Of every 100 people who died in accidents in India in 2024, 36.5 died due to suicide. This ratio is down from 38.6 in 2023, and from the peak of the Covid era, more than 40 in 2020 and 2021. However, the recent decline does not mean that India’s suicide burden has returned to its pre-pandemic level.
According to the 2024 edition of India’s National Crime Records Bureau’s Accidental Deaths and Suicides report, released on Wednesday, 1,70,746 people died by suicide in 2024, down slightly from 1,71,418 in 2023. The suicide rate, or suicides per hundred thousand people, fell from 12.3 to 12.2. This is still well above the 2019 rate of 10.4.
In absolute terms, the number of suicides in 2024 was 22.7% higher than in 2019.
The reason the ratio of suicides to accidental deaths will fall more sharply in 2024 is because accidental deaths rose much faster. India recorded 4,67,857 accidental deaths in 2024, up 5.3% from 4,44,104 in 2023. This is the highest absolute number of accidental deaths recorded year-to-date since 1967. To be sure, between 2019 and 2024, suicides have increased by 22.7%, while accidental deaths have increased by 11.1%. In other words, the post-pandemic rise in suicides was faster than the increase in accidental deaths, even after the jump in incidents in 2024.
Reported suicide rates remain highly variable across states
Suicide rates vary sharply across states and union territories. Among the major states, Kerala had the highest suicide rate at 30.2, followed by Telangana at 28.6, Chhattisgarh at 26.0, and Tamil Nadu at 25.9. Bihar, at 1.0, and Uttar Pradesh, at 3.8, were among the lowest. However, these differences should be read with caution. NCRB data are based on information provided by state police and federal territories, and can reflect significant differences between states in reporting practices as well as underlying socioeconomic conditions.
The national decline in suicides in 2024 was also not uniform. Bihar reported a 44.4% increase in suicides during 2023, despite a low base. Telangana saw an increase of 3.7%, Tamil Nadu 2.5%, Assam 5% and West Bengal 0.9%. On the other hand, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh recorded declines.
The profile of suicide victims indicates economic vulnerability
Family problems remained the single largest reported cause of suicides in 2024, accounting for 33.5% of all cases. Illness was the second largest cause at 17.9%, followed by drug abuse or alcoholism at 7.6%, marriage-related issues at 5%, love relationships at 4.6%, and bankruptcy or indebtedness at 4.4%. Suicides due to bankruptcy or debt witnessed an increase of 15% compared to 2023.
The professional profile gives a clearer indication of weakness. Daily wage workers accounted for 31% of all suicide victims in 2024, a much higher percentage than any other occupational group. Housewives represent 13%, the self-employed 10.5%, professionals and wage workers 9.9%, the unemployed 8.7%, students 8.5%, and workers in the agricultural sector 6.2%. Certainly, occupational statements only show the occupation of the person who died by suicide and should not be read as the reason for the suicide.
The economic and educational profile points in the same direction. Approximately 63% of suicide victims have an annual income of less than $1 lakh, and another 31.6% have income between $1 lakh and $5 lakh. Only 0.6% had an annual income of $10 thousand or more.
Accidental deaths were due to traffic accidents, sudden deaths and climate-related causes
Traffic accidents remained the largest cause of accidental deaths in 2024. They accounted for 1,99,443 deaths, or 42.6% of all deaths resulting from accidents. Of these accidents, road accidents alone caused the death of 1,75,142 people. Two-wheeler riders account for 48.3% of road accident victims, followed by SUV/car/jeep riders at 13.6%. Excessive speed was recorded as the cause of 61.2% of road accidents and 1,01,649 deaths.
But the rise in accident deaths in 2024 wasn’t just about the roads. Deaths classified as “sudden” rose 19.5% to 76,024. Within this category, heart attacks rose from 35,715 in 2023 to 38,596 in 2024. Deaths caused by forces of nature also saw a sharp rise. It increased by 22.6%, from 6,444 in 2023 to 7,903 in 2024. Lightning remained the largest natural cause, responsible for 2,825 deaths. Deaths due to heat or heat stroke doubled, from 804 in 2023 to 1,832 in 2024.
