Facts and Figures: Suicide Deaths in India

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) collects data about mortality in India including deaths by suicide.  In 2012, the NCRB reported that as many as 135,445 persons died by suicide in India, making suicide one of the leading causes of death for young Indians.  During that year, an average of 15 suicides an hour or 371 suicides a day occurred.

According to the NCRB, Pondicherry had the highest suicide rate in the country in 2012, with 541 suicides reported for its population of about 1500,000.  This calculates out to 36.8 deaths by suicide per 100,000 people. Sikkim came in second, with a rate of 29.1 per 100,000.  Tamil Nadu and Kerala were a close fourth and fifth with suicide rates of 24.9 and 24.3 per 100,000 respectively. The national average for suicide deaths in India is 11.2 per 100,000 people.

According to NCRB, most men who died by suicide did so because of social and economic factors, whereas among women the primary reasons for death by suicide were emotional and personal causes.

The NCRB reported that the primary methods used by individuals for death by or attempted suicides were hanging, consumption of poison and fire/self-immolation.