India suicide crisis: More men die than women, mean age at death estimated at 36 years, PHFI survey shows

Critically, the study also showed that suicide is the leading cause of death among the economically productive 15-39 age group in India. The mean age at suicide death was estimated at 36 years—individuals who died by suicide were on average 28 years younger than those who died from other causes, highlighting the severe economic and social loss to the nation. The mean age at suicide death was lower for females (30 years) than for males (39 years).

The study, published in September, covered 1 million people across nine states—Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh—and noted that India’s suicide mortality rate is 10 per 100,000 population. A total of 29,273 deaths were enumerated in 240,975 households across the nine states from January 2019 to December 2022.

While the suicide mortality rate for males was 12.8 per 100,000 males, it was 7.3 per 100,000 females. In the case of men, financial stress accounted for 18% of the suicides, while family-related reasons were responsible for 33% of women’s suicides.

India’s suicide mortality rate of 10 per 100,000 compares with 9.4 in the UK and is less than the rate of 12.3 in Australia and 15.5 in the US. However, due to India’s massive population, this rate translates into a significantly higher number of total deaths.

While the suicide mortality rate was higher for males than females in India, the difference was narrower than the global average. The Indian female suicide mortality rate—at twice the global rate for females—was of particular concern.

Different pressures

The underlying reasons for suicide reflected starkly different pressures on men and women in Indian society. For males, financial reasons were the most cited cause (18%), linking these tragedies to the extreme economic stress associated with the male role as a "provider." Alcohol abuse was a major contributing factor in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, leading to domestic conflicts, child abuse and loss of income.

For females, family-related reasons were the leading cause (33.3%), a reminder of the link between patriarchal family structures and women’s mental health. This category often obscures issues such as domestic violence, harassment and dowry deaths.

“Men and women experience different stress levels—with females often showing more resilience and expressiveness," said Dr Nand Kumar, professor in the psychiatry department at the Al-India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.

Dr Kumar noted that suicide is not a sudden act—it's a complication arising from multi-factorial reasons when a person cannot handle extreme stress, adding that “the core issue is a lack of accurate, health-based data."

He said that currently, data is collected by the National Crime Records Bureau, even though suicide is no longer a criminal offence under the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017.

"We urgently need a dedicated data collection agency under the ministry of health, trained specifically for this purpose," said Dr Kumar.

In terms of method, hanging was the predominant mode for both males (70.6%) and females (59.7%), followed by poisoning (21.3% for males and females) and self-immolation (5.7% for males and females). However, self-immolation was notably high among females at 11.4% compared with only 3.2% for males, suggesting the use of accessible household fuel sources like kerosene or gas in domestic spaces.

A significant proportion of deaths were triggered by unknown reasons—3% of males and 27.9% of females—highlighting severe and hidden vulnerabilities that complicate prevention efforts.

Underreported suicides

In-depth interviews with members of the bereaved families revealed major challenges in the official recording of suicides. Almost 3 in 10 suicide deaths were not reported to the police. The family members said they didn’t want to deal with police procedures, with a majority citing the desire to avoid post mortem. For female deaths, preventing “damage to social reputation" was also a reason cited to avoid reporting the matter to the police.

According to the report, deaths of farmers and young women were reported more frequently because they were deemed to be more “newsworthy." While two in five deaths were reported in the newspapers, about half of the survivors opposed media coverage, citing emotional distress and fear of stigma. However, those who supported media coverage hoped it would increase public awareness for suicide prevention.

“By bringing forward the perspectives of the bereaved, the report adds depth to statistical findings and contributes to a more holistic understanding of suicide in India," Rakhi Dandona, the director of the Injury Prevention Research Centre at PHFI, wrote in the forward of the report.

The study highlighted that the most pressing need for bereaved families was financial support, especially for the children of the deceased. Some families were wrongly informed that government orphan schemes were unavailable because the death was classified as suicide.

Dr Kumar said there is a need to enhance resilience from childhood and focus on life skills to manage stress.

Building resilience

“A crucial approach for prevention is establishing a robust programme at the school level to enhance a child's resilience from an early age, mitigating the 'knee-jerk reaction' that occurs in moments of profound hopelessness," Dr Kumar said.

Dr Kavita Arora, a psychiatrist and co-founder of the India Mental Health Alliance, stressed that it is vital to examine all bio-psycho-social contributors that lead to loneliness, lack of connection and helplessness and hopelessness in young adults.

The PHFI report prioritises financial assistance and access to government orphan schemes for children and bereaved families. It recommended working with the police to improve data quality and increase sensitivity regarding post-mortem to encourage accurate reporting.

It suggested that the government start community campaigns that separately highlight financial stress for men and the link between domestic violence and suicide for women.