September 10 is World Suicide Prevention day and this year the theme is ‘Changing the Narrative on Suicide’. According to the World Health Organization, this motto is about transforming how we perceive the complex issue of suicide and “shifting from a culture of silence and stigma to one of openness, understanding, and support.”
The following chart shows data on suicide prevalence in OECD countries around the world. Out of every 100,000 men in the United States, an average of 23 died from suicide in 2021, while for women the average was close to six per 100,000. In several countries these figures were even higher, such as in South Korea, Lithuania and Hungary.
While there are significant differences between countries, one pattern is clear to see: the rates of men taking their own lives are generally higher than those of women. South Korea and Lithuania had the highest rates of suicide among men in 2021 (out of the countries reporting data), at 34.9 and 33.1 cases per 100,000 population, respectively. For women, South Korea and Japan had the highest rates of the selected countries, with 15.2 and 10.2 cases per 100,000.
This source only covers data on OECD countries and so it’s important to note that suicide is definitely not a phenomenon restricted solely to high-income countries. According to the World Health Organization, the African Region has the highest suicide rate in the world, estimated at 11.2 people per 100,000 population in 2019, compared to the global average of 9.0 per 100,000 population that year. Lesotho had particularly high rates at 87.5 per 100,000 population, followed by Eswatini at 40.5 per 100,000 population. The WHO underscores how 77 percent of suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries in 2019, adding that a lack of data on suicide has led to continued underreporting.
If you or somebody you know are in need of help, you can find a list of suicide crisis lines and website for countries around the world here.
