Suicide is a major national public health issue in the India. 1.71 lakh suicides were recorded in 2022, registering a 4.2% increase over 2021 and a jump of 27% compared to 2018. The rate of suicide per one lakh population has increased to 12.4 in 2022 which is the highest rate of deaths from suicides since 1967, which is the earliest recorded year for this data.[1][2][3] Suicides during 2022 increased by 27% in comparison to 2018 with India reporting highest number of suicides in the world.[4] India's contribution to global suicide deaths increased from 25.3% in 1990 to 36.6% in 2016 among women, and from 18.7% to 24.3% among men.[5] In 2016, suicide was the most common cause of death in both the age groups of 15–29 years and 15–39 years.[6] Daily wage earners accounted for 26% of suicide victims, the largest group in the suicide data.[7][8]
The male-to-female suicide ratio in 2021 was 72.5 : 27.4.[9]
Estimates for number of suicides in India vary. For example, a study published in The Lancet projected 187,000 suicides in India in 2010,[10] while official data by the Government of India claims 134,600 suicides in the same year.[11] Similarly, for 2019, while NCRB reported India's suicide rate to be 10.4, according to WHO data, the estimated age-standardized suicide rate in India for the same year is 12.9. They have estimated it to be 11.1 for women and 14.7 for men.[12]