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Between 2021 and 2022, total students’ suicides increased by 4.2 per cent. Over the past two decades, student suicides have grown at an alarming annual rate of 4 per cent, doubling the national average, a report by IC3 suggested.
IC3 is a volunteer organisation that provides support to high schools around the world through guidance and training resources.
As per the report, in 2022, there have been 13,044 reported student suicides compared to 13,089 in 2021; representing an insignificant decrease year on year. In comparison, total suicides (students and other people) increased 4.2 per cent, from 164,033 in 2021 to 170,924 in 2022. The data suggests that over the last 10 and 20 years, total suicides increased 2 per cent annually on average while student suicides increased 4 per cent, that is, twice that of total suicides.
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— Maharashtra – 1,764 suicides (14% of total student suicides)
— Tamil Nadu – 1,416 suicides (11% of total student suicides)
— Madhya Pradesh – 1,340 suicides (10% of total student suicides)
— Uttar Pradesh – 1,060 suicides (8% of total student suicides)
— Jharkhand – 824 suicides (6% of total student suicides)
Maharashtra has the highest number of student suicides, making up 14 per cent of the total, which is the highest percentage among the listed states. Tamil Nadu follows with 11 per cent, also showing a significant number of cases. Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh also have concerning figures, with 10 and 8 per cent, respectively. While it is lower than the rest of the above mentioned states, Jharkhand has the fifth highest cases as it represents 6 per cent of the total student suicides.
Previous data:
— Maharashtra – 1,834 suicides (14% of total student suicides)
— Madhya Pradesh – 1,308 suicides (10% of total student suicides)
— Tamil Nadu – 1,246 suicides (10% of total student suicides)
— Karnataka – 855 suicides (7% of total student suicides)
— Odisha – 834 suicides (6% of total student suicides)
In 2021 and 2022, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh remain as the highest states. These three states include one-third of the country’s total student suicide count. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand numbers indicate high year-on-year increases in student suicides, 14 and 15 per cent respectively. On the other hand, Rajasthan, with the infamous Kota coaching city, is ranked 10th with 571 student suicides.
The incidence of student suicides continues to surpass both population growth rates and overall suicide trends. Over the last decade, while the population of 0-24-year-olds reduced from 582 million to 581 million, the number of student suicides increased from 6,654 to 13,044.
Gender-wise, male student suicides increased 50 per cent while female student suicides gone up by 61 per cent over the last 10 years. Both male and female students increased 5 per cent annually on average over the last five years.
In 2022, male students constituted 53 per cent of the total student suicides. Between 2021 and 2022, male student suicides decreased by 6 per cent while female student suicides increased by 7 per cent. Over the past decade from 2012, male student suicides surged 99 per cent and female student suicides jumped 92per cent. “However, it is essential to acknowledge that comprehensive and accurate data collection, recording, and reporting is imperative for transgender students, as their specific situation remains underrepresented in the data,” the report stated.
