Suicide Among Top 2 Causes Of Death For Young Indians Between 2020-2022, Women More Vulnerable Than Men: Report

New Delhi: Suicide has remained one of the two leading causes of death among young Indians aged 15–29 for the past two decades, according to a troubling new analysis of official death records by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

As per the report, between 2020 and 2022, suicides accounted for 17.1% of deaths in this age group, second only to road accidents, despite making up just 5% of total deaths across all age groups in the country.

Globally, suicide is the third most common cause of death for young people, as per the World Health Organization (WHO). In India, the numbers are even starker. Within the 15–29 age bracket, women appear to be more at risk, with 18.2% of young female deaths caused by suicide during 2020–22, compared to 16.3% among men. Although this gender gap has narrowed over the years, the numbers remain deeply concerning.

Family Conflict, Relationships, and Mental Illness Lead Triggers

Data from the NCRB reveals that “family problems” were the leading cause of suicide among 18–30-year-olds, accounting for 32.4% of cases. This was followed by “love affairs” (8%), “marriage-related issues” (7.5%), “mental illness” (7.4%), and “drug abuse” (5.2%).

Among marriage-related suicides, dowry was a significant factor, 28% of these cases involved dowry disputes, with women accounting for a staggering 93% of such deaths. These statistics shine a harsh light on the emotional and social pressures weighing disproportionately on young Indian women.

India Tops the World in Youth Suicides by Numbers

With over 60,700 suicide deaths recorded in the 15-29 age group during the 2020–22 period, India has the highest absolute number of youth suicides globally, six times that of China, which recorded around 10,700 such deaths. This is in part due to India’s larger youth population, 345 million compared to China’s 260 million, but the scale of the problem remains alarming.

India also ranks tenth among large countries in suicide rate, with a crude suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people, higher than all its neighbouring countries.

Published on: Thursday, June 26, 2025, 01:58 PM IST