India’s 2024 suicides 22.7% higher than 2019, NCRB data show (report released May 6, 2026)

The National Crime Records Bureau released the 2024 edition of the Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) report on a Wednesday, providing the latest numbers for suicides in 2024 and context from earlier years, including 2019, 2020 and 2021 pandemic-era data and 2023 figures.

Deaths due to forces of nature rose 22.6% to 7,903. Lightning caused 2,825 deaths, and heat or sun-stroke deaths more than doubled from 804 in 2023 to 1,832 in 2024.

Sudden deaths rose by 19.5% to 76,024, with heart attack cases increasing from 35,715 in 2023 to 38,596 in 2024.

Traffic accidents were the leading cause of accidental deaths in 2024, with 1,99,443 deaths (42.6% of all accidental deaths). Road accidents caused 1,75,142 deaths. Two-wheeler riders made up 48.3% of road-accident victims, while SUV/car/jeep occupants accounted for 13.6%. Over-speeding caused 61.2% of road accidents and 1,01,649 deaths.

About 63% of suicide victims had an annual income of less than ₹1 lakh, 31.6% earned ₹1–₹5 lakh, and 0.6% had ₹10 lakh or more annually.

Daily wage earners accounted for 31% of suicide victims, followed by housewives (13%), self-employed (10.5%), professionals/salaried (9.9%), unemployed (8.7%), students (8.5%), and farming (6.2%).

The largest reported cause remained family problems (33.5%), followed by illness (17.9%), drug abuse/alcohol addiction (7.6%), marriage-related issues (5%), love affairs (4.6%), and bankruptcy or indebtedness (4.4%), which rose by 15% compared with 2023.

Bihar reported a 44.4% increase in suicides over 2023, while Telangana (+3.7%), Tamil Nadu (+2.5%), Assam (+5%), and West Bengal (+0.9%) also saw increases. Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh reported declines.

Among major states, Kerala had the highest suicide rate at 30.2, followed by Telangana at 28.6, Chhattisgarh at 26.0 and Tamil Nadu at 25.9. Bihar (1.0) and Uttar Pradesh (3.8) had the lowest rates.

In 2024, 1,70,746 people died by suicide (suicide rate 12.2 per 100,000). The ratio of suicides to accidental deaths was 36.5 per 100. Accidental deaths rose to 4,67,857 (up 5.3% from 4,44,104 in 2023) — the highest absolute number since 1967. Across 2019–2024, suicides increased by 22.7%, while accidental deaths rose by 11.1%.

In 2023, 1,71,418 people died by suicide, with a suicide rate of 12.3 per 100,000.

The article also notes a Covid-era peak of more than 40 suicides per 100,000 people in 2021.

The article notes a Covid-era peak of more than 40 suicides per 100,000 people in 2020.

The pre-pandemic suicide rate was 10.4 per 100,000 in 2019.