Mental Health Emerges as Leading Cause of Suicides in India, New Report Reveals

Key Points

SUICIDES OWING TO MENTAL ILLNESS issues in India have hit an all-time high, a new report has revealed. In 2024, out of all the suicides committed in the country, almost half were related to mental health issues, reveals the State of India’s Environment 2026: In Figures (SOE) report.

In 2024, India reported 30,617 suicides that were linked to illness. Out of these, 14.7%, or around 14,305 deaths, were linked to mental health. The figure stood at 13, 978 in the previous year 2023.

The findings of the SOE reports are based on the Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India, 2024, report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), and were analyzed by Down To Earth magazine and Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment.

State-wise division of suicidal death reveal another patter. In 24 states and union territories (UTs), mental health was reported to be top reason for suicides. Four states — Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, accounted for almost half of the mental illness related suicides. The report notes that as compared to 2023, suicides related to illness declined in 2024, but suicides linked specifically to mental illness rose.

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Chronic Illness Remains a Major Driver of Suicide Deaths 

In 2024, chronic or prolonged illness was reported to be the second-largest reason for suicides in India. Around 14,405 deaths were reported, which makes up 46% of the total illness-related suicides. 

Cancer was reported to be the cause for around 1,232 suicidal deaths in 2024. Over half of the cancer-related suicides were reported from four states — Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Kerala. Maharashtra recorded 270 suicides owing to cancer, the highest among all states. This was a comparatively lower statistic than of 2023, when the state recorded 430 cancer-related suicides. 

Nationally, suicides linked to cancer declined by 14% between 2023 and 2024. However, eight states and UTs recorded an increase during the same period: Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Punjab, Goa, and Chandigarh.

Karnataka saw the sharpest rise among all states, with cancer-related suicides jumping 66% from 76 in 2023 to 126 in 2024. Kerala reported 250 such deaths in 2024, a marginal increase from 241 the previous year. Uttar Pradesh recorded 90 cancer-linked suicides in 2024, a 25% rise from 72 in 2023.

Overall suicides in India 

Even though the percentage of overall suicide deaths linked to illness declined in the 2023-2024 time period, down to 6% in 2024, many states and UTs reported an increase in illness-related suicides in 2024, the SOE report says. These were Odisha, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, and Haryana.

Bihar recorded the sharpest increase in illness-related suicides, which rose more than six-fold from 36 in 2023 to 226 in 2024. Jharkhand saw a 36% rise, from 132 to 179 deaths. Uttar Pradesh reported a 30% increase, from 422 illness-related suicides in 2023 to 549 in 2024.

See also: According to WHO, 1 in 8 individuals worldwide suffer from mental illness

Long-Term Trends Point to a Growing Public Health Crisis 

Despite these fluctuation in illness-linked suicides in the time duration of 2023-2024, the long term trend of these deaths are worrisome. As per NCRB estimates, between 2015 and 2024, around 260,000 suicidal deaths owing to illness were recorded. In 2015, the reported number of these deaths stood at 21,178, which jumped to 30,617 in 2024.

The analysis highlights a growing public health crisis linked to mental illness and chronic diseases. These trends also have serious implications for India’s progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3, which focuses on good health and well-being. One of the key SDG indicators, 3.4.2, aims to reduce the suicide mortality rate. According to the SOE report, the rising number of illness-related suicides could make it significantly harder for India to achieve this target.

[Edited by: Vaishnavi Sivadasan]

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