26 Highest Suicidal Cities in the World

Suicide is an ever-present issue, which is why we, at Insider Monkey, recognizing its importance, decided to look into the matter and offer you the list of 26 highest suicidal cities in the world.

Anyone who is not completely oblivious to the reality they are emerged in, is aware that there is more to life than spending time with the people you love, getting that well-deserved promotion and feeling the joy of traveling to a place you have never visited. We know that these are the good things in life because at some point we hit the low life had in store for us all. While most of us go through these moments being aware that they do not last forever and that sooner or later, we will rise again, for others, the blow is just unbearable, and the only solution they see is leaving this world for good. When thinking about suicide, I always remember the movie I watched a long time ago, the title of which I do not even remember now. The narrator tells the story of a man who decided to end his life by jumping off a bridge and goes on to say that, while the man was in mid-jump he came to realize that the only thing in life that cannot be changed was his jump from that bridge. It is this perspective everyone should have in their darkest of days. While I am aware that the shift in perspective is not something acquired very easily, it is definitely something to think about.

First, we wanted to find out what country is most suicidal in the world, and we checked the World Health Organization that estimates that close to 800.000 people die every year due to suicide, indicating that every 40 seconds one person commits suicide. Furthermore, in 2015, suicide was the 17^th leading cause of death in the world. We have already written about suicide in our article on 10 Countries with the Highest Suicide Rates. The data concerning 2015 statistics ranked Greenland as the country with the highest suicide rate in the world. Lithuania, South Korea, Guyana, and Kazakhstan were also listed as some of the highest suicidal countries. Our analysis of 2016 data and our ranking of 11 Countries with the Highest Suicide Rates in the World in 2016 painted a somewhat different picture of suicide rates worldwide. The highest suicidal country in 2016 was Lithuania, with an estimated of 314.61 suicides per 1,000.000 people. Guyana, Suriname, Hungary, and Japan were also grouped among the highest suicidal countries in 2016. The suicide rates for the year 2017 are covered in our article 30 Countries with the Highest Suicide Rates in the World, so go ahead and find out which country is to bear the stigma of the highest suicidal country of 2017. The problem remains existent nevertheless, and the world has yet to find means to deal with it properly. There are prevention mechanisms, and every country should work at improving these. Perhaps a couple of things or more could be learned from policymakers in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Lebanon, as these are some of the least suicidal countries in the world.

In our article on 15 Most Suicidal Cities in India we focused on suicide rates in India only, this time, however, we consider the statistics of suicide rates in cities worldwide. In order to create the list of 26 highest suicidal cities in the world, I have taken into account the data on suicide rates per country and the data on population size in cities. Based on these data I was able to estimate the number of people who die due to suicide in these cities. I have referred to the official data on suicide rates provided by the World Health Organization and by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. While one can find many other sources of data on suicide rates worldwide, their credibility is questionable which is why I am using only these two.

26. Sucre (Bolivia)

According to the WHO, Bolivia’s suicide rate is 20.5 per 100.000 people, ranking it 12^th in the world. It is estimated that 61 individuals commit suicide in Sucre every year.

25. Paramaribo (Suriname)

The capital of Suriname, Paramaribo, is ranked 25^th on our list of 26 highest suicidal cities in the world. Suriname has 6^th highest suicide rate in the world.

24. Riga (Latvia)

Latvia is among the European countries with the highest suicide rate. Around 111 people die from suicide, every year in Riga, the number 24 on our list of highest suicidal cities in the world

23. Lomé (Togo)

Taking into consideration Togo’s suicide rate, which is 15.4 per 100.000 people, and the population of Lomé, the estimate is that around 129 people commit suicide in this city every year.

22. Krakow (Poland)

Poland is ranked 15^th in the world with regards to the suicide rate. It is estimated that 18 out of 100.000 people commit suicide in this country.

21. Vilnius (Lithuania)

In OECD ranking of countries based on suicide rates, Lithuania comes far ahead, having the suicide rate of 26.1 per 100.000 people. Around 141 people die from suicide in Vilnius every year.

20. Bangui (Central African Republic)

Every year, around 143 people commit suicide in Bangui. The Central African Republic is ranked 13^th in the world with regards to the suicide rate.

