10 Countries in the World That Have the Highest Suicide Rates

Suicide is something that can occur anytime and anywhere in the world. Every year, over a million people from around the world commit suicide. Suicide not only affect individual families but religions, genders, and classes.

Everyone feels angry, depressed, and deals with societal or family pressure at least once in their lifetime. Depression can affect a person's life and outlook. While some people take depression and pressure as a temporary thing in their life, others can't handle this and think about suicide.

You are probably wrong if you think money is the main and the only factor that causes people to suicide. There are a few celebrity cases who committed suicide, despite having a huge fan following and money.

Scholars and scientists note the countries that have the highest suicide rate per hundred thousand people and rank them accordingly. Below are the countries that are noted to have the highest suicide rates in the world.

1. Ukraine

Source = Media2.s-nbcnews

No doubt, Ukraine is considered one of the best tourist destinations in the world. But you would be shocked to know that Ukraine also has a high suicidal rate. The most frequent method used for suicide is jumping from high places or hanging.

In 2009, Ukraine was ranked 13th in the world for its number of suicides. It is a leading cause of death in the Ukrainian army. Nearly 40-50% of people in the army commits suicide. This may happen because of the stress and inability to cope up with environmental changes.

The average age of suicide attempters in Ukraine is 20 years. The good news is that the number of people committing suicide in Ukraine is now decreased.

2. Bhutan

Source = Tosshub

Bhutan is another country that is least expected to have high suicide attempts. Unfortunately, with 20 men and 11 women out of 100,000 commit suicide here. Do you know in Bhutan, people don’t talk about the methods to stop suicide because they consider them taboo? People who follow Tibetan Buddhism don’t find this right, and this could be one of the reasons why Bhutanese commit suicide.

Under Bhutanese law, committing suicide is not illegal, but abetting suicide is a big crime. In 2011, the suicide rate of Bhutan was over 15 per 100,000 people. This rate ranked Bhutan 6th in the Asia-Pacific region. It is believed that the Bhutanese army who are from Nepalese origin commits suicide because of depression and lack of family ties.

3. Belarus

Source = Armytimes

In the 1990s, over 4000 Belarusians killed themselves every year. It might be because of the economic crisis that happened in Russia in 1998. Before the crisis, the number of suicides was reduced, but again saw a noticeable increase in the following years. According to research, it is believed that suicide is related to alcohol consumption.

Most people who attempted suicide have been consuming alcohol for a year before their death. The ratio of Belarusians people committing suicide is 6.5 women for 32.7 men. The ratio of people committing suicide here is more than the people who die in road accidents.

Alcohol can be bought at a very cheap cost, and this could be the main reason why people consume it in large quantities. Also, Belarusians do not seek help or counseling even if they need support as they are afraid of getting recorded while taking psychiatric treatment.

Around 90% of people in Belarus who commit suicide didn’t try to talk to family and friends for any support.

4. Uganda

Source = Worldlifeexpectancy

The economy and the standard of living in Uganda are not as lavish as other countries, but this landlocked country has a few amazing places to visit on holiday. Exploring Uganda is fun, but knowing about its suicide rates is shocking. Around 27 men and over 13 women commit suicide every year in Uganda. Unemployment, general stress, depression, and poor health conditions are some causes of suicide in Uganda.

The rate of suicide for 2005 was around 10.50;  it was 5% less than in 2000. The suicide rate noted for 2005, 2010, and 2016 was 10.50, 10.50, and 9.90, respectively.

5. India

Source = Livemint

The list of the countries with the highest suicide rates in the world couldn’t be complete without mentioning India. According to reports, over 200,000 people commit suicide in India every year. Poisoning is the most common method noted, and then self-immolation (burning) and hanging are noticed.

Almost every suicide committed in India is because of health issues or family problems. Do you know until 2014, the suicide was illegal in the country, and the survivor would have to face a jail term for about one year?

According to WHO, the suicide rate in India for men is 25.8 and 16.4 per 100,000. Around 45,000 people who commit suicide falls under the 25-30 age group. The Government of India specifies suicide if it is an unnatural death, or there is a reason for a person to end his/her life.

6. Poland

Source = Scienceinpoland

Poland is one of the most populous countries in Europe. It has over 40 million inhabitants, 16.6 out of 100,000 people commit suicide. The suicide rate increased by over 50% in Poland between 1979 and 2009. The common method used for suicide was hanging.

Nearly 90% of suicide cases are reported to be hanging. Mental health conditions, abuse disorders, psychological issues, and other socio-economic factors are the leading cause of suicide in Poland.

The suicide rate for 2005 was 17.70%, which was 4.73% more than from 2000. In 2010, it was 18.60, and in 2016, it was 16.20. Statistics show that over 80% of the cases reported were of men. Poland is ranked third among the EU Member States in suicide cases.

