Suicide rates are gradually falling in the EU, but men are still more drastically affected than women

In 2023, more than 48,000 individuals in the European Union died by suicide, marking a gradual decline in suicide rates over the past decade, according to Eurostat data. The standardized death rate was 10.4 per 100,000 people, down from 10.6 in 2022 and 12.2 in 2013. The highest suicide rates were observed in Lithuania (18.8), Slovenia (16.4), and Hungary (16.1), while Cyprus, Greece, and Malta had the lowest rates (3.5, 4.3, and 5.5, respectively).

Suicide is a complex issue, often influenced by a combination of individual, community, and societal factors. Samaritans, a suicide prevention charity, notes that suicide rates are significantly higher among men than women, with a ratio of 16.9 per 100,000 men compared to five per 100,000 women in 2023. Men accounted for 76.4% of all suicide deaths in the EU, ranging from 70.2% in the Netherlands to 90.3% in Malta.

The charity attributes this disparity to the way certain risk factors affect men differently from women, such as social expectations that discourage men from seeking help for suicidal thoughts or behaviors, and the greater impact of relationship breakdown on men.

Age also plays a role in suicide rates, with those aged 65 and older having the highest ratio of suicides to the average population at 17.3 per 100,000 people. In contrast, young individuals under 15 had a death rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people. Men across all age groups, except for children under 15, had higher suicide rates than women.

The EU has been actively addressing mental health issues and suicide prevention through various initiatives, investing over €1.2 billion in EU4Health, Horizon Europe, and Erasmus+ programs. These efforts include teacher training, peer-support models, and tools to detect and respond to mental distress early.