Suicide claims hundreds of thousands of lives every year, most of them in low- and middle-income countries, yet it is preventable: a small set of tested public policies and timely support for people in crisis can save many lives.
Written from the sources listed below, not independently peer-reviewed.
Out of every 100 suicides worldwide in 2021, how many occurred in low- and middle-income countries?
727,000
People who died by suicide
WHO Global Health Estimates for 2021. For many countries the figures are modelled rather than taken from death registration, and under-reporting is likely.
Data year 2021. Source: World Health Organization, 2026
3rd
Rank of suicide among causes of death at ages 15–29
Suicide was the third leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds worldwide.
Data year 2021. Source: World Health Organization, 2026
12%
Projected fall in the suicide rate by 2030
WHO projection on the trend observed up to 2021, against the SDG and WHO target of a one-third reduction.
Data year 2021. Source: World Health Organization, 2025
Unit: deaths per 100,000 people
World aggregate of WHO Global Health Estimates as published by the World Bank (indicator SH.STA.SUIC.P5, crude rate, not age-adjusted). Values for many countries are modelled. Only these reported years are plotted; the latest available year is 2021.
The SDGs and WHO's Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan aim to cut the global suicide rate by one third by 2030. WHO reports that progress is too slow: if the trend seen up to 2021 continues, the rate will fall by only about 12% by 2030.
Worldwide, 12.3 men and 5.9 women per 100,000 died by suicide in 2021, so the rate among men was about twice that among women. The female rate did not fall between 2019 and 2021.
Source: World Bank Open Data, from WHO Global Health Observatory, 2026Refugees and migrants, indigenous peoples, LGBTI people and people in prison have higher suicide rates, which WHO links to the discrimination they face. Experiences of conflict, disaster, violence, abuse, loss and isolation also raise the risk.
Source: World Health Organization, 2026A previous suicide attempt is one of the most important risk factors in the general population, which makes follow-up care after an attempt a key moment for prevention.
Source: World Health Organization, 2026High-income countries had the highest average crude rate in 2021 (14.3 per 100,000, against 6.3 in low-income countries), but because most people live in low- and middle-income countries, those countries account for 73% of all suicides.
Source: World Bank Open Data, from WHO Global Health Observatory, 2026Each country is shaded by its latest available value, so you can see where the gap is widest. Hover or tap a country, search for one, or open the full table.
Loading country values…
Values in per 100,000 people.
WHO Global Health Estimates for 2021, the latest year available for all countries shown. This is a crude rate, so countries with older populations tend to show higher values. For most countries the figures are modelled because death registration is incomplete, and under-reporting differs between countries, especially where suicide is stigmatised or criminalised, so low values do not necessarily mean low risk. The map shows where prevention is needed, not a ranking of countries.
Source: WHO Global Health Estimates, via World Bank Open Data. Latest year available per country; years differ.
Values load from World Bank Open Data. Simplified Natural Earth borders; they imply no position on disputed territories.
Instead of one “percent solved” score, DO GOOD rates three separate dimensions. A problem can have mature solutions that still reach too few people. These ratings are an editorial reading of the sources on this page, not a measured index.
Has the situation improved in the real world?
ModerateThe global crude suicide rate fell from 12.5 to 9.1 per 100,000 between 2000 and 2021, a drop of roughly a quarter, and it fell in every income group. But an estimated 727,000 people still died by suicide in 2021.
How mature and validated are the available solutions?
ModerateSome measures have strong evidence: bans on highly hazardous pesticides in Sri Lanka were followed by a 70% fall in the suicide rate from its 1995 peak, with an estimated 93,000 lives saved between 1995 and 2015. Evidence for other interventions, especially in low- and middle-income countries, is thinner.
How widely are effective solutions actually used?
LowWHO reports that only 38 countries have a national suicide prevention strategy, and stigma and taboo still keep many people from seeking help.
Only some 80 WHO Member States have good-quality death registration data for estimating suicide; figures for the rest are modelled. Stigma and legal penalties lead to under-reporting and misclassification of suicides.
Rates have been falling for two decades, but slowly: on the current trend the world will reach only a 12% reduction by 2030 instead of the one third it committed to.
WHO estimates that about 727,000 people died by suicide in 2021, and many more made suicide attempts. Each death deeply affects families, friends and communities. Suicide was the third leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29, and close to three quarters of suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Suicide is linked to mental disorders, particularly depression and alcohol use disorders, but many suicides happen in moments of acute crisis, when a person's ability to cope with stress such as financial problems, relationship disputes, chronic pain or illness breaks down. A previous suicide attempt is one of the most important risk factors.
