India witnessed record 1.64 lakh suicides in 2021; career-related suicides on the rise

The year 2021 witnessed rapid economic revival post a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic that claimed millions of lives in most large countries like India. But another silent epidemic continues to claim lakhs of lives every year — suicide.
This week, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released the data for 2021, revealing that 1,64,033 claimed their lives due to various reasons in 2021. This implies a whopping 450 recorded deaths by suicide every single day of the year.
One recent study shows a clear increase in suicide rates in India since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the 2021 figure is even more concerning since the study highlighted that NCRB’s suicide data might be underestimating the actual suicide rates.
Compromising the SDGs
Under the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the third goal aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages. As per Target 3.4 of this goal, countries must work to reduce premature mortality by promoting mental health and well-being, and the suicide rate — the number of suicides per one lakh people — forms a key indicator.
Unfortunately, the trend in India has remained contrary to this expectation in recent years. As per the NCRB data, suicide rates showed a decreasing trend from 2010 until 2017 but have been on the rise ever since. The suicide rate was a record 12 in 2021, which is the highest for any year the data has been available since 1967. The previous high of 11.3 was reported in 2020.
The report on accidental deaths and suicides released by the NCRB on Monday also underlines a record high in suicide-related deaths in India in 2021. At 1.64 lakh suicides, 2021 saw a 7.2 per cent increase from the previous year when 1.53 such cases were reported. In 2019, around 1.39 lakh people died by suicide.
Job-related woes remain a major cause
The year 2021 marked uncertainty in the job market, prolonged isolation, skyrocketing inflation, and financial doldrums, resulting in an increased load of mental illness. As many as 50 people in India commit suicide every week due to career or workplace problems, according to recent data from NCRB. A record 2,593 people died of suicide due to such reasons in 2020 — a whopping 41% higher than the previous year.
The NCRB divides the data on suicide into nine occupational categories, and among them, the maximum number of suicides in 2021 was recorded among daily-wage workers, self-employed, unemployed, and homemakers.
One in four suicides involved daily wage earners, with over 42,000 cases reported in 2021. Daily wage earners accounted for the highest suicide deaths in 2020, also at 37,666 out of 1.5 lakh. The data is significant because thousands of people who made a living daily lost their livelihood during the two pandemic years.
At 23,179, the "housewife" category accounted for 14.1% of all suicides in 2021, a marginal increase compared to 22,374 in 2020.
The suicide rate in cities and states
India's top cities, where many people move in search of better job prospects and means of subsistence, have become suicide hotspots with a maximum number of suicides. Notably, the four major cities of Delhi City (2,760), Chennai (2,699), Bengaluru (2,292), and Mumbai (1,436), together account for nearly 35.5% of all suicides reported from 53 megacities.
According to the report, the increase in the number of suicides was 12% in Mumbai (from 1,282 to 1,436), followed by 11.1% in Chennai (from 2,430 to 2,699), and 4.4% in Bengaluru (from 2,196 to 2,292). Delhi marked an exception with a marginal decline in cases during 2021 compared to 2020.
Among states, Maharashtra has the highest suicide cases (22,207), followed by Tamil Nadu (18,925), Madhya Pradesh (14,965), West Bengal (13,500), and Karnataka (13,500). In the entire nation, more than half of all suicide deaths occurred in these five states in 2021.
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