Overview

• India recorded 171,418 suicides in 2023, a 0.3% increase from 2022, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
• Student suicides rose to a record 13,892, up 6.5% year on year, with the highest shares in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
• The report cites family problems and illness as the leading causes nationwide, with drug abuse and marriage-related issues also prominent.
• Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh reported year-on-year declines, even as Sikkim’s rate ranked among the highest after the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Government supports include the Manodarpan and Tele MANAS helplines, and a Supreme Court task force on student mental health has yet to submit its interim report.