One of every three suicides worldwide happens in India.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in 2014, 131,666 Indians committed suicide because of family problems, illnesses, and bankruptcy, among other reasons. That number is higher than the entire population of the Caribbean nation of Grenada.
Of this number, a staggering 68% were male, with 83,548 men above the age of 18 committing suicide, in comparison to 37,152 women. In the same period, 5,581 boys below the age of 18 killed themselves, compared to 5,369 girls. Sixteen transgenders also killed themselves during the year.
Maharashtra—where a large number of farmers commit suicide every year—topped the list of Indian states with the most suicides.
India’s housewives accounted for 47.4% of total female suicides in the country in 2014.
Meanwhile, 18% of those who killed themselves did so due to various illnesses.
On the bright side, the overall number of suicides in the country has seen a decline in the past few years. In 2014, the total number of suicidal deaths declined by 2.3%.