Tamil Nadu recorded highest number of suicides in South India in 2024: NCRB
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India recorded 1,70,746 deaths by suicide in 2024, a slight decline from 1,71,418 cases in 2023, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau data.
The national suicide rate also dipped marginally from 12.3 to 12.2 per lakh population.
Maharashtra reported the highest number of suicides in the country with 22,174 cases, followed by Tamil Nadu with 19,965. Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and West Bengal completed the top five states, which together accounted for nearly half of all suicides nationwide.
Among southern states, Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of suicides at 19,965, followed by Karnataka with 13,151, Telangana with 10,975, Kerala with 10,865, and Andhra Pradesh with 8,302.
Together, the five states accounted for more than 36 per cent of all suicides in India.
Tamil Nadu also reported the highest number of housewife suicides in the country, with 2,821 cases, accounting for 12.8 per cent of the national total.
Kerala recorded the highest suicide rate among southern states at 30.2 per lakh population, followed by Telangana at 28.6 and Tamil Nadu at 25.9. All southern states remained above the national average.
The NCRB data showed that family problems and illness were the leading causes of suicide nationally, accounting for 33.5 per cent and 17.9 per cent of cases, respectively.
In Tamil Nadu, illness accounted for 29.3 per cent of suicides, while in Kerala, more than half of the suicides were linked to family problems.
Daily wage earners formed the largest category among suicide victims nationally at 31 per cent, followed by housewives and self-employed individuals.
The report also stated that people aged between 18 and 45 accounted for nearly two-thirds of all suicide deaths in India.
Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of mass or family suicide cases in the country in 2024, with 32 incidents leading to 79 deaths.