Men die by suicide at about twice the rate of women. Groups that face discrimination, including refugees and migrants, indigenous peoples, LGBTI people and people in prison, have higher rates, as do people who have experienced conflict, disaster, violence, abuse, loss or isolation. With timely, evidence-based and often low-cost interventions, suicides can be prevented. WHO recommends four interventions with good evidence: limiting access to common means, responsible media reporting, building young people's social and emotional skills, and early identification and follow-up of people at risk. Yet WHO reports that only 38 countries have a national suicide prevention strategy, stigma still keeps many people from seeking help, and in at least 23 countries suicide attempts remain a criminal offence.
Suicide statistics are among the hardest health data to collect, because deaths must be registered, investigated and classified correctly. Global figures rest on a few measures:
Suicide mortality rate (SDG indicator 3.4.2)
The number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 people. It is the only mental health indicator in the Sustainable Development Goals. Crude rates count all ages together; age-standardised rates adjust for differences in population age structure so that countries can be compared more fairly.
Registered versus modelled deaths
Only some 80 WHO Member States have vital registration data of good enough quality to estimate suicide rates directly. For the other countries, WHO's Global Health Estimates rely on statistical models, so national figures carry considerable uncertainty.
Under-reporting and misclassification
Because of stigma, and because suicidal behaviour is illegal in some countries, some suicides are recorded as accidents or deaths of undetermined cause. WHO considers under-reporting and misclassification a bigger problem for suicide than for most other causes of death.
Suicide attempts and self-harm
Attempts are far more common than deaths and are an important warning sign, but very few countries collect routine data on them, mostly through hospital-based surveillance.
What works
Many suicides happen during a short crisis, so making common means harder to reach saves lives. National bans on the most toxic pesticides are WHO's flagship example: Sri Lanka banned a series of highly hazardous pesticides between 1984 and 2011, its suicide rate fell by about 70% from its 1995 peak, and researchers estimate that 93,000 lives were saved between 1995 and 2015 at a direct cost of about US$ 43 per life, with no apparent effect on crop yields. Depending on the country, the same principle applies to firearms regulation, safety barriers at high places and controls on certain medicines.
Limits
Bans need strong pesticide regulators, safer alternatives for farmers and enforcement against illegal sales. The evidence comes mainly from studies of national trends rather than trials, and the most effective measure differs from country to country.
What works
How suicides are reported matters. A meta-analysis of studies from Asia, Europe, North America and Australia found that suicide deaths rose by 13% on average in the weeks after media reported a celebrity's suicide, and deaths by the same means rose by 30% when the method was described. WHO and partners publish guidelines asking journalists to avoid sensational headlines and method details and to include information on where to find help. Stories of hope and recovery may help prevent suicides, although this protective effect has been studied less.
Limits
Guidelines are voluntary and often not followed. Much content now spreads on social media and video platforms, where editorial standards do not apply and moderation is uneven.
What works
WHO's LIVE LIFE approach recommends teaching adolescents to manage emotions and stress, solve problems and seek help, usually through schools. School programmes of this kind have reduced suicidal thoughts and attempts in some randomised trials in high-income countries, and they also promote mental health more broadly.
Limits
Much of the trial evidence comes from Europe and North America. Programmes depend on trained staff and time in the school day, and they do not reach young people who are out of school.
What works
Identifying, assessing, managing and following up anyone affected by suicidal behaviour is the fourth LIVE LIFE intervention. Because a previous attempt is a major risk factor, contact after a hospital visit for self-harm, through calls, messages or visits, is a key part of this approach. Suicide and self-harm are a priority condition in WHO's mhGAP programme, whose guide for non-specialist health workers has a dedicated module.
Limits
It depends on functioning health services, which are short of mental health staff in most low- and middle-income countries. Fear of stigma or legal consequences keeps many people from asking for help in the first place.
What works
Removing criminal penalties allows people who have attempted suicide to be treated as patients, not offenders, and to seek care without fear of prosecution. WHO presents decriminalisation as a key step governments can take and describes recent reforms in Guyana, Pakistan and Singapore.
Limits
Suicide or suicide attempts are still illegal in at least 23 countries. Legal change alone does not remove stigma or create services, and reform can be slow where laws are tied to religious or cultural norms.
Promising, but not proven at scale. The stage shows how far each approach has come; it is not a recommendation.
Follow-up by phone, text message or short visits after a hospital stay for self-harm is cheap and has shown benefits in some trials, mostly in high-income countries. Health services in several low- and middle-income countries are testing how to deliver it routinely, and results so far are mixed.
Some countries and regions are setting up systems that report suspected suicides and hospital visits for self-harm within weeks rather than years, so that clusters can be spotted and services adjusted. Coverage is limited, and making such systems work where death registration itself is weak remains difficult.
Crisis lines are adding text and chat services, and apps help people prepare a personal safety plan and keep contacts close at hand. Uptake is growing, especially among young people, but evidence that these tools reduce suicide deaths is still limited.
