EDITORIAL
Startling suicide statistics in India: Time for urgent action
Om P. Singh1,2,
1
Professor of Psychiatry, WBMES, 2Consultant Psychiatrist, AMRI Hospitals, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
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The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released
data on suicidal deaths in India in August, 2022 and the
figures were startling. A total of 1,64,033 suicides were
reported in the country in 2021 which is an increase of
7.2% in comparison to the previous year in terms of total
numbers. In terms of rate of suicide, India reported a
rate of 12 (per lakh population) and this rate reflects a
6.2% increase during 2021 over 2020.[1] The number
reported is the highest ever recorded in the country since
inception of reporting of suicides by the NCRB in 1967.
This is a genuine cause of concern. A majority of suicides
were reported in Maharashtra followed by Tamil Nadu,
Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Karnataka. These five
states together accounted for 50.4% of the total suicides
reported in the country. In terms of rates of suicides,
Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported the highest rate of
suicide (39.7) followed by Sikkim (39.2), Puducherry (31.8),
Telangana (26.9) and Kerala (26.9). Family problems and
illness were the major causes of suicides as per the report.
The overall male‑to‑female ratio of suicide victims for
the year 2021 was 72.5:27.4, which is more compared to
that of the year 2020 (70.9:29.1).[1] Thus, the rate of male
suicides increased further last year. One of the reasons
could be rising unemployment and economic downslide
following the pandemic. Male members, being the major
bread‑earners of the family, bore the maximum brunt of
economic debacle through pay cuts, interruptions of
payment or, in worst cases, loss of jobs. This is further
supported by the fact that out of a total of 1,18,979 male
suicides, the maximum number of suicides were carried
out by daily wage earners followed by self‑ employed
persons. Daily wage earners constituted the third position
even among female suicide victims. Again, among the
total number of suicides by people in the farming sector,
50% was constituted by agricultural laborers. The financial
instability that severely affected daily wage earners—many
of whom migrate from other states—during the pandemic
due to lockdown and subsequent unavailability of work
seems to have taken its toll. Thus, government policies
aimed at suicide prevention should take a serious look at
Address for correspondence: Dr. Om P. Singh,
Department of Psychiatry, WBMES, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
AMRI Hospitals, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
E‑mail: opsingh.nm@gmail.com
Submitted: 03‑Oct‑2022,  Accepted: 03‑Oct‑2022,
Published: 12-Oct-2022
© 2022 Indian Journal of Psychiatry | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow
the damage caused by the economic downturn and make
serious efforts to address this issue.
Among the females who committed suicide, the
highest number involved “Marriage Related Issues”
(specifically “Dowry Related Issues”) and in terms of profession,
homemakers constituted the highest number. Thus, social
issues including gender inequality and dowry practices
continue to make marriage stressful to Indian women rather
than protective as portrayed by Western studies.[2]
The age group of 18 to <30 years and persons of 30
to <45 years of age accounted for 34.5% and 31.7% of total
suicides, respectively. A significant proportion of these
individuals were students. As many as 13,039 students died
of suicide. The highest percentage of suicides consistently
occurring in the young, productive population of the
country over the years calls for serious action from the
Union and the State governments.
When we take a look at the economic status of the suicide
victims, 64.2% (1,05,242) were having annual income of
less than Rs. 1 lakh. This income bracket has consistently
contributed the highest percentage of persons who die by
suicide every year.
Once we look at the overall picture, the areas of concern
include financial problems, suicide in young adults, daily
laborers, and marriage‑related stressors in women victims.
Thus, policies focusing on the economically marginalized
section of the society should be an area of major focus if
we need to bring down suicide in this group. Employment
generation and a stable source of income for daily wage
earners, including a chunk of migrant laborers, could go a
long way in reducing suicidal deaths in this group. Academic
failures and relationship issues dominate the causes of
suicide in the young. Other causes reported in literature
include substance abuse and impulsivity. Introduction of
supplementary exams in schools in Chennai was shown to be
successful in reducing suicides in schoolchildren. A similar
model could be adopted in other parts of the country.
Regulation of sale of harmful pesticides has shown initial
favorable outcome in Kerala in terms of reduction of suicide
rates.[3] Likewise, provision of safe storage of pesticides has
been found effective in Tamil Nadu and can be followed
across the country.[4] Policies regarding regulation of sale
of alcohol to minors must be framed and properly adhered
431
 Singh: Suicide statistics in India

to. Strict implementation of such policies could go a long on 2022 Sep 10].

way in preventing suicides in the young student population.
Untreated mental illness contributes no less than half of
suicidal deaths in the country. Efforts to reduce the mental
health gap should be carried out at all levels. Training of
general physicians in mental health and suicide prevention
could be one of the most effective ways for increasing
detection of suicidal behavior at the level of physicians and
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2. Vijayakumar L. Suicide in women. Indian J Psychiatry 2015;57:S233‑8.
3. Bonvoisin T, Utyasheva L, Knipe D, Gunnell D, Eddleston M. Suicide by
pesticide poisoning in India: A review of pesticide regulations and their
impact on suicide trends. BMC Public Health 2020;20:251.
4. Vijayakumar L, Jeyaseelan L, Kumar S, Mohanraj R, Devika S,
Manikandan S. A central storage facility to reduce pesticide suicides‑‑a
feasibility study from India. BMC Public Health 2013;13:850.

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ensuring proper referral and treatment. Finally, the country
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needs a well‑designed national policy on suicide prevention which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non‑commercially,
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come in force at all levels: country, state, districts, cities,
towns, villages, and the entire community. Reduction of
death from non‑communicable diseases and promoting
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mental health is one of the targets of the World Health
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Organization’s (WHO’s) Sustainable Development Goal Website:
on “Good Health and Well‑being” to be achieved by 2030 www.indianjpsychiatry.org
and India is a signatory to these global goals. Suicide,
being one of the highest contributors to deaths from
non‑communicable diseases, a national policy on suicide DOI:

prevention is an urgent step in fulfilling India’s commitment 10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_665_22

to health in general and mental health in particular and

towards fulfilling WHO’s Sustainable Development Goals.

REFERENCES How to cite this article: Singh OP. Startling suicide

statistics in India: Time for urgent action. Indian J Psychiatry
1. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. National 2022;64:431-2.
Crime Records Bureau. Available from: http://ncrb.gov.in/. [Last accessed

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432 Indian Journal of Psychiatry Volume 64, Issue 5, September-October 2022