New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) 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 were the major causes of suicides which accounted for 31.9 per cent and 19.0 per cent of total suicides respectively during 2023.

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.

Housewives accounted for 51.6 per cent of the total female victims (24,048 out of 46,648) and constitute nearly 14 per cent of total victims who committed suicides (24,048 out of 1,71,418) during 2023.

Government servants accounted for 1.1 per cent (1,915) as compared to 7.2 per cent (12,275) from private sector enterprises out of 1,71,418 of total victims. Employees from public sector undertakings formed 1.4 per cent (2,327 suicides).

The proportion of female victims were more in marriage related issues (specifically in dowry related issues) and and impotency/infertility.

The age group (18 --below 30 years) and persons of 30 years--below 45 years of age were the most vulnerable groups resorting to suicides. These age groups accounted for 32.8 per cent and 32.5 per cent suicides respectively.

Family problems (2,568), love affairs (1,724) and failure in examination (1,303) were the main causes of suicides among children (below 18 years of age), students and un-employed victims accounted for 8.1 per cent (13,892 victims).

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.

A total of 26,095 suicides were reported in the 53 mega cities of the country during the 2023.

The states and Union territories which have reported higher percentage increase in suicides in 2023 over 2022 were Lakshadweep (50 per cent), Ladakh (46.2 per cent), Bihar (31.9 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (27 per cent), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (17 per cent), Uttarakhand (15.5 per cent), Chandigarh (14.5 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir Union territory (13 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (12 per cent), while highest percentage decrease was reported in Mizoram (35.9 per cent), Nagaland (26.5 per cent) and Arunachal Pradesh (14.1 per cent).

The NCRB said the rate of suicides i.e., the number of suicides per one lakh population, has been widely accepted as a standard yardstick for comparison.

The all India rate of suicides was 12.3 during the year 2023. Andaman and Nicobar islands reported the highest rate of suicide (49.6) followed by Sikkim (40.2), Kerala (30.6), Puducherry (28.0) and Telangana (27.7). PTI ACB ZMN

Suicide rate edges up, with family problems and illness reported as the leading causes across jurisdictions. The NCRB report records an increase in reported suicides, identifying family problems and illness as the primary causes and listing substance abuse, marriage issues, love affairs, indebtedness, unemployment and examination failure as other contributors. Young adults are the most affected cohorts, children's suicides are linked mainly to family problems, love affairs and academic failure, and housewives represent a large share of female victims. Five states account for nearly half of reported suicides, with additional detail on mega city counts, interjurisdictional percentage changes, and per capita suicide rates used for regional comparison.