Suicide Rate In Odisha Higher Than National Average: NCRB Report

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has recorded more suicide rate than the national average in the last 10 years, according to National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) 2022 report.

As per the NCRB report, 1.71 lakh people died by suicide in the country in 2022 at the rate of 12.4 persons per 1 lakh population. Odisha along with Maharasthra are two most suicide-prone states in the country. Both states have registered 13.3 suicide death per 1 lakh population which is higher than the national average.

Similarly, Tamil Nadu recorded suicide rate at 11.6 per 1 lakh, Madhya Pradesh 9, Karnataka 8 and West Bengal 7.4, as per the NCRB report.

According to the Bureau’s compiled data, suicide death in Odisha accounted for 3.6% of the total such cases in the country. Total 6,140 persons died by suicide in the state in 2022 with more women taking the extreme step than the men

Of the total suicide deaths, 3,990 were women while 2,150 men died by suicide in the state during the survey year. The suicide rate in Odisha has increased by 8.7% in 2022 over the previous year.

The analysis of the causes of suicide revealed that family dispute was the major factor. Other reasons include marital discord, failure in love affair, financial crisis, unemployment, poor results in competitive examinations, intoxication and mental pressure due to critical diseases.

Another disturbing trend reported in the data is that the suicide rate among younger population in the country has been increasing over the years. Of the total suicide deaths every year, the age group of 18 years to 45 years accounts for 66%. In 2022, total 10,205 persons below the age of 18 years had committed suicide, the NCRB mentioned in its report.