List of countries by suicide rate



The following are lists of countries by estimated suicide rates as published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other sources.

In many countries, suicide rates are underreported due to social stigma, cultural or legal concerns. Thus, these figures cannot be used to compare real suicide rates, which are unknown in most countries.

As of 2016, there was an estimated global suicide rate of 10.5 per 100,000 population down from 11.6 in 2008. In high-income modernized countries male and female rates of suicidal behaviors differ much compared to those in the rest of the world: while women are reportedly more prone to suicidal thoughts, rates of suicide are higher among men, which has been described as a "silent epidemic".

A study in 2019 found that between 1990 and 2016 global age-standardized suicide rates fell by a third; the rates in 2016 were about 16 deaths per 100,000 men and 7 deaths per 100,000 women. Women experienced a greater decrease compared with men over the study period.

"In much of the world, suicide is stigmatized and condemned for religious or cultural reasons. In some countries, suicidal behavior is a criminal offence punishable by law. Suicide is therefore often a secretive act surrounded by taboo, and may be unrecognized, misclassified or deliberately hidden in official records of death."As such, suicide rates may be higher than measured, with men more at risk of dying by suicide than women across nearly all cultures and backgrounds. Suicide prevention and intervention is an important topic for all peoples, according to the WHO.

Countries and territories by suicide rate
Suicide rates vary significantly across different countries and territories, influenced by factors such as socio-economic conditions, cultural attitudes, mental health services, and societal pressures. This statistical measure is typically expressed as the number of suicides per 100,000 inhabitants per year. Understanding these rates is crucial for developing targeted mental health interventions and policies.

Highest Rates
Countries with the highest suicide rates often face severe economic challenges, limited access to mental health care, and social stigma around mental health issues. For instance, countries in Eastern Europe and parts of Asia historically report high suicide rates. Notable examples include Lithuania, Russia, and South Korea. These regions may experience high levels of stress, alcohol abuse, and historical factors contributing to elevated suicide rates.

Lowest Rates
Conversely, some countries with the lowest suicide rates may have strong social support systems, accessible mental health care, and cultural factors that discourage suicide. Examples include countries in the Mediterranean region, some Caribbean nations, and select Middle Eastern countries. Nations like Greece, and Kuwait report some of the lowest suicide rates globally.

However, some countries with little or no access to mental health care also have very low suicide rates.

Data Collection and Reporting
Suicide data is collected through various means, including national health records, police reports, and surveys. The accuracy of this data can vary due to differences in reporting standards and societal stigma associated with suicide. Organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Burden of Disease Study regularly publish and update suicide statistics.

Prevention Efforts
Efforts to reduce suicide rates include improving mental health services, implementing public health campaigns to reduce stigma, and creating supportive environments for individuals in distress. Countries with comprehensive mental health strategies, such as Norway and New Zealand, have seen success in reducing suicide rates through these measures.

Analysis
Male and female suicide rates are out of total male population and total female population, respectively (i.e. total number of male suicides divided by total male population). Age-standardized rates account for the influence that different population age distributions might have on the analysis of crude death rates, statistically addressing the prevailing trends by age-groups and populations' structures, to enhance long term cross-national comparability: based on age-groups' deviation from standardized population structures, rates are rounded up or down (age-adjustment). Basically, the presence of younger individuals in any given age structure carries more weight: if the rate is rounded up that means the median age is lower than average for that region (or country), and vice versa when rounded down.

Most countries listed above report a higher male suicide rate, as worldwide there are about 3 male suicides out of 4, or a factor of 3:1 (for example, in the United States was 3.36 in 2015, and 3.53 in 2016).

Though age-standardization is common statistical process to categorize mortality data for comparing purposes this approach by WHO is based on estimates which take into account issues such as under-reporting, resulting in rates differing from the official national statistics prepared and endorsed by individual countries (and revisions are also performed periodically). Also, age-adjusted rates are mortality rates that would have existed if all populations under study had the same age distribution as a "standard" population. Plain, crude estimated rates are available at here and here. Countries with a population less than 100 000 are excluded.

Countries with large internal discrepancies are complicated to assess. Canada, a country with a comparatively low suicide rate overall at 10.3 incidents per 100,000 people, exhibits one such discrepancy. When comparing the suicide rate of Indigenous peoples in Canada, the rate of suicide increases to 24.3 incidents per 100,000 people: a rate among the ten highest in the world. There are numerous differences in living standards and income that contribute to this phenomenon, classed as an epidemic in Canada.

List by other sources and years (1985–2019)


In the list below various sources from various years are included, mixing plain crude rates with age-adjusted rates and estimated rates, so cross-national comparability is somewhat skewed.

* indicates "Suicide in COUNTRY or TERRITORY" or "Mental Health in COUNTRY or TERRITORY" links.

Explanatory notes

 * The updated figure of suicide rates in Belgium for 2011 is 2,084 with a total population of 10,933,607, equivalent to 18.96 per 100,000 inhabitants (source: Het Nieuwsblad, 10 April 2014).
 * Taiwan is not a member of the WHO. The Taiwanese government adopted the WHO standard in 2007. According to the Taiwanese government's self-released data, the figure is standardized based upon the population within Taiwan.