Suicides dip in Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal even as India sees overall rise: NCRB

New Delhi, Sept 30: India recorded over 1.7 lakh suicides in 2023, a marginal rise of 0.3% from 2022, with family problems and illness emerging as the two leading causes, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report.

While the bulk of cases were concentrated in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal, the report shows a mixed trend in the Northeast.

Mizoram reported a 35.9% decline, Nagaland a 26.5% decline, and Arunachal Pradesh a 14.1% decline in suicides in 2023 compared to the previous year.

This contrasts with the overall national increase, indicating a rare positive trend in the region.

However, Sikkim reported one of the highest suicide rates in the country at 40.2 per lakh population, second only to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (49.6).

Family disputes, illness, drug abuse, and marriage-related issues continued to drive most cases across India. Alarmingly, suicides among students and unemployed youth accounted for 8.1% of all victims.

Nationally, housewives made up over half of the female victims (24,048 out of 46,648), underscoring persistent gendered vulnerabilities.

The report also noted that the 18–45 age group remains the most vulnerable, making up nearly two-thirds of all suicides.

The NCRB highlighted that while Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, accounted for just 5.3% of total cases, the smaller Northeastern states exhibited sharp fluctuations, pointing to unique socio-economic pressures in the region.

PTI