India’s suicide rate has increased by 50 percent since 2000, reaching 170,746 cases in 2024, according to the latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Despite this long-term rise, the figures for 2024 show a slight drop of 0.4 percent compared to the previous year.

The recent report highlights daily wage earners as the most affected group over the past three years, accounting for nearly 30 percent of all suicide deaths in 2024. On average, six daily wage earners died by suicide every hour, marking the highest incidence among all occupational categories. In contrast, in 2000, housewives and farmers were also among the leading groups impacted by suicide. While the number of suicide attempts among these groups has significantly declined, about two housewives and one farmer attempted suicide every hour in 2024.

Family problems remain the predominant cause of suicides, responsible for approximately one-third of cases in 2024. This represents an increase from 20 percent of suicides linked to family issues in 2000. Additionally, the report indicates a near sixfold rise in suicides associated with alcohol addiction and a doubling of cases related to marriage problems since 2000.

The NCRB’s figures underscore the evolving occupational and social dimensions of suicide in India, reflecting changing socio-economic pressures across different segments of the population.