One in six lost to suicide: For 2 decades, suicide among top 2 causes of death of young Indians

Suicide remains among the top two causes of death among youth (15-29 years) in India over the last two decades, an analysis of cause of death reports shows.

Suicide has consistently ranked among the top two causes of death for Indian youth aged 15 to 29 over the past two decades. According to the latest analysis of the Registrar General of India’s cause of death reports, between 2020 and 2022, suicides were responsible for a staggering 17.1% of all deaths in this age group - one in every six deaths.

The World Health Organization (WHO) places suicide as the third most common cause of death globally for this age bracket.

Suicide doesn’t even appear in the top 10 causes of death across all age groups in the country. The overall list is dominated by cardiovascular diseases, respiratory infections, and cancers. Yet, it is the young who are more prone to death by suicide.

Women more vulnerable?

The data reveals that young women remain more vulnerable, with 18.2% of all deaths among women aged 15-29 in 2020-22 attributed to suicide, compared to 16.3% among men. Although the gender gap in suicide rates has narrowed over the years — down from 21.8% for women and 15% for men in 2010-13 — the danger still looms large.

Despite accounting for only 5% of all deaths nationwide, the 15-29 age group bears a disproportionately high burden of self-inflicted fatalities.