Suicide is major cause of death among youth globally — Report

Suicide is the major cause of death among young people globally, largely affecting people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs),  a new report has revealed.

According to the Global Health Estimates report, suicide accounts for more than one in every 100 deaths experienced across the globe.

For each death, there are more than 20 suicide attempts, which have a ripple effect on families, friends, colleagues, communities, and societies.

The report states that in 2021, an estimated 727,000 people across all ages lost their lives to suicide, equating to a global age-standardized suicide rate of 8.9 per 100,000.

However, the report says estimates of suicide rates vary significantly across countries—from fewer than one death by suicide per 100,000 in some nations to more than 30 per 100,000 in others.

Nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of all suicides occur in LMICs, where most of the world’s population lives.

The report highlights that males experience more deaths than females from suicide, with more than twice as many males dying by suicide than women, even though it has been pointed out as a major cause of death in both genders.

“Globally, more than twice as many males die by suicide than women do. In both males and females, suicide is a major cause of death among young people,” the report reads

Globally, the age-standardised suicide rate dropped by 35 per cent from 2000 to 2021, remaining stable through the COVID-19 pandemic despite an increase in suicide risk factors.

Decreases since 2000 ranged from three per cent in WHO’s African Region and 26 per cent in WHO’s South-East Asian Region to 30 per cent in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region, 48 per cent in WHO’s European Region, and 50 per cent in WHO’s Western Pacific Region.

By contrast, in WHO’s Region of the Americas, the suicide rate increased by 17 per cent in the same period.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for the acceleration of suicide reduction plans to meet the Sustainable Development Goal target of a one-third reduction by 2030.

The WHO has urged countries to triple their efforts and increase the annual average reduction from 1 per cent to 3 per cent.

“Countries must triple their efforts in reducing suicide mortality to meet the UN SDG target of a one-third reduction by 2030,” WHO reiterates.