Suicides In India

1,31,666 Cases of Suicide in 2014

Where are they happening?

Data Source : data.gov.in

* Excluding West Bengal (Data unavailable for 2012)

Highest suicide cases registered in Maharastra, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.

Highest growth rate for the year 2014 is observed in Manipur, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Mizoram with 38%, 35%, 26% and 25% respectively.

To see a year wise trend hover over the 'State' bars or text. To highlight a breakup of causes hover over the 'Count' bars or text.

Why are people ending their lives?

Family Problems

'Family Problems' is one of the chief reasons cited in most cases - 23 % amongst men & 26 % amongst women. The number of suicides amongst men has been increasing rapidly than in the case of women.

Mental Illnesses

Mental Illnesses / Insanity related suicides too have been increasing over the years, especially in Andhra Pradesh.

Examination Failure

The pressure on children is telling, as the number of suicides due to 'failure in examinations' in Bihar & Assam indicate.

Unknown Causes

Arunachal Pradesh has reported more than half of the suicide cases as 'Causes Not Known' - 59 % amongst men & 67 % amongst women - in the last decade.

Why ? - By Age Groups

Middle-aged Men

In most of the states, men between 30 and 44 years of age accounted to 36 % of the suicide cases amongst men in 2014.

Young Women

But amongst women, 15 to 29 year olds account to 45 % of suicides.

Kerala

The exception is Kerala, where amongst men the % of suicides is higher in the 45 to 59 age group & the major reason cited is 'family problems'.

North East

The North-East faces a different problem. The % of suicides in Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland & Mizoram is the highest amongst youngsters between the age of 15 & 29 in the last decade.

Delhi

Since 2004 Delhi young women in the age group of 15 to 29 account to over 60 % of suicides amongst women.

Dowry Disputes

Suicides because of dowry disputes are high amongst young women between 15 and 29 years of age.

Hero Worship

Tamilnadu reported more than 100 cases related to Hero Worship / Ideological causes each year for 3 consecutive years between 2006 & 2008.

Love Affairs

In Karnataka in 2011, 56 % of those who committed suicide amongst men because of 'love affairs' were reported to be under the age of 14 !

Who are they?

By Profession

By Profession : Age Groups

Home Makers

Amongst women who committed suicide the % of home makers was always more than 58 % every year !

Farmers

Between 2001 & 2006 more than 25 % of the suicide cases amongst men was related to those in the farming profession.

Senior Citizens

In 2002 , 1240 men over the age of 60 committed suicide in Kerala, the highest recorded in the last decade in a single year. Every year in Kerala, at least 15 % of the suicide cases are senior citizens.

Wierd

Every year a few suicide victims from the 30 to 44 & 15 to 29 age groups are being classified as 'retired persons'. Strange!

By Education

Uneducated

In the last decade in Andhra Pradesh those with no education accounted to more than 30 % of suicides. The same category accounted to 1 % of the suicides in Kerala.

Gujarat

Over 30% of those who committed suicide in Gujarat in the last decade had 'primary education' as their qualification.

Delhi

Almost half of the cases in Delhi in the last decade were Matriculation/Secondary School or Middle School qualified.

Post Graduates

The number of victims whose qualification was 'Post Graduate or above' was unusually large in 2009 in Tamilnadu - 246 men & 129 women.