Researchers are testing whether machine-learning models applied to health records or online activity can flag people at high risk. So far such models produce many false alarms and miss many people who later die by suicide, and they raise serious privacy and ethical questions.
Coordination gap
WHO reports that only 38 countries have a national suicide prevention strategy. Effective prevention needs health, agriculture, education, justice, transport and media regulators to work together, which rarely happens without a coordinating plan and a lead agency.
Implementation gap
Suicide or suicide attempts remain criminal offences in at least 23 countries. Criminalisation can deter people from seeking help, and WHO notes that the illegality of suicidal behaviour adds to under-reporting and misclassification of suicides.
Knowledge gap
Only some 80 WHO Member States have good-quality death registration data for suicide, and data on suicide attempts are scarcer still. Without reliable local data, countries cannot see which groups are most at risk or whether their measures work.
Implementation gap
Stigma around mental disorders and suicide means many people in distress do not seek help, and in many societies the topic is still taboo, which keeps suicide prevention low on political agendas.
Coordination gap
Phasing out the most dangerous pesticides requires agriculture ministries and pesticide regulators, not only health ministries, to act, and farmers need affordable alternatives. Many countries where pesticide self-poisoning is common have not yet completed this.
Technology gap
Current screening tools and clinical judgement cannot accurately predict which individual will die by suicide, so prevention has to combine population-wide measures with support for everyone who shows signs of distress.
Unresolved questions, not vetted breakthroughs. Answering any of them would change what is possible.
Most trials of school, health service and community interventions come from high-income countries. Which approaches reduce suicide in the settings where nearly three quarters of suicides occur, and at what cost?
How much of the large differences between countries, and between men and women, reflects real differences in risk, and how much reflects differences in recording, stigma and the means available?
How do social media, online communities and algorithm-driven content affect suicide risk among young people, and which forms of platform regulation or design protect them?
How can brief contact and follow-up care after self-harm be built into routine health services at scale, and does it reduce deaths over the long term, not only repeated self-harm?
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, contact a local crisis line or a health professional, or emergency services if someone is in immediate danger. findahelpline.com lists free, confidential helplines by country. If you are worried about someone, offer to help them make the call and stay with them if you can.
Asking someone directly how they are coping, and whether they are thinking about suicide, gives them a chance to talk. Listen without judgement, avoid trying to fix everything at once, and keep checking in, especially after a crisis or a hospital visit.
Online and offline, avoid sharing sensational stories or details of how someone died, and add information on where to find help when you post about suicide. Stories of people who found a way through a crisis can help others.
Short courses in mental health first aid or suicide prevention teach how to recognise warning signs and respond. You can also support local crisis lines and ask your representatives whether your country has a national suicide prevention strategy and has removed penalties for suicide attempts.
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World Health Organization, published 2026
WHO's current summary (dated 28 August 2026), based on WHO Global Health Estimates for 2021. Source of the 727,000 deaths, suicide as the third leading cause of death at ages 15–29, the 73% share in low- and middle-income countries, risk factors and groups at higher risk, the four LIVE LIFE interventions, the 38 countries with a national strategy, the roughly 80 Member States with good-quality vital registration data, and under-reporting and misclassification.
World Health Organization (news release, 2 September 2025), published 2025
Launch of WHO's World mental health today and Mental Health Atlas 2024 reports. Source of the assessment that progress is too slow to reach the one-third reduction target by 2030 and the projected 12% reduction on the current trajectory.
World Bank Open Data, from WHO Global Health Observatory (last updated 8 October 2026), published 2026
Crude suicide rates for 185 countries and the world, 2000–2021. Source of the trend (12.5 per 100,000 in 2000 to 9.1 in 2021), the male (12.3) and female (5.9) rates in 2021, the income-group rates and the map layer.
Knipe DW, Gunnell D, Eddleston M, The Lancet Global Health 5(7), published 2017
Peer-reviewed comment (University of Bristol repository copy of the published version). Source of the 70% fall in Sri Lanka's suicide rate since 1995, the bans between 1984 and 2011, the estimate of 93,000 lives saved between 1995 and 2015, the cost of about US$ 43 per life saved and the absence of an apparent effect on agricultural yield.
Niederkrotenthaler T et al., The BMJ 368:m575, published 2020
Open-access full text (PubMed Central copy) of the BMJ meta-analysis of 31 studies. Source of the 13% rise in suicides after media reports of celebrity suicides and the 30% rise in deaths by the same method.
World Health Organization, published 2023
WHO policy brief (12 September 2023). Source of the at least 23 countries where suicide or suicide attempts are illegal, the one-third reduction target, and the recent decriminalisation in Guyana, Pakistan and Singapore.
DO GOOD International (2026). Preventing Suicide. Global Challenges. Updated October 15, 2026. https://www.dogood.world/challenges/suicide-prevention
For figures, please cite the original sources listed above.