Mortality Rate: 21.6
Even though the frequency of suicide victims has steadily declined in recent years, Ukraine still remains one of the world’s most suicidal countries. The majority of the suicides are attributed to military members, accounting for more than half of the total deaths. Hanging is the most common means of suicide, followed by cutting and falling from heights.
Mental health experts recommend reaching out to communities near you or to suicide prevention groups on platforms like Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB), Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) and Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL) in case you feel major depression or have suicidal thoughts. Governments around the world are also offering 24-hour suicide prevention hotlines.
Click to continue reading and see the Top 5 Suicidal Countries in the World.
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Disclosure: None. Top 25 Suicidal Countries in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.
