New Delhi: As many as 1,71,418 suicides were reported in the country during 2023, an increase of 0.3 per cent in comparison to 2022, with family problems and illness being the two major causes, according to a report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
The majority of suicides were reported in Maharashtra (22,687) followed by 19,483 suicides in Tamil Nadu, 15,662 in Madhya Pradesh, 13,330 in Karnataka and 12,819 suicides in West Bengal accounting for 13.2 per cent, 11.4 per cent, 9.1 per cent, 7.8 per cent and 7.5 per cent of total suicides respectively. These five states together accounted for 49.0 per cent of the total suicides reported in the country, the latest NCRB report said.
The remaining 51 per cent suicides were reported in the remaining 23 states and eight Union territories.
Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state (17 per cent share of the country’s population) has reported comparatively lower percentage share of suicidal deaths, accounting for only 5.3 per cent of the total cases reported in the country.
Family problems and illness accounted for 31.9 per cent and 19.0 per cent of total suicides, respectively.
Drug abuse/alcoholic addiction (7 per cent), marriage related issues (5.3 per cent), love affairs (4.7 per cent), bankruptcy or indebtedness (3.8 per cent), unemployment (1.8 per cent), failure in examination (1.4 per cent), death of ‘dear person’ (1.3 per cent), professional/career problem (1.1 per cent) and property dispute (1 per cent) were other causes of suicides.
Delhi, which is the most-populous Union Territory, has reported the highest number of suicides (3,131) among Union territories, followed by Puducherry (465), the NCRB report said.
Over 10,700 people involved in farming committed suicide
More than 10,700 people from the farming sector committed suicide during 2023 and 38.5 per cent of them were from Maharashtra and 22.5 per cent from Karnataka, according to a report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
A total of 66.2 per cent (1,13,416) of the total suicide victims (1,71,418) in 2023 were having an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh. 10,786 people involved in the farming sector, consisting of 4,690 farmers or cultivators and 6,096 agricultural labourers, committed suicides during 2023, accounting for 6.3 per cent of total suicides victims in the country.