19. Brussels (Belgium)

Belgium’s suicide rate is 16.1 per 100.000 people. Taking this into account, it is estimated that around 183 people die from suicide every year in Brussels.

18. Colombo (Sri Lanka)

As the data provided by the WHO suggests, Sri Lanka has the highest suicide rate in the world, which is 34.6 per 100.000 people. Without a doubt, a shocking figure. 207 people commit suicide every year in the capital of Sri Lanka.

17. Montevideo (Uruguay)

Uruguay’s suicide rate is 15.7 per 100.000 people, ranking it 28^th in the world. 209 is the number of people who die due to suicide every year in Montevideo.

16. Astana (Kazakhstan)

Kazakhstan is among top 10 most suicidal countries in the world. Its suicide rate is 27.5 per 100.000 people. It is estimated that 223 people commit suicide every year in Astana.

15. Freetown (Sierra Leone)

233 people die in the capital of Sierra Leone every year. Country’s suicide rate is 22.1 per 100.000 ranking it 11^th in the world.

14. Harare (Zimbabwe)

Taking into account Zimbabwe’s suicide rate, 18 per 100.000 people, and the population in its capital Harare indicates that the number of people who die due to suicide every year is 267.

13. Budapest (Hungary)

One of my favorite cities to visit is ranked 13^th on the list of 26 highest suicidal cities in the world. It is definitely not something I am happy about.

12. Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

This city with an unusual name is among the most suicidal cities in the world. It is estimated that around 363 people die from suicide, in the capital of Burkina Faso.

11. Minsk (Belarus)

Belarus has a suicide rate of 19.1 per 100.000 people. Around 365 people commit suicide in its capital every year. That means that on average, there is a one suicide per day.

10. Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)

Mongolia is one of the countries with the highest suicide rates in the world, ranked 3^rd with a suicide rate of 28.1 per 100.000 people. Taking into account the population of the capital, around 387 people die from suicide in this city which ranks 10th on our list of highest suicidal cities in the world.

9. Pyongyang (North Korea)

Having in mind the restrictive system of North Korea, it is no wonder people see suicide as the only way out. Country’s suicide rate is 15.2 per 100.000, suggesting that around 392 people commit suicide only in its capital.

8. Yaoundé (Cameroon)

Cameroon’s suicide rate is 17.5 per 100.000 people, ranking it 19^th in the world according to the WHO report. In Yaoundé, around 427 people commit suicide every year.

7. Abuja (Nigeria)

Nigeria’s suicide rate is not among the highest in the world, 15.1 per 100.000, ranking it 30^th in the world. However, its capital is among the highest suicidal cities in the world.

6. Kiev (Ukraine)

Kiev is yet another European capital to make our list. Ukraine’s suicide rate is 16.6 per 100.000 people. It is estimated that around 465 people die in Kiev due to suicide each year.

5. Tokyo (Japan)

Japan has 26^th highest suicide rate in the world, 15.4 per 100.000 people. Around 1428 people commit suicide in Tokyo every year. This is definitely a call for an action to the city authorities.

4. Luanda (Angola)

The capital of Angola is among top 5 highest suicidal cities on our list. Angola’s suicide rate, 25.9 per 100.000 people, ranks it 9^th in the world.

3. Moscow (Russia)

Russia’s suicide rate is 17.9 per 100.000 people ranking it 17^th in the world. Unfortunately, the number of people who decide to take their own lives is among the highest in the world, 2133.

2. Seoul (South Korea)

The authorities in Seoul have long tried to tackle the issue, however, without much success. South Korea comes 10th in the world, with a suicide rate of 24.1 per 100.000 people. Taking into account the population of Seoul, around 2376 people die due to suicide every year.

1. New Delhi (India)

While India’s suicide rate is not among the highest in the world, New Delhi does come first on the list of 26 highest suicidal cities in the world. Taking into account the population of India’s capital and India’s suicide rate, the estimated number of people who commit suicide in this city is staggering 3480.

I sincerely do hope suicide rates worldwide will decrease to the very minimum and respective governments will implement the mechanisms of prevention, providing the necessary help to those who are at risk of taking their own lives.

This was Insider Monkey’s list of 26 highest suicidal cities in the world.