Every year close to 800 000 people die as a result of suicide. This is one death every 40 seconds. Beyond this, suicide has a ripple effect that impacts on societies, communities, friends and families who have lost a loved one to suicide. So, yes, suicide really is a serious public health problem.
Suicide prevention efforts require coordination and collaboration among multiple sectors of society, including the health sector and other sectors such as education, labour, agriculture, business, justice, law, defence, politics, and the media. These efforts must be comprehensive and integrated as no single approach alone can make an impact on an issue as complex as suicide.
Suicide is a major public health issue across a wide range of settings from highly developed to small Pacific island countries and areas. Suicide rates in some countries in the Western Pacific are among the highest in the world.
Suicide rate highest in high-income countries; second leading cause of death among young people The global age-standardized suicide rate [1] for 2016 [2] was 10.5 per 100 000. Rates varied widely, however, between countries, from 5 suicide deaths per 100 000, to more than 30 per 100 000. While 79% of the world’s suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries, high-income countries had ...