The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India has released the annual Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) report for 2024. You can find the report here.
While the report includes data for accidental deaths – traffic, railway and others – along with suicides, in this analysis we look at the data for suicides at the national level and at the level of the large metros in India. We analyse who is at most risk in terms of gender and age group which can help focus the mitigation towards the most vulnerable sections.
Suicides in India
The report finds that the number of people who died by suicide in India in 2024 was 1,70,746 which is slightly less than the peak of 1,71,418 in 2023. The number has been steady in the early 1,70,000s since 2022.
Historically, this number tends to stabilise around a benchmark for a few years before moving up. While there is a welcome stabilising now, unless active efforts are undertaken to handle the issue, it is likely to jump upwards again in a few years before the end the decade.
Men and working population at risk
Of the 1,70,000 people who died by suicide in 2024, 73.5% were men and only 26.5% were women. Men are at almost 3 times higher risk compared to women.
In terms of age, working men in the 18 to 45 age group made up more than half the total number of suicide deaths in India. The number of women was higher than men only in the under 18 age group suggesting that vulnerability in adolescent women is much higher than in adults and needs to be addressed in a targeted manner.
Suicides in Metros
Similar to the data from 2023, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai followed by Mumbai recorded the highest number of deaths by suicide among Indian cities.
Similar to the national level, across all cities, the number of men who died by suicide exceeded that of women by more than a factor of two, and in some cities, like Hyderabad and Chennai, by three.
Causes in Delhi and Bengaluru
Delhi and Bengaluru have consistently recorded the highest number of deaths by suicide over the past years. Data from earlier editions of ADSI shows that while the number has been gradually increasing in Bengaluru, it has been declining in Delhi over the past couple of years. It needs to be seen if the trend can sustain in Delhi and can be driven lower.
In both Delhi and Bengaluru, family problems and illness are the main causes for deaths by suicide. However, debt and substance abuse were recorded as major causes in Bengaluru as against marital issues and unemployment in Delhi.
The number of women dying by suicide in Delhi also exceeds that of men when the cause is marital issues. The main reason for this is suicides attributed to “Dowry”. Half of the 140 deaths by suicide by women were attributed to dowry in Delhi.
Conclusions
Deaths by suicide and road crashes together accounted for 3.45 Lakh deaths in 2024. The data for 2024 shows that while the number of suicides in India has stabilised over the past three years, it still remains high.
The number of men dying by suicide is almost three times that of women at the national level, as well as in the metros and clearly needs addressing with more and targeted support systems. Worryingly working age men between 18 and 45 years made up more than half the number of deaths by suicide.
While Delhi and Bengaluru recorded the highest number of deaths by suicide among Indian cities, the causes remain the same across most Indian cities – family problems and illness – physical and mental. Dowry deaths accounted for half the number of deaths of women in Delhi highlighting an important social malaise that needs addressing.
Strengthening support systems and improving access to mental-health services remain essential steps. Implementing WHO-recommended suicide-prevention measures at national, state and city levels can help reduce risk. India’s National Suicide Prevention Strategy (2022) provides a framework for coordinated action across sectors.