Kerala recorded the highest proportion of suicides among unemployed persons in 2023, with 15.4 per cent (2,191 out of 14,234) of such deaths, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Maharashtra followed closely with 14.5 per cent (2,070), Tamil Nadu 11.2 per cent (1,601), and Uttar Pradesh 9.1 per cent (1,295).

In the farming sector, more than 10,700 people took their lives during 2023, with Maharashtra accounting for 38.5 per cent and Karnataka 22.5 per cent of cases. A total of 10,786 people involved in farming, including 4,690 farmers or cultivators and 6,096 agricultural labourers, committed suicide, representing 6.3 per cent of total suicides in the country.

Among farmers or cultivators, 4,553 were male and 137 female. Among agricultural labourers, 5,433 males and 663 females died by suicide.

After Maharashtra and Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh reported 8.6 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 7.2 per cent, and Tamil Nadu 5.9 per cent of farming sector suicides. Several states and union territories, including West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Lakshadweep, reported no suicides among farmers, cultivators, or agricultural labourers.

The NCRB highlighted that 66.2 per cent (1,13,416) of the total 1,71,418 suicide victims in 2023 had an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh. Another 28.3 per cent (48,432) earned between Rs 1 lakh and less than Rs 5 lakh annually.

Among persons engaged in business activities, Maharashtra accounted for 16 per cent of suicides, followed by Karnataka (14.1 per cent), Tamil Nadu (8.9 per cent), West Bengal (8 per cent), and Madhya Pradesh (6.8 per cent).

Education profile of victims

The majority of suicide victims (24.6 per cent; 42,238) were educated up to matriculation or secondary level. Middle-level educated accounted for 18.6 per cent (31,834), higher secondary/intermediate/pre-university 17.5 per cent (29,920), primary education 14.8 per cent (25,303), and illiterate 11.8 per cent (20,149). Only 5.5 per cent (9,353) of total victims were graduates or above, the report revealed.