The 2023 NCRB report highlights a concerning rise in suicides due to illnesses, with nearly 20 per cent of cases linked to conditions like cancer and mental health issues.
Suicides due to illnesses increased by 3.2 per cent from 2022, with men being more affected.
Additionally, sudden deaths from heart attacks rose by 10 per cent, and abortion-related fatalities saw a significant 59 per cent spike.
Close to 20 per cent of suicides in India in 2023 were due to illnesses such as cancer, paralysis and mental illnesses, according to the 2023 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report.
Further, 2023 saw a 3.2 per cent rise in the number of suicides due to illness from 31,484 in 2022 to 32,503 in 2023, according to the report, which provides comprehensive data on accidental deaths and suicides in India.
Among causes of suicides, illnesses ranked second at 19 per cent after family problems, which accounted for 32 per cent of total suicides in 2023.
Suicide numbers due to illnesses was the highest among those aged between 30-45 years (8,964 deaths), followed by the age group 45-60 years (7,938), 18-30 years (7,386), above 60 years (6,987) and 0-18 years (1,228), showed data in the report.
Men saw higher suicide deaths due to illnesses, with 22,987 deaths reported among men, 9,501 among women and 15 in transgender individuals. This trend was seen across the different age groups.
Mental illnesses accounted for most suicides at 13,978, with men constituting 9,788 deaths, women (4,183) and transgender (7). Compared to 2022, the number of suicides due to mental illnesses dropped by some 4 per cent.
Suicides due to AIDS and paralysis declined by 16 and 4.5 per cent, respectively, in 2023 relative to 2022. However, suicides with cancer as a cause rose by 14 per cent in 2023 from 1,251 in 2022. Similarly, illness categorised under “Other Prolonged Illness” saw a 11 per cent increase in 2023 relative to the year before.
Tamil Nadu saw the highest number of suicide deaths in 2023, constituting 21 per cent of all suicidal deaths due to illness in India, followed by Maharashtra (12 per cent) and Karnataka (10 per cent).
A 2024 study that analysed 26 years of national data of children and adolescent suicides from NCRB reports published during 1995–2021 found that illness has emerged as one of the leading causes of suicide, with a significant rise over time. Between 2011–2015, the suicide rate due to illness among males rose to 19 per cent, increasing to 45 per cent in 2016–2021.
NCRB reported a 13 per cent rise in sudden deaths due to heart attack or brain haemorrhage in 2023, from 56,450 sudden deaths in 2022. 'Sudden death' refers to unexpected death that is instantaneous or occurs within minutes from any cause other than violence.
Heart attack was responsible for 32,457 sudden deaths in 2022 and 35,715 deaths in 2023 — a 10 per cent rise. The remaining sudden deaths were categorised as “others”, reporting 23,993 in 2022 and 27,928 in 2023 — a 16.4 per cent increase.
The burden was highest in people aged between 45 and 60 years, with this age group constituting 34 per cent of deaths. This was followed by people aged between 30 and 45 (31 per cent), 60 years and above (20 per cent), 18-30 years (12 per cent), 0-14 years (1.8 per cent) and 14-18 years (1.3 per cent).
The age group with the most deaths due to heart attack was 45-60 years (38 per cent), followed by 30-45 years (31 per cent), 60 years and above (21 per cent), 18-30 years (9 per cent), 14-18 years (0.5 per cent) and 0-14 years (0.2 per cent).
Causes other than heart attack accounted for a majority of sudden deaths among the younger population. Some 92 per cent of sudden deaths in children aged 0-14 years and 80 per cent in adolescents aged 14-18 years were due to causes other than heart attack.
There was also an increase in deaths of women during pregnancy, from 1,073 in 2022 and 1,131 in 2023, marking a 5.4 per cent rise. Of this, number of women who died due to abortion was 80 in 2022 and 127 the following year — a worrying 59 per cent spike.
A 2019 study reported that there is a high prevalence of unsafe abortion in India. Unsafe abortion is defined as the termination of an unintended pregnancy either by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an environment lacking the minimum medical standards or both.
Of the 89,447 abortions among 1,876, 462 pregnant women in 2007–2011, 58,266 (65 per cent) were classified as unsafe, according to the report. As many as 253 abortion-related maternal deaths were reported during this period, it added. These were related to maternal age (15–19), rural residence and schedule tribe social group.