New Delhi: Maharashtra reported the highest number of suicides among all the states in India in 2021. It was followed by Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh respectively. In 2021, a total of 1,64,033 death by suicide cases were reported from various parts of India.
According to a latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) there are many reasons why people died by suicide. Among them were professional or career-related problems, a sense of isolation, abuse, violence, family problems, mental disorders, addiction to alcohol, financial loss and chronic pain.
The death by suicides in India registered a 7.2 per cent increase in 2021 in comparison to 2020. In that year a total of 1,53,052 persons died by suicide.
“Majority of suicides were reported in Maharashtra (22,207), followed by 18,925 suicides in Tamil Nadu, 14,965 in Madhya Pradesh, 13,500 in West Bengal and 13,056 suicides in Karnataka. These five states accounted for 13.5 per cent, 11.5 per cent, 9.1 per cent, 8.2 per cent and eight per cent of total suicides respectively,” the report said.
These five states together accounted for 50.4 per cent of the suicides reported in India. The remaining 49.6 per cent cases were reported from the 23 other states and eight Union Territories.
Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state (with a 16.9-per cent share of the country’s population) has reported a comparatively lower percentage share of suicidal deaths, accounting for only 3.6 per cent of the suicides reported.
Delhi, the most-populous Union Territory, reported the highest number of suicides (2,840) among the UTs, followed by Pondicherry at 504.
A total of 25,891 suicides were reported in the 53 mega cities of India in 2021.
The rate of suicide – the number of suicides per one-lakh population – has been widely accepted as a standard yardstick for comparison. The all-India rate of suicides was 12 in 2021. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported the highest rate of suicide (39.7), followed by Sikkim (39.2), Pondicherry (31.8), Telangana (26.9) and Kerala (26.9).