154 farmers, daily wagers die by suicide daily: NCRB report

As per the data, which shows 1,70,924 suicides last year against 1,64,033 in 2021, family problems, marriage-related issues and illness accounted for 54.9 per cent of the total suicides in the country. There’s around 4% increase in overall suicides from 2021.

In the last five years, there has been a substantial jump of 27.06 per cent in the number of suicides and the suicide rate in urban areas and cities (16.4) was higher than the all-India suicide rate (12.4).

More than half of the victims ended their lives by hanging. This was followed by other means such as consuming poison, drowning and being run over by vehicles/trains.

The demographics show that persons involved in the farming sector and daily-wage labourers constitute 6.6 per cent and 26.4 per cent of the total suicides, respectively. This is followed by housewives (14.8 per cent). Similar figures were noted in 2021. Students and the unemployed, constituting 7.6 per cent and 9.2 per cent of the total, respectively, accounted for more than 28,000 lives lost.

The demographics show that persons involved in the farming sector and daily-wage labourers constitute 6.6 per cent and 26.4 per cent of the total suicides, respectively. This is followed by housewives (14.8 per cent). Similar figures were noted in 2021. Students and the unemployed, constituting 7.6 per cent and 9.2 per cent of the total, respectively, accounted for more than 28,000 lives lost.

The distress in agriculture sector is evident in the data. As many as 11,290 individuals involved in farming — 5,207 farmers/cultivators and 6,083 agricultural labourers — ended their lives last year.

In 2021, a total of 10,881 persons involved in farming sector (consisting of 5,318 farmers/cultivators and 5,563 agricultural labourers) died by suicide.

The number of male farmers was higher (4,999) than the females (208).

As per the report, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Chandigarh, Delhi (UT), Lakshadweep and Puducherry reported zero suicides of farmers/cultivators as well as agricultural labourers.

Out of 1,22,724 male suicides, daily wage earners were 41,433, followed by self-employed individuals and professionals/salaried persons. Among females, housewives accounted for the highest number, with 25,309 suicides, followed by students and daily-wage earners.

Cities and urban spaces, too, show a consistent increase in suicides from 2019 to 2022. As per the data of 53 megacities, the numbers have increased by 4.6 per cent, 6.5 per cent, 8.8 per cent, and 1.5 per cent in the respective years.

Additionally, the data reveals that at least 23.9 per cent of the suicide victims were educated up to the matric level, followed by 18 per cent educated up to the middle level, 14.5 per cent up to the primary level and 11.5 per cent illiterate. Only 5-6 per cent of the suicide victims were graduates.