While only 5.5 percent were graduates or above, most victims had studied up to matriculation (24.6 percent).
Published Oct 01, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 01, 2025 | 7:00 AM
Suicide. (Creative commons)
Synopsis: The report also found that two-thirds of all suicide victims earned less than ₹1 lakh annually. Another 28.3 per cent (48,432) earned between ₹1 lakh and less than ₹5 lakh annually.
The latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data shows Kerala reported the highest share of suicides among unemployed persons in 2023, accounting for 15.4 percent of such cases (2,191 out of 14,234).
Maharashtra followed with 14.5 percent, Tamil Nadu 11.2 percent, and Uttar Pradesh 9.1 percent.
The report also found that two-thirds of all suicide victims earned less than ₹1 lakh annually. Another 28.3 per cent (48,432) earned between ₹1 lakh and less than ₹5 lakh annually.
While only 5.5 percent were graduates or above, most victims had studied up to matriculation (24.6 percent).
In the farming sector, 10,786 suicides were recorded nationwide, including 4,690 cultivators and 6,096 agricultural labourers. Maharashtra (38.5 percent) and Karnataka (22.5 percent) reported the bulk of these deaths, while several states—including Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, and Delhi—reported none.
Overall, India recorded 1,71,418 suicides in 2023.
Kerala recorded a 27 percent increase in adult suicides in 10 years between 2013 and 2023, raising questions on social support to individuals in a state that takes pride in the several firsts it has achieved.
According to the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) statistics, 8,648 adults died by suicide in 2013, which increased to 10,972 in 2023. The figures do not reflect a healthy trend since among one lakh adult population, 24.6 percent took the extreme step in 2013, which went up to 30.9 percent 10 years later.
The SCRB statistics also pointed at another reality. More men ended their lives than women: 80 percent of those who had died by suicide were men.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman)
