Feb 25, 2025 09:00:00

It has been revealed that a suicide occurs every 43 seconds worldwide, and suicide by firearm is more than twice as likely for men as for women

A 2024 survey by the National Police Agency (PDF file) has revealed that the total number of suicides in Japan in 2023 will be 21,837. Looking at the world, it has been revealed that 746,000 people died by suicide in 2021. A research team at the University of Washington School of Medicine is working to understand the geographic distribution and time trends of suicides occurring around the world, as well as variations by age and gender.

Global, regional, and national burden of suicide, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 - The Lancet Public Health
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(25)00006-4/fulltext

About 740,000 global deaths from suicide occur annually—that's one death every 43 seconds
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-global-deaths-suicide-annually-death.html

A research team at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine examined suicide occurrence data by region, country, year, age, and sex from 1990 to 2021. According to IHME, there were approximately 746,000 suicides worldwide in 2021, which equates to one person taking their own life every 43 seconds.

In the 30 years from 1990 to 2021, the suicide death rate fell by about 40%, from about 15 per 100,000 to about 9 per 100,000. The female death rate also fell by more than 50%, while the male death rate fell by about 34%. In addition, it was revealed that the suicide rate in East Asia fell by 66%, indicating that appropriate intervention and prevention by counselors and others are working.

However, during this same period, mortality rates rose by 39% in Latin America, and suicide rates among Mexican women increased by 139% in the same 30-year period.

In high-income North American countries such as the United States and Canada, suicide rates have increased by 7% over the past 30 years. In the United States, the suicide rate for women has increased by 23%.

Among global causes of death in 2021, deaths by suicide ranked 21st, surpassing deaths from HIV and AIDS. By region, the highest suicide death rates were in Eastern Europe and central and southern sub-Saharan Africa.

In addition, the survey revealed that the suicide rate in men is more than twice that of women, while women are 49% more likely to attempt suicide than men. Moreover, every minute around the world, four men and six women attempt suicide and end up in a hospital.

Men were also more than three times more likely to commit suicide using a firearm than women, with 10% of men committing suicide using a firearm compared to 3% of women. 'Men tend to choose violent, more lethal methods of suicide, like firearms, while women tend to choose less lethal methods, like drug overdoses, which have a higher chance of survival,' said Emily Rosenblad, project officer at IHME.

The average age at death by suicide was 43 for men and 42 for women in 1990, but by 2021 it had risen to 47 for both men and women.

'This study shows that suicide rates are declining. Moving forward, it is critical to remove the stigma surrounding suicide and barriers to accessing mental health support systems for people with mental and substance abuse disorders,' said Mohsen Nagavi of IHME. Medical Express, a medical media outlet, also said, 'This study identifies patterns and trends to develop more effective suicide prevention methods around the world, helping policymakers and health care providers develop appropriate measures and approaches. Suicide prevention is most effective when communities work together through awareness, interventions and support systems.'