As per data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 1.71 lakh suicides were recorded last year, registering a 4.2% increase over 2021 and a jump of 27% compared to 2018. The data also show that the rate of suicide per one lakh population has increased to 12.4 in 2022 compared to 10.2 five years back.
Among the 53 million-plus cities, Delhi (3,367), Bengaluru (2,313), Chennai (1,581), and Mumbai (1,501) have reported higher number of suicides and these four metro cities together have a share of almost one-third of all the 26,282 such deaths. Delhi recorded the maximum increase of 22% during last year compared to 2021.
Family problems and illness remain the main causes of suicide accounting for more than half of the deaths. Love affairs and marriage issues were cause for 9.3% suicides, followed by bankruptcy and indebtedness being the cause in 4.1% cases.
The NCRB report shows that in more than half of the cases of suicides, people ended their lives by hanging and this was followed by other means, including consuming poison and drowning by coming under running vehicles or trains.
Among states, majority of suicides were reported in Maharashtra (22,746) followed by 19,834 in Tamil Nadu and 15,386 in Madhya Pradesh. Four states – Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal – together accounted for nearly half of the total suicides reported in the country.
While majority of farmer suicides were reported in Maharashtra, followed by Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh, a maximum of 7,876 daily wage earners killed themselves in Tamil Nadu, followed by 6,275 in Maharashtra and 5,371 in Madhya Pradesh.
According to the report, there were 150 cases of mass or family suicides last year and in these, 325 persons lost their lives. Maximum such cases were reported in Tamil Nadu, followed by Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. In the case of mega cities, eight of them registered 19 such cases of mass and family suicides in which 46 persons took their lives.