World Suicide Prevention Day: 82% of suicide victims in Kerala are men; majority are married
Kozhikode: Kerala has witnessed a sharp rise in suicides, with men making up an overwhelming majority of the victims.
According to data compiled by the State Crime Records Bureau and analysed by the Thanal Suicide Prevention Centre, 8,865 men died by suicide in 2024 compared to 1,999 women. Male suicides accounted for 82% of all cases.
The report also highlights that 54 children under the age of 15 took their own lives last year. In total, 10,865 people died by suicide in 2024, compared to 8,446 in 2014, a 28.6% increase over a decade.
The highest number of suicides happened in the 30–60 age group, which made up 53% of cases. Within this, 2,676 were aged 30–45, while 3,081 were between 46–59. Another 2,012 were aged 15–29. Unlike Western countries, where unmarried people are more vulnerable, a majority of suicides in Kerala (76.1%) were among married individuals.
Educational and employment patterns also emerged from the data: 57% of the victims had studied up to high school or higher secondary, while 1.3% were illiterate. Daily wage earners accounted for 38.8% of suicides. Nine cases of family suicides were also recorded.
Experts noted that women are more likely to seek help when faced with crises, while men tend to remain silent, leading to higher suicide rates among them. At the same time, suicide attempts were more frequent among women, with three women attempting suicide for every one man.
Key causes of suicide (2024):
- Family issues – 54%
- Mental/physical health problems – 18.7%
- Substance abuse – 10.2%
- Financial issues – 3.6%
- Love/relationship – 2.7%
- Unemployment – 0.9%
- Job-related stress – 1.5%
- Exam failure – 0.5%
“Each panchayat should have counselling centres where people feel safe to talk. If treatment is required, they should be guided towards it. Suicide rates had declined after 2015 for four years, but have risen again. We must identify the reasons and draw up a clear roadmap for prevention,” said Thanal founding director Dr. P.N. Suresh Kumar.
(Those in distress can seek help: DISHA helpline – 1056, 0471-2552056)