7. Lesotho

Source = Gstatic

Lesotho, the Southern African country, reported having 21.2 suicide per 100,000 people. It is the only country to have higher suicide rates amongst women. While 24.4 deaths per 100,000 are for women, for men, it is 17.8.

Reports suggest that there is no mental health policy in the country. Mental Health Policy aims to reduce premature health problems, distress, and other causes that may lead to suicide amongst the socially deprived sections.

The suicide rate in Lethoso in 2005 was 18.60, which was 3.33% more than in 2000. In 2010, it was 20.10, which was 8.06% more than in 2005. In 2016, the suicide rate reported was 21.20.

8. Turkmenistan

Source = Armytimes

According to the survey carried out by WHO, Turkmenistan ranks fourth in the suicide rate. Suicide accounts for 2-3% of the total population.

You would be shocked to know that the number of people committing suicide in Turkmenistan is more than the people who died of severe cancer or road accidents. The country has extreme unemployment, and this could be the major reason for suicide.

9. Burundi

Source = Netdna-ssl

Burundi is located in Central Africa and is considered one of the hungriest and least developed countries in the world. Many of you might not have heard about it.

The country is not even safe for tourists. The country has poor or no access to education. It doesn’t have good health care facilities and suffers from devastating warfare. The country’s 10.16 million people are the poorest in the world. It is ranked 180 out of 186 in the last Human Development Index. Over 30 people commit suicide every year. It is also noted that men commit suicide three times more than women.

The suicide rate was 8.40 in 2005, which was 18.31% more from 2000. In 2015, it was 8.90, which was only 1% less than in 2010. The suicide rate again increased in 2016. It increased by 2.25% from 2015.

10. Greenland

Source = Rheumadroid

Greenland is not an officially declared country; it is a part of the kingdom of Denmark. However, it has been declared as an autonomous country. This means that Greenland can work as an independent nation in many ways, but not in every way. It is not an official country, so this can be a reason why it not listed in the countries with the highest suicide rates.

According to reports, from 1985-2012, the average rate of suicide here is 85 people per 100,000 people, which is twice that of Guyana. It is true that people in Greenland earn a high income and also have no threat of conflict with other nations. Still, 20-25% of people commit suicide. Extreme climate conditions could be a reason for suicide. In summers, the average temperature in Greenland ranges from 0 to 10 degrees Celsius, while in winters it has sub-zero temperatures.

Greenland is not green, but a block of ice. People living in such regions are more prone to alcoholism. Greenland is located above the arctic circle. In the far north of the country, there are 108 days when the sun never rises, 120 days when it doesn’t set, and only 137 days when there is dark and light. You might be wondering how climate change can be the reason for suicide. But according to reports, suicide rates are higher in summers.

People don't get enough sleep and get irritated and depressed. Also, the lack of sleep and darkness changes Serotonin, a hormone that balances mood and emotions. Don’t you find this strange that lack of sleep can also change your mental state? Insomnia and alcoholism are significant factors of suicide in Greenland. The suicide rates were low in the 1950s, but got doubled and tripled after that.

Preventions for Suicide

Believe it or not, every country in the world is battling with suicide. Unfortunately, it is said that several countries don’t have proper counseling centers, no methods are used to educate about this dreadful activity, and people go through extreme stress during this phase.

If you find someone having suicidal thoughts, take action immediately. Don’t judge him/her instead, help in any way you can. Here are some signs to find out find if anyone is suffering from depression. Also, know the measures that you can take to stop suicide.

• Make sure that he/she doesn’t take drugs or alcohol. This motivates people and makes them think more about their problems.
• Listen to him/her and do not judge. Also, make sure that you stay with him/her every time.
• The important thing is to tell this to someone who is a responsible and educated adult. You may also take the help of a suicide crisis line or any local emergency number.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, remember that committing suicide is not the only permanent solution to end life. Things take time to change. In the meanwhile, talk with the person who is close to you and could understand your problems.

Although progress in suicide prevention methods in countries is noted, still there is a need for education and more methods to stop this. You can even take the help of Google; it has amazing ideas to save people having suicidal thoughts. Once Google saved a girl who asked about suicide methods by giving her suicide helpline numbers.

Countries with Low Suicide Rates

The lowest suicide rates in the world are noted in the Caribbean islands of Bahamas, Barbados, Antigua, and Barbuda. There are only 0.5 to 0.9 suicides per 100k people.

Final Words

Do you know other countries that have higher suicide rates in the world? Do you know any method to reduce depression and to stop people from taking this dreadful action? If so, share them below.

Please Note: The figures mentioned above regarding the suicide rates are estimates and are based on the reports by governmental agencies of different countries.