One person around the world dies every 40 seconds from suicide, according to the latest data from the World Health Organization.
The data reveals that 79 per cent of suicides occur in low and middle income nations but that high income countries have the highest rate of suicide at 11.5 suicides per 100,000 people. The global average was 10.5 suicides per 100,000 people with rates varying between countries from as low as five suicides per 100,000 people to more than 30 per 100,000 people.
Almost three times as many men as women die as a result of suicide in high income nations while the rate is more equal for genders in low and middle income nations.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said every death is a “tragedy for family, friends and colleagues”.
“Yet suicides are preventable. We call on all countries to incorporate proven suicide prevention strategies into national health and education programmes in a sustainable way.”
Elsewhere, the data shows that suicide was the second-leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29 years after road injury. Among teenagers aged 15 to 19 years, suicide was the second leading cause of death among girls (after maternal conditions) and the third leading cause of death in boys (after road injury and interpersonal violence).
The WHO says that the intervention which has the “most imminent potential” to bring down the number of suicides around the world is restricting access to pesticides. It cites the situation in Sri Lanka were a series of bans led to a 70 per cent fall in suicides and an estimated 93,000 lives saved between 1995 and 2015.
World Suicide Prevention Day is held on 10th September each year.
People in Australia looking for help or information can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
